How to Empty the Recycle Bin on Windows 10 (Automatically on a Schedule)

The Recycle Bin is a system folder in the Microsoft Windows operating system. By default, it can be found in the RECYCLER folder at the root directory of each hard disk partition, and it is set to be hidden. The Recycle Bin stores files, folders, images, shortcuts, and web pages that you have deleted.

The deleted items will remain in the Recycle Bin and continue to occupy disk space. They can be restored if needed. Only by deleting files from the Recycle Bin or emptying the Recycle Bin entirely can the files be permanently removed, freeing up more space on your computer.

Here are various methods to empty the Recycle Bin in Windows 10. For beginners, you can acquaint yourself with the basic techniques to easily clean the Recycle Bin. For more experienced users, discover how to empty the Recycle Bin in Windows 10 using Command Prompt and how to set up scheduled emptying of the Recycle Bin.

1. "Empty Desktop Recycling Bin"

First, let’s see how to empty the Recycle Bin using its context menu.

Step 1. Locate the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop.

Step 2. Right-click on it and select "Empty Recycle Bin" from the drop-down menu.

Step 3. A pop-up window will ask, "Are you sure you want to permanently delete all of these items?" Click "Yes" and wait for the files to be deleted.

Related reading: Can't Find or Open Recycle Bin on Windows 10/8/7

2. Empty the Windows 10 Recycle Bin through its Management Menu

Steps to empty the Recycle Bin using the Manage utility: 1. Click on the Start button located in the bottom left corner of your Windows desktop. 2. In the search bar, type "Control Panel" and press Enter to open it. 3. Within the Control Panel, look for the "Hardware and Sound" category, and then click on " Administrative Tools." 4. In the Administrative Tools window, find and double-click on "Computer Management" to launch the utility. 5. The Computer Management window will appear. On the left side, under "Storage," click on "Disk Management." 6. In the main pane on the right, you'll see a representation of your hard drive(s). Locate the drive where your Recycle Bin is situated, usually the C: drive. 7. Right-click on the drive (C:) and select "Properties" from the context menu. 8. In the Properties dialog box, a new window will pop up. Go to the "General" tab. 9. At the bottom of the window, you'll see a section labeled "Disk Cleanup." Click on the "Disk Cleanup" button. 10. A new Disk Cleanup dialog box will appear. Check the box next to "Recycle Bin" in the list of files to delete. 11. You can choose to delete other temporary or unnecessary files as well by checking their corresponding boxes if you wish. 12. Once you've made your selections, click "OK." A confirmation prompt will appear asking you to confirm the deletion of the selected items. 13. Click "Delete Files" to proceed with emptying the Recycle Bin. 14. The process may take a few moments, depending on the size of the files in the Recycle Bin. 15. Once completed, a message will notify you that the cleanup is finished. Close the windows and you're done. These steps will help you empty the Recycle Bin using the Manage utility in Windows.

Step 1. Locate and open the Recycle Bin.

Step 2. Click "Manage" and choose "Empty Recycle Bin" > "Yes" to empty your Recycle Bin.

3. Empty the Recycle Bin on Windows 10 through Settings

Translate into English: Check how to clean the Recycle Bin in Windows 10 Settings.

Step 1. Click on the Windows icon, then select "Settings." From there, choose "System."

Step 2. In the Settings window, click on "Storage" on the left panel. Then click "This PC" or other partitions under "Storage".

Step 3. Click "Temporary files". This will list all the temporary files on the hard drive.

Step 4. Check the "Empty recycle bin" box, then click "Remove files" and wait for your computer to delete the files in your Recycle Bin on Windows 10.

Translation:

4. Empty Recycle Bin in Windows 10 Using Command Prompt

For professionals seeking an advanced method to empty the Recycle Bin or when other methods fail, you can still utilize command lines to empty the Windows Recycle Bin.

Step 1. Click the Search button, type cmd.

Step 2. Right-click "Command Prompt" from the search results and select "Run as administrator."

Step 3. Type the following command to empty the Recycle Bin folder on the D drive:

rd /q /s d:\$Recycle.Bin This command in English would be: Remove Directory quietly and recursively the $Recycle.Bin folder located in drive D:

You can replace C with another drive letter, such as E: to empty the Recycle Bin on the E drive.

Or you can use this command to clean the Recycle Bin on your system drive as well.

rmdir /s %systemdrive%\$Recycle.bin

Type Y to confirm the deletion.

You can replace %systemdrive% with another drive letter, such as type and run `rmdir /s d:\$Recycle.bin` to empty the Recycle Bin on the D drive.

5. How to Automatically Empty the Recycle Bin on Windows 10 on a Schedule

You can utilize the built-in Windows feature called Storage Sense to automatically clean the Recycle Bin at a predetermined interval. This feature intelligently frees up space by removing unnecessary files, such as temporary files and the contents of your Recycle Bin.

Here's how to do it. 翻译成英文是：以下是操作方法。

Step 1. On your Windows 10 computer, go to "Settings" > "System."

Step 2. Click on "Storage" and find "Storage Sense".

Step 3. Under Storage Sense, toggle the sliding switch and set it to the "On" position.

Step 4. You can set the schedule to empty the Recycle Bin by clicking "Change how we free up space automatically."

Translation:

Step 5. On the new page, you can alter the frequency of when Storage Sense runs. You can configure it to run daily, weekly, or monthly.

Scheduled Emptying of the Recycle Bin

Step 6. Under Temporary Files, select the option "Delete files in my Recycle Bin if they have been there for over." You can choose from "Never, 1 day, 14 days, 30 days, or 60 days."

With these settings, the deleted files in the Recycle Bin will be automatically removed.

How to Retrieve Lost Files from an Emptied Recycle Bin on Windows 10

Emptying the Recycle Bin can free up space on your computer to accommodate new data. However, if you accidentally delete items from the Recycle Bin and later regret it, what can you do? Is it possible to recover files from an emptied Recycle Bin?

Yes, you can restore an emptied Recycle Bin using an advanced file recovery tool like Data Recovery Wizard Pro, which is renowned in the field of data recovery.

Download this professional data recovery software for free and follow the steps below to retrieve deleted files from an emptied Recycle Bin on Windows 10/8/7.

Step 1. To recover files from the emptied Recycle Bin on Windows 11/10/8/7, hover your mouse pointer over the "Recycle Bin" option under the "Locations" section and click "Scan".

Step 2. The data recovery tool will immediately initiate a quick scan for all deleted files. Subsequently, it will automatically perform a deep scan to search for additional lost files. Upon completion of the scanning process, utilize the "Filter" feature to choose a specific file type, like Pictures, Word documents, videos, etc.

This HTML code represents an image container with a class "img_box_pop pop_img". The image has an alternative text "filter files to recover" and has dimensions of 700 pixels in width and 466 pixels in height. The source of the image is "/images/en/data-recovery/drw-pro/screenshots/recycle-bin-recovery-step2.png".

Step 3. Once you find the files you wish to restore, double-click them for a full preview. Next, select the targeted files and click "Recover". It's recommended to save the recovered files to a different volume or an external USB drive to prevent data overwrite.

This HTML code represents an image container with a class "img_box_pop" and a pop-up attribute "pop_img". The image has an alt text "recover lost files from Recycle Bin" and has dimensions of 700 pixels in width and 466 pixels in height. The source of the image is dynamically loaded from "/images/en/data-recovery/drw-pro/screenshots/recycle-bin-recovery-step3.png".

底线

In this post, we've explored various methods to empty the Recycle Bin on Windows 10. You can dispose of all files in the Recycle Bin through the desktop icon, by utilizing its Manage feature, Windows settings, or the Command Prompt.

For users who wish for Windows to automatically empty the Recycle Bin, you can utilize the Storage Sense feature to clean the Recycle Bin on a scheduled basis.

If you accidentally delete files you need from the Recycle Bin, immediately utilize data recovery software to assist in retrieving your files. It can restore data from an emptied Recycle Bin, formatted hard drive, inaccessible external hard drive, USB flash drive, and more.