Extract text from macOS trash files (TRASHES)
To convert TRASHES deleted files to another format, you need macOS Finder or other System software.
To convert other file formats to the "macOS Trash Directory" file type, you need software like macOS Finder or a similar tool.
The .trashes format is an invisible system directory or metadata file created by Apple macOS on external volumes, such as USB flash drives and external hard drives. Its primary function is to store files that users have deleted, holding them until the Trash is permanently emptied. These files are typically managed by macOS Finder.
The main disadvantage of .trashes files is that they secretly consume storage space. When a user unplugs a USB drive without emptying the Mac Trash, the deleted files remain inside the .trashes folder. On Windows machines, this folder becomes visible as annoying, undeletable junk that clutters the drive. Because this is a system-level metadata construct or directory rather than a standard document, standard online converters fail to process it. Users typically want to extract the contents to recover their original files, converting the data back into usable ZIP, JPG, or PDF targets.
This file format is difficult to open or convert because it is a proprietary, closed system container meant only for the macOS environment. Often, only the original macOS operating system can properly read or restore the data. However, just drag and drop your file to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible. convert.guru can inspect the file and show text or internal content. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format within the trash structure, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your TRASHES file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted BUNDLE, PICTCLIPPING and TEXTCLIPPING files.
If you want to convert TRASHES file to SYS, DLL, EXE, DRV, VXD, 386, COM, BAT, CMD, SCR, PIF or LNK, you can use macOS Finder or similar software from the "System Trash Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MSI, EXE, REG, MST, LNK, CAB, CAT, DRV, INF, SYS, MSU or DLL files to TRASHES, try macOS Finder or another comparable tool in the "System Trash Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our TRASHES converter.