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Can't empty trash after Safari Export as PDF

blackxacto

blackxacto

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 15, 2009
1,258
151
Middle TN
El Capitan 10.11.2

In Safari 9.0.2, I open a web page. I go to File/Export to PDF. I make the pdf upon the desktop. I IMPORT this pdf into iBooks 1.4.

Then trash the pdf on my desktop. Go to Finder/Empty Trash. But get the message "Operation can't be completed . . ."

I FORCE QUIT (Apple+Option+Escape) all apps+ relaunch the Finder.
Still the pdf cannot be emptied from the trash. I must reboot to empty the trash.

Why????? What is running to prevent a created pdf from being emptied?
 
probably still sees itself connected to safari. try one of these ideas: highlight the pdf, hit command-option-delete, and...gone (forever, btw). or...quit safari, then try to trash the file/empty the trash. either way, much simpler than what you're now doing...
 
I could be the Preview App. Sometimes it's still running invisible and can only be killed in the Activity Monitor.

A simple reboot should also help in most cases. ;)
 
Do you restore Apps on restart?
Safari probably thinks you might want to read it in Safari soon, and is helpfully keeping it in some active cache so you won't have to do any onerous searching for the file.

This being late 2015, as an end user, you should never even have to think about the file system. That's all in the past. -rolleyes-
 
Partron22 said:
Do you restore Apps on restart?
Safari probably thinks you might want to read it in Safari soon, and is helpfully keeping it in some active cache so you won't have to do any onerous searching for the file.

This being late 2015, as an end user, you should never even have to think about the file system. That's all in the past. -rolleyes-
Click to expand...

Yes, rebooting clears this, but why the heck do I have to do it???

It is an interesting thought, Patron22, that Safari may be hanging on to the view like it does web windows upon quit sometimes. I tend to have the cookies trashed at Safari Quit. But will look into the Safari memory aspect, thanks.

Course I have FORCE QUIT ALL APPS and RELAUNCHED FINDER, but Safari may still be hanging onto it somehow.
 
blackxacto said:
What is restoring apps?
Click to expand...
I'm sorry, the Apple term is "Reopen windows when logging back in". It's a checkbox in the restart or shutdown dialog.

It means about the same thing as "restore app state when you restart", and I've used that terminology for a long time. I forgot to speak Apple in my post.
 
I have a similar problem with .m4v and iTunes all the time. Seems every time I drop a .m4v into iTunes I can not delete the original without quitting iTunes. Also I have the issue with Preview on occasion and have to force quit it because there is no signs of it running otherwise. This wasn't an issue until El Cap. Thankfully I don't need to reboot.
 
"highlight the pdf, hit command-option-delete, and...gone (forever, btw)" or substitute 'pdf' for whatever file you're trying to get rid of. i do this with email attachments i no longer need (once they're sent), as they won't trash without me quitting Mail...
 
Last edited:
Sometimes you have to log out (and then log back in) or reboot in order to "clear things up" enough so that you can empty the trash without problems.

That's just the way it is.
 
Fishrrman said:
Sometimes you have to log out (and then log back in) or reboot in order to "clear things up" enough so that you can empty the trash without problems.

That's just the way it is.
Click to expand...

or..."highlight the pdf, hit command-option-delete, and...gone (forever, btw)" or substitute 'pdf' for whatever file you're trying to get rid of. i do this with email attachments i no longer need (once they're sent), as they won't trash without me quitting Mail...
 
Partron22 said:
I'm sorry, the Apple term is "Reopen windows when logging back in". It's a checkbox in the restart or shutdown dialog.

It means about the same thing as "restore app state when you restart", and I've used that terminology for a long time. I forgot to speak Apple in my post.
Click to expand...

I deliberately delete cookies and never enable this "Reopen windows". It seems such a nagging idea. I quit Safari and want to open Safari again where I always start. But it has nothing to do with the issue of emptying the stubborn trash, does it?
 
fisherking said:
or..."highlight the pdf, hit command-option-delete, and...gone (forever, btw)" or substitute 'pdf' for whatever file you're trying to get rid of. i do this with email attachments i no longer need (once they're sent), as they won't trash without me quitting Mail...
Click to expand...

This seems to work quick and easy. Thanks for the Delete Immediately tip.
Sure wish I knew what computer process was holding the pdf from emptying the regular way.
 
blackxacto said:
This seems to work quick and easy. Thanks for the Delete Immediately tip.
Sure wish I knew what computer process was holding the pdf from emptying the regular way.
Click to expand...

am pretty-sure the pdf somehow still sees it's connection to safari, makes sense since, when i try to delete something i'v attached in email, it won't delete...unless i quit IT'S associated app (mail). either way, this method works for me...
 
blackxacto said:
El Capitan 10.11.2

In Safari 9.0.2, I open a web page. I go to File/Export to PDF. I make the pdf upon the desktop. I IMPORT this pdf into iBooks 1.4.

Then trash the pdf on my desktop. Go to Finder/Empty Trash. But get the message "Operation can't be completed . . ."

I FORCE QUIT (Apple+Option+Escape) all apps+ relaunch the Finder.
Still the pdf cannot be emptied from the trash. I must reboot to empty the trash.

Why????? What is running to prevent a created pdf from being emptied?
Click to expand...
*********
Since you solved the issue with the help of other users knowing a lot, you don't need any more hints.
But just to add to things not very clear to understand (at least for me) allow me to post this experience I often had.
I often cannot empty the trash without knowing why. :mad:
Apparently the files in it are still being used by some application... only I don't know which one :confused: and receive no indication to tell me the one.
The free tool of Titanium Software called "Onyx" which has a good reputation in my humble opinion well deserved, also at the end empties the trash.
Another free tool of the same developer called "Maintenance" does the same.
Why a tool can do it and I cannot remains for me a mistery :rolleyes:
Ed
 
blackxacto said:
El Capitan 10.11.2

In Safari 9.0.2, I open a web page. I go to File/Export to PDF. I make the pdf upon the desktop. I IMPORT this pdf into iBooks 1.4.

Then trash the pdf on my desktop. Go to Finder/Empty Trash. But get the message "Operation can't be completed . . ."

I FORCE QUIT (Apple+Option+Escape) all apps+ relaunch the Finder.
Still the pdf cannot be emptied from the trash. I must reboot to empty the trash.

Why????? What is running to prevent a created pdf from being emptied?
Click to expand...

I did a comparison of Active Apps in Activity Monitor App. I compared the active apps before opening Safari then exporting the pdf from Safari to desktop, then, a list of Active Apps following the export to desktop. Two apps stuck out as relevant, and proved that Force Qutting them allowed me to trash the pdf I had just trashed and tried to empty. The two active apps are: quicklookd and quicklooksatellite. Quitting either one allowed me to trash the pdf in the trash.

Success!
 
NoBoMac said:
Following works great too, and no need to kill/stop anything. From a Terminal window:

Code: 
cd ~/.Trash
rm -f *
Click to expand...
NoBoMac, would you explain what the command is saying in the code?
I tried it and it works beautifully. Is cd a command? What is rm?
 
blackxacto said:
NoBoMac, would you explain what the command is saying in the code?
I tried it and it works beautifully. Is cd a command? What is rm?
Click to expand...
What those two commands are doing is first changing directories (cd) to the trash folder. Then the second is doing a force remove (rm) of everything in that folder (the * wildcard).
 
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Thank you NoBoMac & Weaselboy. Further, one can compile into an applescript to reside in the script icon on the desktop. Its so easy to click on the script icon and select this script.

do shell script "rm -rf ~/.Trash/*"
 
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