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How Do I Delete Multiple Time Machine Backups From My Trash?

Hi Gary.

I moved several Time Machine backups from my external drive to my Trash. #BoneHeadMove

I cannot “put them back” onto the drive and it takes hours for even one of the folders to be deleted from the Trash. What options do I have to get this done quicker, but safely?

I use macOS Mojave. MacBook Pro 2017.
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John M.

Comments: 3 Responses to “How Do I Delete Multiple Time Machine Backups From My Trash?”

    5 years ago

    Yes, that's going to be trouble.

    The easiest thing to do is to erase the entire drive and start a new Time Machine backup. As long as you have no issues right now (nothing you need to recover) then this is probably your best bet. Anything else is going to be a headache and still may not work to get the Time Machine backup into good condition.

    John
    5 years ago

    Time Machine is working fine. I need to permanently delete the backups that are in my MacBook Trash.

    5 years ago

    John: So the files in your trash are still on the drive where they started. They are just marked as "trash." Erasing the backup drive will clear it out, as well as the items that are on that drive but in the trash.

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