How to Permanently Delete Files on macOS Without Sending to Trash

The Trash on macOS is where files you delete are temporarily kept—making it easy to restore things you no longer need without having to dig through a backup. It also virtually eliminates the risk of accidentally deleting something.

 

However, if you want to immediately delete a file without sending it to the Trash, macOS still allows you to do that.

Delete files with keyboard shortcuts

Normally, to move a file to the Trash, you use Command + Backspace .
But if you want to skip that step and delete it permanently , use Option + Command + Backspace .

Just select the file or folder you want to delete, then press the above key combination. A dialog box will appear to confirm the action, warning you that you can't undo it .
Press Delete to delete it, or Cancel if you change your mind.

The Option key is a 'magic' key in macOS — it hides a lot of useful extra features that people often overlook. If you have the time, try holding it in menus to discover some cool hidden options.

 

Delete directly via Finder menu

If you don't like keyboard shortcuts, Finder has a similar option available.

Select the file you want to delete, open the File menu , then hold down the Option key —the Move to Trash line will then change to Delete Immediately . Select this and confirm to delete it immediately.

Create 'Delete Now' option in right-click menu

If you are an advanced user, you can add the 'Delete Immediately' feature to the right-click menu in Finder using the Shortcuts app . This option allows you to delete files without confirmation , so be extremely careful when using it.

How to do it:

1. Open the Shortcuts app , select Quick Actions in the sidebar, then tap the + sign to create a new action.

2. In the Search Actions box , type 'Run Shell Script' and double-click to add.

 

3. If this is your first time using this feature, macOS may give you an error because execution permissions are not enabled. Click Open Preferences , then enable Allow Running Scripts and Allow Deleting Without Confirmation .

4. In the 'Run Shell Script' box, select Shell: zsh and Pass Input: as arguments .

5. Paste the following code into the content box:

#!/bin/zsh for f in "$@"; do /bin/rm -rf -- "$f" done 

This script will immediately delete the selected file or folder without asking again .

If you want to add a confirmation step, use the version with the following message:

#!/bin/zsh response=$(osascript -e 'display dialog "Permanently delete selected file(s)? This cannot be undone." buttons {"Cancel", "Delete"} default button "Cancel"') if [[ "$response" == *"Delete"* ]]; then for f in "$@"; do /bin/rm -rf -- "$f" done fi 

6. Close the window, right-click on the newly created Quick Action, select Rename to rename it — for example, 'Delete Immediately'.
You can change the color, add an icon for easy recognition.

7. To enable, right-click any file → Quick Actions → Customize , enable 'Delete Immediately' and select Done .

From now on, when you need to delete quickly, just right-click → Quick Actions → Delete Immediately . If you use the unsigned version, the file will disappear immediately; but if there is a dialog box, just press Delete to finish.

You can also use the Shortcuts app to create more convenient actions for macOS — from automatically organizing files, converting image formats, to managing your system.

Be careful with the 'permanent delete' operation

Before we wrap up, it's important to note that skipping the Recycle Bin will permanently delete a file. You can't undo or restore it. So use this feature sparingly, and avoid making the Option + Command + Backspace key combination a subconscious reflex.
One wrong press could mean you lose important data forever.

However, this deletion method is still extremely convenient, especially when you regularly deal with large files such as videos or photos, which take up a lot of space and quickly fill up both the Recycle Bin and SSD.