- [Instructor] At some point,
you will probably want to delete some files
or folders that you don't want anymore.
For example, here in my Documents folder,
I've taken everything I needed out of this Photos folder,
so I'm ready to delete it.
One easy option is to drag it
to the trashcan icon in the Dock.
So place your mouse cursor on a file or folder,
hold the mouse button down,
move down to the trash can on the Dock and let go,
and now that has been moved to the trash.
Okay, let's look at some other options.
Next, I'm going to open up this Client Projects folder.
And let's say this Globe Bank project was canceled.
I don't need this folder anymore.
So one option would be to right click on a folder or a file
and then choose Move to Trash.
Or you can click on a file or folder to select it,
then go to the File menu at the top,
and then choose Move to Trash there.
Or you can see there is a keyboard command,
and that's my favorite option.
The keyboard command is Command + Delete.
So select the item, hold the Command key on your keyboard,
and tap the Delete key,
and that will move it to the trash.
Okay, so both of those folders are gone, right?
Well, no, not completely.
In the real world,
if you put something in the trash can
and then change your mind,
you can go to the trash can and pull it out.
So what if I realized
that throwing one of those folders away was a mistake?
Well, here on the computer,
I could click on the trash can,
and I can still see those items.
I could right click on something
and choose Put it Back
to put it back in its original location.
Or you can just drag it.
So you can drag it to its original location
or, really, to any other location,
and that will pull it out of the trash can.
So now it's back.
But eventually you should empty the trash,
because it's just sitting there taking up space.
Or maybe you want to ensure
that something really is completely gone.
Well, when you have the trash can window open like this,
you will see there is an Empty button.
Or you can right click on the trashcan icon in the Dock
and choose Empty Trash.
And now it asks me if I'm sure.
Keep in mind I am using demo files for this exercise
and I have a lot of copies of these in other places.
When you deal with your real files,
you should be very careful.
Once you empty the trash, those files are gone.
So I'm going to do that.
I'll click Empty Trash.
Now the trash can is empty.
If I click on it on the Dock,
I can see that it is empty here,
and I'll close this window.
Now, later, if you realize that that was a terrible mistake
and you need those files back,
well, then you've got a big problem.
There are data recovery services out there
that can take your storage drive
and charge you lots of money and can maybe recover files.
There's also some software that you can buy
that might be able to recover files,
but those options are expensive and there are no guarantees,
so please be careful.
Please do not delete something and empty your trash
unless you are completely sure you want those files gone.