I get the message "The file is too large to be trashed" when I try to delete a very large file. How do I delete it?

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I bought a 500GB SSD online and just got it today. I realised it needed to be formatted as it had no partitions on it yet, I used the program “Gnome Disks” from Add or Remove Software but stupid me, instead of formatting the drive, I accidentally created a partition image file and sent it straight to the documents folder of my my main 2TB Hard drive which was a huge face palm and now that single file is taking up 500GB of space on my main drive. The problem is, when I try to delete the file in the file manager, I get a message saying “The file is too large to be trashed”. How can I delete this file to free up the space? Do I need to do it in the terminal? If so, what command(s) do I need to do in order to delete the file? Thanks for the help, I feel so stupid making a mistake like this.

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Did you tried to delete the file and bypass the trash bin? To do so, hold Shift when you delete the file.

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https://www.google.com/search?q=linux+delete+a+file

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If you want to avoid resorting to the terminal to permanently delete files, enable the following options in Dolphin:

Dolphin → :hamburger: → Configure → Configure Dolphin → Context Menu
delete-option-dolphin

Dolphin → :hamburger: → Configure → Configure Dolphin → General → Confirmations
confirm-delete

Keep in mind that using the “Delete” context menu (or Shift + Delete as noted by @Ralen), it’s a non-reversible, permanent action. The file is deleted. There is no recovering from the “Trash” or “Recycle Bin”.

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I did now that you mentioned I could do that, but trying it makes nothing happen, I don’t even get a warning that it can’t be deleted.

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Thank a lot! This worked and I can now do a permanent delete of the file.

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Just press Shift-Delete.
I can’t believe the complicated solutions here… There’s no need to clutter the menu for that.

1 Like
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Complicated? Cluttering the menu? Shift-deleting didn’t work and only Winnie’s reply was a solution that worked. I don’t think you read through the replies properly because I already said that shift-delete didn’t work for a file of this size. Thanks for suggesting anyway.

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