There is limited storage space on your Mac, so it is a great bet to delete the unwanted files and folders you no longer require to keep making space for new ones. That may mean clearing out the downloads folder, eradicating ancient documents, or looking for hidden Mac files that are still taking up space.

Well, if you require to remove any files on your Macintosh device, you will find everything you need to be aware of, including how to:

• Bypass the Trash
• Eradicate files that are in use
• Locate the biggest files to delete
• Unlock & remove locked files

The Simplest Ways to Delete Files on a Mac

There are lots of ways to delete files on a Mac, however, all of them are efficiently simple & easy to do. So, no matter which application you are using, you can employ any of the below mentioned 3 techniques to quickly remove a file on your Mac:

• Simply drag & drop a file onto the Trash icon located on the Dock
• Control-tap a file you desire to eradicate, then hit Move to Trash
• Proceed to choose a file and press Command (⌘) + Delete on the keyboard

Utilizing any of these 3 methods send your deleted file/folder to the “Trash” on the MacBook. And that implies it’ll still occupy storage on the Mac. For permanently eradicating a file, opt to empty the “Trash” on the Macintosh device.

Here, you need to keep in mind that certain miscellaneous & junk files are hidden away in system folders. So, if you want to remove storage like this, you will need to find these folders, which can be made a lot simpler & more convenient with a junk cleaner for Mac. 

Delete files in MacBook without sending them to the Trash

If you don’t have adequate time, then try deleting files without sending them to the Trash first. Of course, here you need to be sure that you don’t need these files anymore because once the process has been done you can not get them back from the Trash after.

After selecting them in the Finder, make sure to utilize either of these methods for permanently deleting a file on a MacBook without sending it to the Trash first:

• The very first step is to hold the Option key & proceed to choose the File > hit the option named Delete Immediately from the menu bar
• Now, tap the combination keys Option + Command (⌘) + Delete

Whichever way you utilize it, your MacBook will ask to confirm that you desire to permanently remove your chosen file in a popup window. Pay confirmation!

Find & delete the biggest files on a MacBook

The simplest way to make more free storage on your Macintosh device is to find & delete the biggest unwanted files.

Follow these instructions to do that:

• Proceed to hit the Apple logo & choose the option titled “About This Mac”.
• Rely on the Storage tab & hit the Manage button.
• Choose Documents that are in the sidebar
• Make sure to utilize the Large Files tab. It will help to locate the largest unnecessary files present on your MacBook. On the other hand, you can also choose File Browser for checking out all the file & folder sizes.
• Afterwards, choose a file & hit the option “Delete” for getting rid of it. It doesn’t send that file to the Trash!

Delete iOS files on a MacBook

Outdated iPadOS & iOS backups might take up a significant amount of storage on the MacBook, which is specifically unnecessary if you do not own those devices anymore or if you back up your iPad or iPhone using iCloud instead.

To locate & remove outdated iPad & iPhone backups:

• Opt for the Apple logo & choose About This Mac
• Now, move towards the Storage tab & hit the Manage option
• Choose iOS Files in the sidebar
• Tap on the iPadOS or iOS backup you do not need anymore
• Hit the option titled “Delete”.
• Confirm it by choosing the OK button.

Delete locked files on a Macintosh device

While dragging a locked file to the Trash folder, you will be required to confirm this action by choosing the option “Continue” that’s come up in an additional popup window.

 On the other hand, if you are logged in as a Mac administrator, try unlocking the file before deleting it:

• Proceed to choose the locked file located in Finder
• Control-click & hit the option Get Info, or choose a combination of Command (⌘) + I
• Here, you need to u check the checkbox next to Locked 

 Delete hidden files on a Mac

You may have certain app leftovers or hidden junk files cluttering your MacBook’s hard drive. Well, inherently, these files are pretty hard to delete from your Mac since it takes a significant amount of time to find them.

To locate hidden files on your Mac:

• Initially, opt for the Finder and choose your computer’s hard drive (under Locations)
• Afterwards, invoke your Macintosh HD folder
• Now use the combination keys down CMD + Shift + . (period)
• It will let you know the hidden files. Do this in Applications, Documents, and Desktop folders too. When you have found hidden files, you will be able to delete them as you would any other files on the MacBook.

 Remove files that are stuck or in use

Well, have you ever been stopped from removing files or apps since your Mac says it is open? It’s a popular problem, However, it’s not the reason you may not be able to delete files on the Mac.

There can be certain files that spit out alerts & even warning messages every time you attempt to get rid of them. Well, such kinds of situations appear for a large variety of factors such as if the file is:

• Currently in use
• Locked
• Protected by macOS
• Corrupted

Well, if you are not able to delete the unwanted file on your MacBook device for a certain reason, check out these troubleshooting tips & then attempt deleting them:

• Make sure to close all the applications & files on the Macintosh device
• Give your device a reboot by hitting Apple > choose Restart from the menu bar
• Afterwards, try to boot your Mac into Safe Mode by pressing Shift while powering it on
• The very next is to log in to the administrator’s account
• Here, you need to boot into Recovery Mode. And for this, use the combination of Command (⌘) + R while the device powers on, then rely on the Disk Utility & run First Aid on the startup disk
• You can also try turning off SIP by booting into the Recovery Mode, choosing Utility > tap on the Terminal from the appeared bar, & running the following command: csrutil disable. After eradicating your files, try enabling SIP again by utilizing csrutil enable

If you are trying to delete an installed program, you can likely utilize a professional app cleaner to delete it or take the help of the Authorized MacBook Repair centre. For further details regarding “how to delete files in MacBook”, do comment below!