What Is Delete Immediately on Mac & How to Use [Shortcut Tip]

This article will introduce 3 practical ways to access the 'Delete Immediately' on your Mac, discuss the possibility of recovering files deleted by clicking 'Delete Immediately', and compare this feature with Trash. Read on to learn detailed information.

Table of Contents

The "Delete Immediately Mac" feature allows you to skip Mac Trash and permanently delete files on Mac. Once you perform this action, a pop-up will appear to remind you can't undo this deletion.

confirm delete immediately

Instead of moving files to Trash and then emptying them, the Delete Immediately option helps you wipe the selected files instantly and speed up the deletion process on MacBook Pro/Air.

Here are 3 practical ways to access the "Delete Immediately" on your Mac. Read on to learn detailed information.

How to Access Delete Immediately Mac

Unlike moving files to the Trash, where you can restore Mac Trash data at any time, the Delete Immediately feature is irreversible. When you select it, it immediately erases the selected data and is not available on the Mac.

🗑️Select Delete Immediately in Mac Trash

Follow the steps below to access Delete Immediately in Mac Trash:

Step 1. Drag an item you want to delete to Trash, or you can use move to Trash shortcut on Mac.

Step 2. Open the Trash bin, and select the item.

Step 3. Right-click on it, and choose the "Delete Immediately" option in the expanded menu.

choose delete permanently

Can you undo the Delete Immediately in the Trash to get your files back? Read this article to solve this problem.

 
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🔍Perform Delete Immediately from Mac Menu Bar

You can also find the Delete Immediately option in your Mac menu bar. Follow the steps below:

Step 1. Select the file and choose "File" in the menu bar.

Step 2. Press the "Option" key on your keyboard to reveal the Delete Immediately option.

delete immediately in menu bar

Step 3. Click "Delete Immediately" to permanently delete the selected file.

💻Use Mac Shortcuts to Delete Immediately

One quick and easy way to delete files is by using shortcuts. Follow the steps:

Step 1. Select the file you want to permanently delete.

Step 2. Press "Option + Command + Delete" to open the confirmation dialog of Delete Immediately.

delete immediately shortcuts

Step 3. Click "Delete" or "Cancel".

Share this article on social media to help more people know how to access the Delete Immediately feature on Mac.

 

Is It Possible to Recover Delete Immediately Mac

Many users have reported that they inadvertently used the Delete Immediately option, causing files to be deleted instantly instead of being moved to the Trash.

When I delete a file, a warning window shows up "This item will be deleted immediately. You can’t undo this action." it comes with Cancel and Delete buttons. If I select Delete, the file will be gone and cannot be found on Trash folder. From Apple Community

Suppose you have also encountered this situation: the files were deleted immediately instead of being moved to the Trash, so you cannot use the Put Back option of the Trash to recover mistakenly deleted files.

Don't worry! The files/folders deleted by clicking "Delete Immediately" can be restored using professional data recovery software, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

It can recover deleted files on Mac, including deleted images, videos, documents, iMessage, etc. With an easy-to-use interface, you can quickly get the mistakenly deleted files back.

Note: Stop using the disk stores the deleted files. Most mistakenly deleted files can be recovered, no matter by what means, as long as the new data does not overwrite the deleted one.

Follow the steps below to recover files deleted by the "Delete Immediately" feature:

Step 1. Select the hard drive, external drive, or SSD where the Delete Immediately feature deleted your important data & files and click "Search for lost files".

Step 2. The EaseUS data recovery software will scan and display all recoverable data/files on the selected volume. Filter wanted files through the "Type" and "Path" options.

Filter and select the lost files

Step 3. Double-click the deleted files to preview. Then, click the "Recover" button to recover them.

Delete Immediately Mac vs. Empty Trash

In fact, the difference between Delete Immediately and Empty Trash is not much, and both can achieve the same result: permanently deleting files. Here is the experience of using these two methods to permanently delete data. You can choose the operation that suits you better.

Both ways must select the file first and move it to the Trash first. Using Delete Immediately shortcuts can be more quickly than emptying Mac Trash. You can read this article to learn more about empty Trash and other ways to permanently delete files on Mac.

 
permanently delete files on Mac

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Conclusion

This article discusses 3 practical ways to access the "Delete Immediately" on your Mac, including selecting Delete Immediately in Mac Trash, performing it from the Mac menu bar, and using Mac shortcuts. Install EaseUS Mac data recovery software to recover files deleted by clicking "Delete Immediately" or other accidental deletions.

Delete Immediately Mac FAQs

Here are questions people also asked when they search for Delete Immediately Mac:

1. How to stop Mac Trash from deleting files immediately?

Follow the steps below to turn off delete immediately on Mac:

Step 1. Go to Mac Terminal.

Step 2. Type sudo rm -ri ~/.Trash and press "Return".

Step 3. Remove any files and folders in the .Trash folder, followed by the .Trash folder itself.

Step 4. Type yes and press "Return" at each prompt. Log out of your account and log back in.

2. How to skip the Trash and delete files on Mac immediately?

Follow the steps below to skip Trash and delete files:

Step 1. Select the file and choose "File" in the menu bar.

Step 2. Press the "Option" key on your keyboard to reveal the Delete Immediately option.

Step 3. Click "Delete Immediately" to permanently delete the selected file.

3. How do I undo delete immediately on Mac?

As the popup window reminder says, you can't undo the Delete Immediately on Mac. But you can use professional data recovery software like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to recover your permanently deleted files.

4. How to use Delete Immediately on MacBook Air?

Here are 3 practical ways to use the "Delete Immediately" feature on your MacBook Air:

  • Select Delete Immediately in Mac Trash.
  • Perform Delete Immediately from the Mac menu bar.
  • Use Mac shortcuts "Option + Command + Delete".

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Updated by Brithny

Brithny is a technology enthusiast, aiming to make readers' tech lives easy and enjoyable. She loves exploring new technologies and writing technical how-to tips. In her spare time, she loves sharing things about her game experience on Facebook or Twitter.

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