When the alert appears
If you want an alert box with the message "Are you sure you want to remove the items in the Trash permanently?" to appear before emptying the Trash, the corresponding checkbox must be selected in the Finder Preferences. It then appears when you choose Empty Trash from the Finder menu.
Note: If you use a contextual menu (Control-click) to empty the Trash, the alert box does not appear.
How to enable/disable or avoid the alert message
Use Finder Preferences to enable or disable the alert box. By using contextual menus, you may avoid the alert on a per-incident basis.
Finder Preferences
1. Click the Finder icon in the Dock.
2. Choose Preferences from the Finder application menu.
3. Select or deselect the "Show warning before emptying the Trash" checkbox, as desired.
Contextual menu
If you want to leave the warning on but avoid it on a per-incident basis, you can use a contextual menu instead of the menu command.
1. Control-click the Trash in the Dock.
2. Choose Empty Trash from the contextual menu that appears.
Note: "Control-click" means to press and hold the Control key while clicking an item. As an alternative, you may press and hold the mouse button until the contextual menu appears. To learn more about clicking, contextual menus, and the Dock, see technical document 106743, "
Mac OS X 10.1: Additional Features of the Dock".