Mac Trash emptying slow after moving CleanMyMac folder

I'm trying to delete the following folder: /Users/myName/Library/Containers/CleanMyMac/tmp

prior to completely uninstalling CleanMyMac from my Mac mini M4.


I moved the Users/myName/Library/Containers/CleanMyMac/tmp folder to the Trash and tapped on Empty Trash. The operation has been running for hours and, so far, it's saying it has deleted over 4.5 million files and it's still going and showing no signs of stopping any time soon!!


If I stop it, will all those files lose be unmarked as deleted? If I restart emptying the Trash later, will I be starting all over from scratch?


Searching on some filenames I saw during CleanMyMac's Deep Scan for malware is how I tracked down this tmp folder.


Mac mini, macOS 26.2

Posted on Dec 14, 2025 7:28 PM

Reply
3 replies

Dec 14, 2025 8:42 PM in response to dialabrain

Why would I trust CleanMyMac to solve the problem they created?


Unfortunately, the Terminal command: sudo rm -rf ~/.Trash/* doesn't work either.


If I wasn't stuck waiting on this, I'd use the Terminal to create a couple hundred test files to empty out and see how emptying the Trash behaves when interrupted. But I can't even do that.


I was hoping someone here would know the answer. If not, and it's still running in the morning, I'll call Apple Support and use the AppleCare+ I pay for on all my devices. Apple's Mac Support Experts are excellent when the Advisors are unsure or don't know the solution.


Mac Trash emptying slow after moving CleanMyMac folder

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