Emptying the recycle bin from time machine backups

1

I deleted some Time Machine backups by mistake. Now I’ve got a whole bunch of these folders in the recycle bin. I’m not interested in recovering them. I’ve tried emptying the recycle bin, but the folders are so big that it’s going to take a while. Is there a way to get rid of the files and empty the recycle bin quickly?

2

As long as it is progressing, just sit it out. Some things just take time.

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3

I tried to wait, but at some point the process freezes because it tells me that some items are in use.
I end up with these folders in the Recycle Bin that I cannot delete.

4

Sometimes you can delete from the terminal (dangerous if you make a mistake), but I’ve also seen suggested to boot into Safe Mode and empty the trash from there. Do a search online for instructions.

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5

Many thanks for the advice and support.
I finally managed to solve the problem by disconnecting the external drive I use for Time Machine backup. As soon as I disconnected the external drive, the bin emptied.

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6

As soon as I reconnected the external drive, the recycle bin showed all the deleted folders again. That makes sense, since the files are on the external drive and the recycle bin is just an interface to what’s actually happening on the external drive.

7

Time Machine uses snapshots to hold onto files that it has backed up, but that have been subsequently deleted, in case you ask that they be restored. I think the answer to your issue is to remove enough of the old snapshots from the backup drive so that Time Machine releases its hold on the files you want deleted.

I’ve used the following utilities to work with Time Machine but I’ll bet other utilities besides these might also be available.

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