Mac OS X forum: Trash refusing to empty comes up with Error code 8003

1) Holding down the Option key as you choose Empty Trash.
2) Restarting and trying #1.

Very useful little utility "Trash It". Never found anything it would not trash. Of course this may not solve the error code problem but should empty the trash. Run a Combined Updater of your OS and see if this will solve your trash problem.

I had this happen to me today (2009-10-30).
I called Apple and got the problem solved.

You can ask them to lead you through the steps if you refer to case # 140725683

Probably you have mac OS 10.6.1

Cure is as follows

Shut the Mac off

Wait 30 seconds then place your left index finger on the left shift button.
Restart the Mac with your right hand.
When you hear the chime, let go of the shift key.
Allow Mac to boot up completely.
You will have to sign in again.
As the Mac boots up, your presets will be gone.
Do not worry.
Wait till it boots up again.

When it has booted up, delete trash.
Voila it should be gone.

Shut the Mac off.
Wait 30 seconds to restart the Mac
Your presets should be present.
Put something in the trash that you are not in need of.
Trash it.
It should be gone.

End of story

Perfect. Big relief. Many thanks. Everything back to normal. Essential to hold until logo and gear appear and progress bar completes before releasing Shift.

I had to try the original suggestion a second time to hold the shift key longer than for just hearing the chime.
I got the "can't empty trash - error code 8003" after I installed an update to CarbonCopy. When CC automatically sent the old app to the trash, I couldn't get rid of it no matter what I tried. (repair permissions on MacHD; option>empty trash; restart; stop and reboot)
Seems that whatever causes this "8003 can't empty trash error" happens often and is still happening to many of us. (I'm using Mac OS X 10.6.3 on a 24" iMac 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; 4 GB 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM)
Thanks for suggesting something that actually works!

the strange instructions.
Holding down the shift key at startup disables the extensions and is known as booting into Safe Mode.
It does NOT change any of your "presets", the poster meant Parameter RAM (PRAM)

To ZAP the PRAM, you need to start the Mac from cold, and at the first chime hold down the Command + Option + P + R keys. Keep them held down until your hear the third chime, then let go.
This resets the Parameter RAM which controls a few things like date & time, which you may have to reset.

Try both of those and get back with us

P

I didn't hold the shift key down (used my left elbow) long enough on the restart. On my second try:

Shut down

Waited 30 seconds

Held down shift key, restarted

Kept shift key held down UNTIL A WHITE-ON-GRAY thermometer bar appeared (the Apple logo and spinning gear never appeared -- I don't know of it's OS version-related, but I'm running Snow Leper 10.6.4).

Kept shift key held down until thermometer bar completed its left-to-right traverse, and disappeared

Let go of shift key

Mac finished start-up

Emptied Trash

Trash gone

Restarted, all settings restored, ran Maintenance v1.3.2 just because I'm anal-retentive, restarted again, everything back to normal.

Thanks again. I'll keep the sixth finger on my left hand on the Shift key longer from now on!

BTW, I tried "Trash It," which only proved why the file name is "trashit." It made all kinds of wonderful ding-dong sounds and told me the Trash was emptied. Not a single thing had been emptied from Trash. Tried again, same result. Performed re-start sequence detailed above, then put "Trash It" and all related files in Trash and emptied it. It emptied. Sayonara, "Trash It"

Thanks for the tips!

Bart Brown

27" iMac Core 2 Duo, OS X 10.6.4 Snow Leopard

I had an external HD that was linked to my Time Machine backups. When I deleted my backups, they wouldn't delete from the trash. I tried everything, swearing, reinstalling my OS, rebooting, holding the shift key and my breath while starting my computer in safe mode, and nothing worked. I even tried Trash It with no avail. Come to find out, I was too impatient. I ran Trash It over night and for a full day at work (a 24 hr period) and when I came home tonight, the trash was empty.
My boyfriend's first question was, "So, does this mean you're not going to curse at the computer anymore?"

Nope. I'm not. Well, not for a few days anyway.

Thanks soooo much for posting! I stupidly manually deleted all my time machine back up files to my trash, hence error code 8003 turns up! Bummer (-_-) so I gave your suggestion a go and SUCCESS! No more space invading back up files I'm totally trash free! Thanks again!

I had a similar issue recently. I found out that I deleted something on a USB Flash Disk and it put it in the Trash. I then removed the flash disk. When I tried to empty the Trash, it couldn't empty it because the USB Flash Disk was not in the computer. To make a long story short, I reformated the Flash Disk and viola: My Trash became empty.

I am having a similar problem with the -8003 error code and an external drive.

Ran into this issue today. no matter what I try trash wont empty.

@ Jodecio : Yes, I have a WD external . I was deleting backups as I normally do , and this happened . any help would be GR8 !


thanks

Frank

I had exactly the same problem... so, after some research, I had found a solution that worked for me:

APPLIES TO:

Mac OS X 10.6.4?

SOLUTION:
If you are confident that your Mac is not suffering a wonky disc drive, and that your system's behaviour is normal (apart from this error), then give the following steps a proper spin:

Simply open the Trash Window, and you will see all of your files that have been placed into the trash bin.
Perform a COMMAND+OPTION+RIGHT ARROW, then a COMMAND+A, which selects all of the items in the bin.
Then, with all of the items you want removed highlighted, perform another COMMAND+OPTION+RIGHT ARROW.
Lastly, right click anywhere within the Trash Window, and select "Empty Trash"

Without exception, following these steps has always allowed me to successfully empty the bin.

Source: http://www.banjora.co/220/mac-osx-error-code-8003/

THANK YOU! Yes - hold down the option key. It was as simple as that - and...it also permitted my flash drive to empty. Flash drive WAS empty as I had sent to trash all it's stored files but it didn't know it was empty until I plugged it back in (Mac OS X Snow Leopard), held down the option key and deleted my trash...

It really is common to experience that the trash would not let you empty it. I was just going to delete some files earlier when it would not let me saying that an application was making use of it even though I came from a fresh boot. I wonder what is causing this. Though I was able to delete it by pressing the option key, it is frustrating to see some bug happening like that.