Why do files I've deleted and emptied from the recycle bin keep coming back?

It used to be on Mac, that one could put items in the trash, empty trash, and restart, and find the deleted items reappear upon restart. This was a last safety measure for those who made a simple mistake.

But finding them in their original places is odd. I’d recommend zapping your P-Ram… and if that doesn’t work, it’s time for some maintenance, starting with rebuilding file directories and purging adware from your browsers.

<———-That guy is not responsible for lost files on your system.

It’s a folder I personally created but now want removed permanently. I don’t think it’s a shared folder or used by another person. I don’t receive any error messages about the folder in question. I just can’t seem to get rid of it.

Perhaps it was created by a different user account and is locked by them to prevent deleting. You’d need to sign in under the account it was made under, then delete it.

Are you using software/services that sync your files across multiple devices via the “cloud”, such as SugarSync, Dropbox, etc.?

I have Dropbox installed on my laptop but I never put the file in there. The thing is, I don’t have any problems with any other folder I’ve deleted, just this particular one.

But Dropbox can sync not just your Dropbox folder, but other folders and files that you designate for uploading/syncing. See in your preferences or settings whether that folder is marked for syncing.