Python library to natively send files to Trash (or Recycle bin) on all platforms.

2.1.0 · active · verified Sat Mar 28

Send2Trash is a small Python package (version 2.1.0) that moves files and directories to the operating system's trash or recycle bin, rather than permanently deleting them. It provides native support for macOS (Cocoa calls), Windows (IFileOperation/SHFileOperation), and Linux/BSD (freedesktop.org trash specification or PyGObject/GIO fallback). It is actively maintained with a moderate release cadence, with the latest stable release in January 2026.

Warnings

breaking Versions 2.0.0 and later removed Python 2.x compatibility. If upgrading from an older `send2trash` version that supported Python 2.x, ensure your environment is running Python 3.8 or newer.
Fix: Upgrade your Python environment to 3.8+ or use an older `send2trash` version (e.g., `send2trash<2.0.0`) if Python 2.x compatibility is strictly required (not recommended for new development).
gotcha The `send2trash` function primarily expects string-based file paths. Passing `pathlib.Path` objects directly without converting them to strings (e.g., `str(path_object)`) can lead to `TypeError` or unexpected behavior in some versions or environments.
Fix: Always ensure paths are converted to strings before passing them to `send2trash()`, for example, `send2trash(str(Path('/tmp/file.txt')))`.
gotcha On Freedesktop platforms (Linux, BSD), trashing files located on different devices than the user's home directory may raise `send2trash.TrashPermissionError` if a `.Trash` directory cannot be found or created. This requires explicit handling in your application.
Fix: Catch `send2trash.TrashPermissionError` and handle files that cannot be moved to trash, e.g., by logging the error or attempting permanent deletion (with user consent and appropriate warnings).
gotcha When passing a list of files to `send2trash()`, an error encountered for any single file (e.g., `FileNotFoundError`, `TrashPermissionError`) will stop the processing of the *entire* list, preventing subsequent files from being trashed.
Fix: To trash multiple files robustly, iterate through the list and call `send2trash()` for each file individually within a `try...except` block, handling errors on a per-file basis.

Install

pip install send2trash Standard Installation
pip install -U send2trash[nativeLib] Installation with optional native libraries (pywin32/pyobjc)

Imports

send2trash
```
from send2trash import send2trash
```

Quickstart

This quickstart creates a temporary file, sends it to the OS trash/recycle bin using `send2trash()`, and includes basic error handling. Note the explicit conversion of `pathlib.Path` objects to strings.

import os
from pathlib import Path
from send2trash import send2trash

# Create a dummy file to trash
dummy_file = Path('temp_file_to_trash.txt')
dummy_file.write_text('This file will go to trash.')

print(f"Created file: {dummy_file.resolve()}")

# Send the file to trash
try:
    send2trash(str(dummy_file)) # Ensure path is a string
    print(f"'{dummy_file}' sent to trash successfully.")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error trashing '{dummy_file}': {e}")

# Clean up (if file was not trashed due to an error, ensure it's removed)
if dummy_file.exists():
    os.remove(dummy_file)
    print(f"'{dummy_file}' removed forcefully (was not trashed).")

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