Cristopher Thomas
crisnoh@gmail.com
Shaun McCance
shaunm@gnome.org
Jim Campbell
jcampbell@gnome.org
Michael Hill
mdhillca@gmail.com
David King
amigadave@amigadave.com
Remove files or folders you no longer need.

# Delete files and folders

If you do not want a file or folder any more, you can delete it. When you delete an item it is moved to the Trash folder, where it is stored until you empty the trash. You can restore items in the Trash folder to their original location if you decide you need them, or if they were accidentally deleted.

# To send a file to the trash:

Select the item you want to place in the trash by clicking it once.

Press Delete on your keyboard. Alternatively, drag the item to the Trash in the sidebar.

The file will be moved to the trash, and you'll be presented with an option to Undo the deletion. The Undo button will appear for a few seconds. If you select Undo, the file will be restored to its original location.

To delete files permanently, and free up disk space on your computer, you need to empty the trash. To empty the trash, right-click Trash in the sidebar and select Empty Trash.

# Permanently delete a file

You can immediately delete a file permanently, without having to send it to the trash first.

## To permanently delete a file:

Select the item you want to delete.

Press and hold the Shift key, then press the Delete key on your keyboard.

Because you cannot undo this, you will be asked to confirm that you want to delete the file or folder.

If you frequently need to delete files trash (for example, if you often work with sensitive data), you can remove the delete confirmation. Click Files in the top bar, select Preferences and click the Behavior tab. Select Ask before emptying the Trash or deleting files.

Deleted files on a removable device may not be visible on other operating systems, such Windows or Mac OS. The files are still there, and will be available when you plug the device back into your computer.