How to Delete from Recycle Bin: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to delete from Recycle Bin?

The Recycle Bin is an important system folder in Windows to temporarily store deleted items. When a file is deleted, it is moved to this folder, where it remains until either the user manually empties the Recycle Bin or the system automatically removes older files to free up space. 

However, storing too many deleted files takes up valuable disk space, which can slow down your system’s performance. This section provides three practical methods to manually delete files from the Recycle Bin, helping you clear unnecessary items to free up space.

Method 1. Delete Specific Files

The Recycle Bin serves as a temporary storage space for deleted files and folders, giving you the chance to recover them if you change your mind or realize a mistake. However, if you want to permanently remove specific files, you can manually delete them from the Recycle Bin. Here’s how to delete files from Recycle Bin.

Step 1: Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop.

Step 2: Search for a specific file that you want to remove and select it.

Step 3: Right-click the selected file and choose Delete.

Step 4: Confirm the action when prompted.

Method 2. Empty the Recycle Bin

If you want to clear all files in the Recycle Bin at once, you can simply empty it instead of deleting each file individually. Follow these steps to empty the Recycle Bin:

Step 1: Locate the Recycle Bin on your desktop and open it.

Step 2: In the Recycle Bin window, click the Manage tab in the ribbon at the top.

Step 3: Click Empty Recycle Bin, then confirm by clicking Yes when prompted with "Are you sure you want to permanently delete all of these items?"

Method 3. Remove Temporary Files

Alternatively, you can clear all files in the Recycle Bin by removing temporary files through Windows settings. Here’s how to remove deleted files from Recycle Bin using Windows settings:

Step 1: Press Windows + I to open the Windows Settings.

Step 2: Click on System and then select Storage from the left panel. 

Step 3: Click on Temporary files under This PC.

Step 4: Find and click the option Empty recycle bin in the new window. 

Step 5: Press Remove Files to permanently delete them from the Recycle Bin.

How to permanently delete files bypassing the Recycle Bin?

The Recycle Bin is a helpful tool for temporarily storing deleted files, allowing you to recover them later if needed. However, there are situations where you may want to skip the Recycle Bin and permanently delete files immediately.

For instance, when clearing sensitive data, permanent deletion ensures data integrity and prevents unauthorized recovery. Similarly, when removing files that are undoubtedly unnecessary, directly deleting them without using the Recycle Bin can save significant storage space.

If you want to permanently delete files while bypassing the Recycle Bin, locate the files you wish to remove, then press and hold the Shift + Delete keys at the same time. Alternatively, you can configure the Recycle Bin's properties to permanently delete files automatically by following these steps:

Step 1: Right-click on the Recycle Bin and select Properties.

Step 2: Select "Don't move files to the Recycle Bin. Remove files immediately when deleted."

Step 3: Click the Apply button and then click OK to save the settings.

With these settings enabled, all deleted files will bypass the Recycle Bin and be permanently removed.You can change this setting any time you want.

Can you find files deleted from Recycle Bin?

Accidentally deleting important files from the Recycle Bin can be a frustrating experience. Can you find files deleted from the Recycle Bin? Yes, you can!

When files are removed from the Recycle Bin, they are typically considered permanently deleted. However, they are not immediately erased from your storage device. Instead, the space occupied by those files is marked as available for new data, but the actual data itself remains on the drive until it is overwritten.

This means that, unless the data has been overwritten by new files, recovery is still possible using specialized data recovery software. The sooner you attempt to recover the files, the higher the chances of successful retrieval.

How to recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin?

After learning how to delete files from Recycle Bin, it is essential to learn how to get them back. This section outlines two methods to help you retrieve files deleted from the Recycle Bin. Choose the one that works best for you.

Method 1. Recover Deleted Files Using Software

Recovering permanently deleted files can be challenging, particularly when you have no backups. Fortunately, professional data recovery software like AOMEI FastRecovery can help resolve this issue, making it easy to retrieve files deleted from the Recycle Bin. Download the tool from the link below and give it a try:

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Here’s how to recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin using AOMEI FastRecovery:

Step 1: Download and install AOMEI FastRecovery, then select the partition or disk where your files were located.

Step 2: Scan your disk to find the deleted files. It offers two modes, Quick Scan and Deep Scan, to thoroughly search for lost data.

Step 3: Once the scan is complete, all the missing files will be displayed. Kindly choose the files you want to restore and click Recover. You can preview the files before recovery.

Step 4: Choose a location to save the recovered files and wait for the process to complete.

Why choose AOMEI FastRecovery:
◆ Supports recovering multiple file formats from various storage devices, including PCs, USB drives, SD cards, and more.
◆ Addresses a variety of data loss scenarios, recovering your files quickly and efficiently.
◆ Features a user-friendly interface, making it accessible even for those with minimal experience.
◆ Provides a file preview before recovery, ensuring accurate selection.
◆ Ensures 100% safety for your data throughout the recovery process.

Method 2. Recover Deleted Files from Backups

In addition to using third-party recovery tools, recovering deleted files from backups is an excellent option. The Backup and Restore feature, available in Windows 7 and later versions, allows you to back up essential files or your entire system to prevent data loss. It’s especially useful if your files are lost due to system failure or accidental overwriting. If you’ve previously enabled this feature, follow these steps to recover files deleted from the Recycle Bin:

Step 1: Go to the Control Panel, and select System and Security > Backup and Restore in turn.

Step 2: Click Restore my files.

Step 3: Click Browse for files to choose the file you want to recover, and then click Next.

Step 4: Specify the saving path for your recovered file, and click Restore.

Essential Tips for Safely Deleting Files from the Recycle Bin

► Double-check the files before deleting them to ensure no important documents are mistakenly included.

► Use the sort and filter options in the Recycle Bin to organize files by type, size, or deletion date. This can help you quickly identify files that need to be restored or permanently deleted.

► Turn on the deletion confirmation dialog to get a prompt before permanently deleting files, reducing the risk of accidental deletion. You can enable it by right-clicking the Recycle Bin, then selecting Properties > Display delete confirmation dialog.

Conclusion

While the Recycle Bin is a helpful tool for storing and recovering deleted files, there are situations where you need to delete files from it to ensure data integrity or free up space. This post will show you how to delete files from Recycle Bin. If you’ve accidentally deleted important files, don’t worry—keep reading to learn how to recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin using recovery software and backups.