Windows 10: How to empty the Windows Recycle Bin automatically

All files that you delete regularly on Windows are moved to the Recycle Bin first. Designed as a last resort to recover accidentally deleted files, files that sit in the Recycle Bin may sit there for a long period. While that is not a huge problem most of the time, if disk space is scarce, it may be frustrating to empty the Recycle Bin manually regularly.

You could set a custom Recycle Bin size to avoid it occupying too much space on a drive, or, use automation to clear the Windows Recycle Bin regularly.

This guide offers a general solution to the Recycle Bin problem, and a specific solution that is only available on Windows 10 devices.

General Solution for all Windows versions




The following method is compatible with all Windows versions and editions. It requires the creation of a batch file and running that batch file either using a policy or as a startup command.

1. Right-click on the desktop or another folder and select New > Text Document.
2. Paste the following line of code into the document: PowerShell.exe -NoProfile -Command Clear-RecycleBin -Confirm:$false
3. Save the document.
4. Rename it to emptyrecyclebin.bat. Make sure the file has the .bat extension and not .bat.txt.
5. Test the file once to make sure it works.

The next step depends on the Windows edition. If you run professional or Enterprise editions, do the following:

1. Open the Start Menu.
2. Type gpedit.msc and select the result to load the Group Policy Editor.
3. Go to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Scripts > Shutdown
4. Double-click on Shutdown to open its Properties.
5. Select Add.
6. Use the Browse option to pick the emptyrecyclebin.bat that you created previously.
7. Select ok.

Windows will execute the script (to delete Recycle Bin content) when Windows shuts down automatically from that moment on.

You can use the same process to delete the script again if you don't want to use it anymore.

If you run Windows 10 Home, you may execute the script on startup by placing it in the startup folder:

1. Open Explorer.
2. Type in the address bar shell:startup. This should open the startup folder.
3. Drag and drop the script to the folder.

Windows will execute the script on startup automatically from that moment on. You can delete the script again if you don't want to use it anymore. (via Major Geeks)

Storage Sense on Windows 10




Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system comes with a new feature called Storage Sense; you may configure it to delete Recycle Bin content, and other temporary files, regularly and automatically.

1. Use the shortcut Windows-I to open the Settings application.
2. Go to System > Storage.
3. Select "Change how we free up space automatically" on the Storage page.
4. Toggle Storage sense to "On".
5. Set a desired period for the feature, e.g. every day, week, month, or on low disk space.
6. Check "Delete temporary files that my apps aren't using".
7. Set the desired period that deleted files need to sit in the Recycle Bin untouched before Windows deletes the files. The default period is 30 days, you may change that to 1, 14 or 60 days (or never).
8. If you don't want files in the download folder to be deleted automatically, make sure that setting is set to "never".

Windows will from that moment on delete files in the Recycle Bin if the time they have been in the recycle bin untouched exceeds the selected period.

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recycle bin

Hi George,

To prevent your files from being deleted from the Recycle Bin, we suggest increasing the maximum file size your Recycle Bin can keep by following the steps below:

• Right click on the Recycle Bin icon.
• Under the Settings for selected location, select Custom size.
• Fill up the box for your allotted maximum file size for your Recycle Bin.

Let us know if you need further assistance.

 

RECYCLE BIN automatically closes & returns to Desktop

Hi,

You might be experiencing this issue because Recycle Bin is corrupted. If your Recycle Bin is corrupted, you can face various problems when using it such as this behavior. Let's repair Recycle Bin by

using the System File Checker tool. This tool scans for corruptions in Windows system files and restores corrupted files.

If the issue persists, we suggest that you manually delete the Recycle Bin folder on your computer. Each drive on Windows has a hidden and protected system folder named
$Recycle.bin. When you delete files or folders, they are moved to the Recycle Bin folder for holding. If you delete the Recycle Bin folder, Windows will automatically create a new
$Recycle.bin folder. However, all previous contents of Recycle Bin will be lost. Make sure to only do this step if you don't have any valuable data in Recycle Bin. Here are the steps:

• Click Start.
• On the search bar, type Command Prompt, right-click Command Prompt from the results, and select
  Run as administrator.
  
• Type rd /s /q C:\$Recycle.bin, and press Enter.
• If you are using multiple drives or partition, you will have to do this for every partition on your hard disk by replacing C with the corresponding drive letter.
• Restart your computer, and Windows will recreate a new Recycle Bin for you.

Keep us updated with the results, and we will be glad to assist you further.

 

Lost Recycle Bin in Windows 10

Hello,

We highly suggest to follow the steps below:

• Click the Start button , type desktop icons into the search box, and then click Show or hide common icons on the desktop.
• In the Desktop Icon Settings dialog box, do one of the following: To hide the Recycle Bin, clear the Recycle Bin check box. ...
  
• Click OK.

Let us know how it goes.