When you delete a file on your MAc, OS X only removes the index entry for the file, which tells the system the file’s contents are free to be overwritten; however, the data still technically remains and may be recovered using specialty software. To prevent this, you can use a secure-erase option that overwrites files you delete, but while this has been a built-in option in OS X, Apple has removed this in at least the initial release of El Capitan. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Trash
How to overcome a “file can’t be deleted” error in OS X
When managing files and folders in the Finder, you will undoubtedly need to trash a few here and there; however, when you drag files to the trash you may run into an error where OS X refuses to move them and claims “The item can’t be moved to the Trash because it can’t be deleted,” which is a pretty vague description of the problem at hand, and essentially offers no useful solution. Continue reading