Home > Questions

The operation can't be completed because some items had to be skipped

I deleted some of my files from my external HD on Mac and now the files are in the Trash bin. But when I want empty the Trash bin, this massage shows up: "The operation can't be completed because some items had to be skipped. For each item, choose File > Get Info, make sure "Locked" is deselected, and then check the Sharing & Permissions section. When you are sure the items are unlocked and not designated as Read Only or No Access, try again." However, the files are unlocked. Also, the files are not showing in my external HD, they only appear in the Trash bin. Appreciate your help!

Best Answered by

iBoysoft author Jenny Zeng

Jenny Zeng

Answered on Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Try the following solutions to get rid of the error "The operation can't be completed because some items had to be skipped" and empty the Trash on Mac:

If you're certain the files you want to empty from Trash on Mac are unlocked, the next step is to ensure your account has read and write access to the files. Right-click the file that you're unable to delete, select "Get Info," then check if your account is designated as Read & Write. If not, click the yellow lock and enter your password, then change the settings.

If that doesn't work, you can force empty the Trash on Mac using Terminal. Open Terminal, type rm -rf followed by a space, then drag and drop files in your Trash can to Terminal to get their paths. Lastly, press the Enter key.

rm -rf file_path

This command will force remove all the files you dragged to Terminal, including the read-only files.

Read Also:

Mac Trash Won't Empty? Why & How to Force Empty Trash

 

People Also Ask

Read More Questions

Read More Advice From iBoysoft's Computer Experts

Seagate backup not showing

Fix Seagate External Hard Drive Not Showing Up, Working Mac

Fix Seagate external hard drive not showing up, working, recognized on Mac, and the issue of Seagate external hard drive detected but not accessible.

Mac Data Recovery Tips

macOS Sequoia cannot be installed on Macintosh HD

macOS Sequoia Cannot Be Installed on Macintosh HD? Fixed!

Why can't macOS Sequoia be installed on Macintosh HD? Learn the reasons behind and 7 ways to fix macOS Sequoia not installing.

How to Tips

Erro de formato não suportado por NTFS no Terminal Mac

A formatação não é suportada por: NTFS Erro no Terminal do Mac?

Não é possível formatar para NTFS no Terminal porque 'A formatação não é suportada por: NTFS ntfs Sistema de Arquivos NT do Windows (NTFS)'? Saiba como formatar qualquer unidade para NTFS no macOS.