diff --git a/e2e/src/specs/server/api/library.e2e-spec.ts b/e2e/src/specs/server/api/library.e2e-spec.ts
index 4d67a8464781d..1cd46169563a9 100644
--- a/e2e/src/specs/server/api/library.e2e-spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/src/specs/server/api/library.e2e-spec.ts
@@ -859,6 +859,48 @@ describe('/libraries', () => {
       ]);
     });
 
+    it('should not delete excluded external files from disk when trash is emptied', async () => {
+      const relativePath = 'temp/offline-empty-trash/offline.png';
+      const filePath = `${testAssetDir}/${relativePath}`;
+      const internalFilePath = `${testAssetDirInternal}/${relativePath}`;
+
+      utils.createImageFile(filePath);
+
+      const library = await utils.createLibrary(admin.accessToken, {
+        ownerId: admin.userId,
+        importPaths: [`${testAssetDirInternal}/temp/offline-empty-trash`],
+      });
+
+      await utils.scan(admin.accessToken, library.id);
+
+      const { assets } = await utils.searchAssets(admin.accessToken, {
+        libraryId: library.id,
+        originalPath: internalFilePath,
+      });
+      expect(assets.count).toBe(1);
+
+      await utils.updateLibrary(admin.accessToken, library.id, {
+        exclusionPatterns: ['**/offline-empty-trash/**'],
+      });
+
+      await utils.scan(admin.accessToken, library.id);
+
+      const trashedAsset = await utils.getAssetInfo(admin.accessToken, assets.items[0].id);
+      expect(trashedAsset.isTrashed).toBe(true);
+      expect(trashedAsset.isOffline).toBe(true);
+
+      const { status } = await request(app).post('/trash/empty').set('Authorization', `Bearer ${admin.accessToken}`);
+      expect(status).toBe(200);
+
+      await utils.waitForQueueFinish(admin.accessToken, 'backgroundTask');
+
+      expect(existsSync(filePath)).toBe(true);
+
+      if (existsSync(filePath)) {
+        utils.removeImageFile(filePath);
+      }
+    });
+
     it('should not set an asset offline if its file exists, is in an import path, and not covered by an exclusion pattern', async () => {
       const library = await utils.createLibrary(admin.accessToken, {
         ownerId: admin.userId,
diff --git a/server/src/repositories/trash.repository.ts b/server/src/repositories/trash.repository.ts
index f6f13188d4bc8..a71fd9382fd54 100644
--- a/server/src/repositories/trash.repository.ts
+++ b/server/src/repositories/trash.repository.ts
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ import { DB } from 'src/schema';
 export class TrashRepository {
   constructor(@InjectKysely() private db: Kysely<DB>) {}
 
-  getDeletedIds(): AsyncIterableIterator<{ id: string }> {
-    return this.db.selectFrom('asset').select(['id']).where('status', '=', AssetStatus.Deleted).stream();
+  getDeletedIds(): AsyncIterableIterator<{ id: string; isOffline: boolean }> {
+    return this.db.selectFrom('asset').select(['id', 'isOffline']).where('status', '=', AssetStatus.Deleted).stream();
   }
 
   @GenerateSql({ params: [DummyValue.UUID] })
diff --git a/server/src/services/trash.service.spec.ts b/server/src/services/trash.service.spec.ts
index e43c49e5432d5..24c1bc1eedf07 100644
--- a/server/src/services/trash.service.spec.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/trash.service.spec.ts
@@ -4,10 +4,19 @@ import { TrashService } from 'src/services/trash.service';
 import { authStub } from 'test/fixtures/auth.stub';
 import { newTestService, ServiceMocks } from 'test/utils';
 
-async function* makeAssetIdStream(count: number): AsyncIterableIterator<{ id: string }> {
+async function* makeAssetIdStream(count: number): AsyncIterableIterator<{ id: string; isOffline: boolean }> {
   for (let i = 0; i < count; i++) {
     await Promise.resolve();
-    yield { id: `asset-${i + 1}` };
+    yield { id: `asset-${i + 1}`, isOffline: false };
+  }
+}
+
+async function* makeDeletedAssetStream(
+  assets: Array<{ id: string; isOffline: boolean }>,
+): AsyncIterableIterator<{ id: string; isOffline: boolean }> {
+  for (const asset of assets) {
+    await Promise.resolve();
+    yield asset;
   }
 }
 
@@ -99,5 +108,27 @@ describe(TrashService.name, () => {
         },
       ]);
     });
+
+    it('should not delete offline assets on disk', async () => {
+      mocks.trash.getDeletedIds.mockReturnValue(
+        makeDeletedAssetStream([
+          { id: 'asset-1', isOffline: false },
+          { id: 'asset-2', isOffline: true },
+        ]),
+      );
+
+      await expect(sut.handleEmptyTrash()).resolves.toEqual(JobStatus.Success);
+
+      expect(mocks.job.queueAll).toHaveBeenCalledWith([
+        {
+          name: JobName.AssetDelete,
+          data: { id: 'asset-1', deleteOnDisk: true },
+        },
+        {
+          name: JobName.AssetDelete,
+          data: { id: 'asset-2', deleteOnDisk: false },
+        },
+      ]);
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/server/src/services/trash.service.ts b/server/src/services/trash.service.ts
index f1d368111ef4c..e41be871ef3b6 100644
--- a/server/src/services/trash.service.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/trash.service.ts
@@ -50,9 +50,9 @@ export class TrashService extends BaseService {
     const assets = this.trashRepository.getDeletedIds();
 
     let count = 0;
-    const batch: string[] = [];
-    for await (const { id } of assets) {
-      batch.push(id);
+    const batch: Array<{ id: string; isOffline: boolean }> = [];
+    for await (const asset of assets) {
+      batch.push(asset);
 
       if (batch.length === JOBS_ASSET_PAGINATION_SIZE) {
         await this.handleBatch(batch);
@@ -70,14 +70,14 @@ export class TrashService extends BaseService {
     return JobStatus.Success;
   }
 
-  private async handleBatch(ids: string[]) {
-    this.logger.debug(`Queueing ${ids.length} asset(s) for deletion from the trash`);
+  private async handleBatch(assets: Array<{ id: string; isOffline: boolean }>) {
+    this.logger.debug(`Queueing ${assets.length} asset(s) for deletion from the trash`);
     await this.jobRepository.queueAll(
-      ids.map((assetId) => ({
+      assets.map(({ id, isOffline }) => ({
         name: JobName.AssetDelete,
         data: {
-          id: assetId,
-          deleteOnDisk: true,
+          id,
+          deleteOnDisk: !isOffline,
         },
       })),
     );