Can't Delete File Because File Is in Use on Mac. When MacOS thinks the file you are trying to delete is in use by another process, emptying the Trash will not work. Therefore, the first thing to do is to quit all other programs to ensure no other application could use any of the files on your Mac. To force quit apps on the dock.
Oct 13, 2020 • Filed to: Recover & Repair Files • Proven solutions
There are several times when things we have downloaded are too embarrassing to have or just no longer of any use, these unwanted files take up valuable space and thus people jump towards deleting these downloads for good.
How To Delete Mac File
If in the past you have had trouble removing the things that you have downloaded from your device, then we have come here to your rescue. Here are 4 easy solutions that can help you delete downloaded files on Windows.
How to delete downloaded files on Windows
- The folders containing temp file will open in Mac. Now select all the files and delete them, The files now move to trash which you also need to empty. Steps to Clear Unwanted files from Mac: Step1: Download and install Remo MORE in your Mac machine and launch it.
- Step 3: If you want to do a deeper cleanup to delete downloaded files on Mac, then choose “Deep Clean” part to continue. Select the items you want to delete and click the 'Clean' to delete those annoying downloads on your Mac in a flash. With the help of this app, you can easily and quickly delete downloads files instead of manual removal.
Let's face it, most of us use Windows at home and in office. It is one of the easiest operating systems to work on. But if you have been having issues with deleting items or files on Windows, here is a step by step guide to making sure that you can get rid of those files and items forever.
Step 1. Get to your downloaded items first!
First thing first, you need to go to the folder that stores your downloads. That is quite easy to access, all you have to do is press the button with the windows symbol on it along with the button marked 'E'.
Once you are in the folder, you need to search for the item or file that you want to delete.
By default, the files that are downloaded are moved to the folder marked as 'Downloads'. But this is not true in every case, sometimes, the users can place the files in other folders also. In that case, you need to locate the files using the search programs option.
Step 2. Delete selected files.
The next step is fairly simple, you can either drag the files that you want to delete to the recycle bin or you can right-click on the file and select the Delete option.
How to delete downloaded files on Mac
Step 1. Access the very folder that stores your downloaded files!
The folder that stores the downloaded files by default can be accessed in two ways, you can use any you find more fitting and convenient.
1) Access the download folder via the Dock. You can simply click on your desktop, then press the tab marked 'Go' and then move towards 'Downloads'.
2) Access the folder containing the downloaded files from the sidebar using the Finder Window.
But if you have changed the location of the files that you have downloaded then you need to search for the file, in general, using the name of the file to get hold of it.
Step 2. Download the disk image file also
An important thing to remember is that on MAC, the programs are downloaded as Disk Images, even after you have downloaded the programs these disk images remain on the computer, taking up huge amounts of space. So, when it comes to programs, uninstalling them is only half the game. Uninstalling the program should be accompanied by removing the Disk Images also. This will free a greater amount of space.
Step 3. Take the files that you want to delete to the trash can.
Once you have located the file, you can drag the file to the trash can or just right click on the file and then press delete.
How to delete downloaded files on Android
Step 1. Download a file application manager.
There is a huge range of file application managers available online. These application managers can easily be downloaded and then operated on devices that run on android.
Some of the most widely used application managers are:
1) ES File Explorer
2) Astro File Manager
Step 2. Next, locate the files using any of the managers.
Once you have installed the application manager, (for the sake of understanding lets explore with the ES File Explorer), you need to open it. A screen will appear having all the files on the phone, you need to locate the folder marked downloads. Once you open the download folder you will be able to view all the files that you have downloaded on to your mobile device
Step 3. Just press delete!
How To Delete Download Files On Macbook
Once you are in the folder and you have located the file that you want to delete, all you have to do is press delete.
How to delete downloaded files on iPhone/iPad
The first step is to locate the files that you want to delete. In iOS you want don't get to see all of your downloads in one location. You have to access the file that you want to delete using the application that is used to handle them. Once you have the file to view, all you have to do is swipe the file and the delete option will become visible. Press the delete option and that will be the end of that file for good.
Problems when deleting downloaded files and their solutions
a) At times the files cannot be deleted because they are in use, a pop like the one shown below appears. Fret, not just close the file and then repeat step number 2 just to delete the files again.
This can be a cause of great annoyance especially if you want to delete all the files quickly. One has to go back and check where exactly the file is open and then force it shut.
b) People cannot find the items that they want to delete.
IOS is a very complicated system. Unlike windows, it is not so easy to locate the files on this system as it is to locate them on windows. To get around this issue, people can simply have their phone jailbroken. Once its jailbroken you can then install application managers and manipulate files the same way they are manipulated on android systems.
c) At times iOS won't let you delete your songs.
This is one issue that can be resolved by simply deleting the song from the iTunes folder. Once that song is deleted from there it won't appear on your mobile iOS device either.
If you lost data on your computer, unfortunately, don't worry! You still have the chance to get lost data back. To recover files from the computer, you can have tried the following tool.
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- 1. Mac Files Tips
- 2. Mac Software
- 3. Mac Storage Tips
- 4. Mac Troubleshooting
- 5. Mac OS
by Sophie GreenUpdated on 2020-05-27 / Update for Mac OS
Owning a Mac is a significant investment. It's not only the fastest and best performing system but is also packed with unlimited features and above all unlimited amount of storage space.
As a Mac user, unlimited storage is the biggest attraction; however, over time, the same unlimited storage can become full, and you might find yourself in the situation of running out of storage space. However, there are options to upgrade the system with new internal drives easily. But, this feature does not apply to all Macs.
Part 1: What are iOS Files on Mac
If you've owned iOS devices for years, you would likely have backed up your iOS devices' data to your Mac. Or, you might have used iTunes to search and install iOS apps. It means that your Mac is using a lot of space to hold these backups, which are known as iOS files.
iOS files can be found on Mac > Storage > Manage.
The iOS files include all the backups and software update files of iOS devices that are synced with your Mac.
While it is easier to use iTunes to back up your iOS devices data but over time, all the old data backup could take up a significant chunk of storage space on your Mac. If the backups are no longer needed or you need to free up storage space, then the best options are to delete old backups or iOS files.
Read on to find the ways you can delete iOS files on Mac and how to free up storage space.
Part 2: Can I Delete iOS Files on Mac? How to Delete iOS Files on Mac
Yes, iOS files can easily be deleted on Mac. If you come across the situation where you are prompted that storage is full or you are running low on storage, the first step is to delete iOS files on Mac.
Here is a step-by-step process on how you can easily delete iOS files on Mac.
Step 1: Locate iOS files on Mac. To do so, first, click the Apple button on the top left and click About this Mac. Next, click the Storage tab to view the various categories taking up storage space on your Mac.
Here you will see if iOS files are taking up a significant portion of your storage space. If so, you have backups that need to be moved or deleted to make more space.
Step 2: Click the Manage button and then iOS Files in the left column. To view the local iOS backup and files that have been stored on your Mac.
Step 3: If you no longer need any of the backups, select it and click the Delete button to move it to the Trash and then Empty Trash as well.
You can also move the backup to external storage. For that click Show in Finder button and drag them to external hard drive or storage location.
Part 3: Some Tips to Free Up Space on Mac
While deleting iOS files is one way of freeing up storage space on Mac. However, there are other ways to free up more space on your Mac too.
Here are some easy tips on how you can easily free up more storage space on Mac without doing much, literally.
To free up space, the first step always is to find out how much storage space is available on your Mac and which files are taking up a major chunk of storage on your system.
To do that, click on the Apple Menu > About this Mac > Storage.
This will give an overview of storage space usage. It will show how much free space is available on your Mac and which categories of files are taking up a significant portion of your storage space.
Then click the Manage button. It will open the Storage Management window.
This window provides a recommendation by carefully categorizing files. From here, you can see which large files are taking up more space, and you can easily delete those files.
1. Clean Up Downloads and Trash
The biggest difference in freeing up storage space can be seen just by cleaning up downloads and Trash. The download folder stores everything you have ever downloaded to your Mac. And if you’ve never cleaned it up before, it does take up a major portion of storage.
Here’s how to clean up downloads and trash to free up space on Mac.
Step 1: Click Finder (it will be a smiley icon on your Dock).
Step 2: Go to Downloads in the left sidebar.
Step 3: Review the downloaded files and delete any files or data that are no longer needed.
Trash is another place that takes up storage space on Mac. It is often forgotten that uninstalled apps and files are still in the Trash, and also the files you just deleted from downloads also went to the trash. So, cleaning up trash is also essential if you want to free space on Mac.
2. Move Files to the Cloud
Using the Manage Storage window mentioned above, you can use the Recommendations to free up space on Mac. One of the recommendations is iCloud Drive. To free up space, you can easily store documents, pictures, or other files on iCloud instead of the Mac. However, you might need to buy the iCloud storage feature to use it.
If you use any other cloud syncing service like Dropbox, then open it’s setting and make sure you sync only those folders that you need. If you have large files, perhaps backups that you don’t need regularly, you can de-select those folders in your Cloud Storage App so that they don’t sync with your Mac. Thus, giving you free space on your computer while also being readily available on Dropbox.
3. Clean up Movies, Pictures, and Music Folders
This is rather simple and straightforward. If you have watched movies, albums on your iTunes, you don’t listen to or pictures that are not needed, you can clean those up to free space on your Mac.
Another category that takes up space on your system is the Email Downloads. If you have been using an email address for long, all the attachments and downloads are likely taking up storage space on your Mac.
You will have to manually delete these attachments by clicking on the message and sorting file size by the largest file and then click remove.
4. Remove Caches and Temporary Files
Every computer stores temporary files on the drive that it can re-access in the future. Cleaning up caches and temporary files can also help free up space on Mac. While this trick of deleting cache is rather temporary compared to other tips mentioned above.
However, removing cache and temporary files can help free space when you are running very low on disk space. So, it is helpful to remove or clean cache and temporary files.
Every computer stores a collection of temporary files on the drive to re-access them in the future.
Part 4: What If I Lost Data While Clearing Files on Mac
The biggest concern of any individual while clearing data could be losing data or files on Mac. Luckily, we have powerful file recovery software Tenorshare UltData that can recover deleted, lost, or formatted data from Mac.
The Tenorshare UltData software 100% secure and successful data recovery system for Mac and supports 550+ file types.
Key Features:
How To Delete All Files On Mac
- Complete recovery of deleted, lost or formatted data on Mac
- Restores lost files from a hard drive or external storage devices
- 100% secure with the highest data recovery rate
- Supports to macOS Catalina, macOS Mojave and previous versions too
Steps to use Tenorshare UltData
Using Tenorshare UltData for Mac, data can be recovered in three easy steps. To begin, download and install the Tenorshare UltData program on your Mac.
Step 1: Launch the program and choose the data recovery location (e.g., hard drive) to start data recovery. Click the Scan button to continue.
Step 2: The scan will take some time. After the scanning results appear, select and preview the files for more details.
How To Delete Download Files On Macbook Air
Step 3: Click the Recover button on the lower right and select a location to save the recovered files. It is, however, recommended to choose a different location for the recovered files from the location they were previously lost from.
Recovering data using Tenorshare UltData for Mac is the most reliable way. The security and ease with which you can recover lost data is unmatched to any other software available today.
How To Delete A Downloaded File On Macbook Air
Conclusion
Mac storage space clean-up can be safe and straightforward. In this article, we shared iOS files and some tips and tricks to free up more space on Mac. While there are many software available today that claim easy disk clean-up however not every software is reliable.
How To Delete A Download File On Mac
Manually cleaning up storage space not only gives you the satisfaction of doing it yourself, but you can also view and make decisions accordingly. In this article, we also share a powerful data recovery tool for Mac, the Tenorshare UltData, to help you recover any lost data in the process of storage clean-up. Give it a try with its free trial and test how it works.