Filed under: Software, Freeware
What's Keeping Me? 1.0.5
If you encounter the message that the trash cannot be emptied, just click on What's Keeping Me to see what application or process is keeping the trash from being emptied. You can have What's Keeping Me quit the application or if need be kill (force-quit) the application.
You can download What's Keeping Me from HAMSoft Engineering; this application is freeware, however, donations are accepted.

![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)


Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
connorcam said 8:09AM on 6-19-2008
Or just hold option beforehand to force empty trash.
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ecobore said 9:08AM on 6-19-2008
never bother. Just use secure empty trash, that always works! (well, if it doesn't it will after a restart!)
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tom (dB) said 8:50AM on 6-19-2008
This happens to me all the time, especially after deleting podcasts from iTunes. And really it shouldn't need third party software to solve. I consider this an OSX (minor) bug.
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RobK said 9:03AM on 6-19-2008
It really is not a big in OS X. The OS is doing its job. It is not allowing you to empty the trash when some app (eg iTunes) is apparently still accessing the file (even after moving it to the trash).
In the scenario you described, it sounds more like an iTunes bug (which is not surprising since iTunes is riddled with small bugs). Just close iTunes and then empty the Trash.
Or if you do not know what app is causing the problem you can use this app "What is Keeping me".
Alternatively, just log off and log back into your Account. Then you can empty the Trash.
Brian Burns said 9:01AM on 6-19-2008
I don't see why this is needed. Just do "secure empty trash."
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Hank at HAMSoft Engineering said 9:41AM on 6-19-2008
Hi, I'm the author of the software. Just FYI: I understand where people say this app isn't necessary... and they're right if all it did was help you with emptying the trash when a file is in use. There's ways around that.
But the main function I designed this for was when you can't eject a disk because a file from the disk is busy. In that case it's very hard to identify which file is in use and which application is using that file.
So this application handles both situations which makes it more useful than just with the trash problem. Unfortunately TUAW didn't mention this capability... but I do appreciate their attention to my product!
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TomWBrowning said 9:46AM on 6-19-2008
Was just about to chime in to explain this use. And frankly, storming round the place force-deleting files willy nilly can be a bit... reckless.
Sometimes I want to know what is using that trashed file and why. Maybe I didn't mean to trash it after all. Yeah yeah I should get Time Machine running. But I haven't. So shush.
Anyway, kudos on the app Hank. This is something that should clearly be an integral feature of Activity Monitor I reckon.
Hank at HAMSoft Engineering said 10:00AM on 6-19-2008
Thanks Tom. Activity Monitor does have something like what you ask. If you select a process and click the "i" button i.e. get information, it shows which files the process is using... but it's very hard to decipher. Also that's kind of the opposite of what my app does. Activity Monitor shows you what a process is using where my app searches for the file to find what processes are using it. Later.
Aaargh! said 10:30AM on 6-19-2008
Isn't it just easier and quickeer to use a lsof | grep /Volumes/YourMountPoint ?
Kev Orng said 5:26PM on 6-19-2008
@Aaargh!
Umm.. the who and the what now?
Dave said 12:58PM on 6-19-2008
I was about to agree with the others posting here, but your description of the full use of the software makes more sense. Especially if one uses a lot of removable media.
Aaron Davies said 9:58AM on 6-19-2008
aka lsof|grep. at least this time we're not being charged for it....
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Jeremy said 10:51AM on 6-19-2008
Great idea. Now can they make it so that it tells you what program is keeping an external hard drive from ejecting?
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Joseph said 1:47PM on 6-19-2008
didn't see your comment, until now. True Dat!
punkassjim said 11:40AM on 6-19-2008
Damn, Cory. Gotta mention the function that actually applies to most people. I don't know anyone who's had issues emptying the trash in ages, but the disk-eject problem is an effing universal constant.
Thanks, Hank, for chiming in!
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Marcus said 2:16PM on 6-19-2008
I have trash empty issues all the time and so does my family whose Macs I support (although I know how to deal with them) but never, ever any issues with ejecting a disc.
Joseph said 1:47PM on 6-19-2008
I wish it was not only trash specific. I never have this issue, but after I backup to my external using Super Duper, if i am running Bridge or PSCS3, I cannot eject my external, I wish i knew what was causing the issue more specifically than quitting to eject.
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magu said 5:55PM on 6-19-2008
Too bad it still didn't work for me.
I'm still having problems with a folder that just won't go out of my Trash, no matter how hard I try.
Even sudo rm -rf inside ~/.Trashes failed!
And yes, I have tried restarting, logging out, holding Option, etc...
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Eric Elinow said 9:47PM on 6-19-2008
I just find a simple rm -f of the file in the ~/.Trash/ path solves my issue nonetheless. What good is having a proper Unix system if we don't take advantage of that fact when the overlay interfaces choke at times.
Eric
http://www.codedevl.com
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Trevor said 1:16AM on 6-24-2008
Typo: "with it's advanced" --> "with its advanced"
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