Windows 10: Set Recycle Bin to Permanently Delete Files Immediately in Windows 10

How to: Set Recycle Bin to Permanently Delete Files Immediately in Windows 10

How to Set Recycle Bin to Permanently Delete Files Immediately in Windows 10


The Recycle Bin provides a safety net when deleting files or folders. When you delete any of these items from your hard disk, Windows places it in the Recycle Bin and the Recycle Bin icon changes from empty to full.

If you have multiple hard drives, partitions, or an external hard drive connected to your PC, each location will have its own $Recycle.Bin and Recycle Bin settings. Removable drives, such as USB flash drives and memory cards, will not have a Recycle Bin. Files deleted from removable drives are permanently deleted.

When a user deletes a file, it's usually moved to their Recycle Bin so that they can restore the file later if necessary. To permanently remove files from your PC and reclaim any hard disk space the files were using, you need to delete the files from the Recycle Bin. You can delete individual files from the Recycle Bin or empty the entire Recycle Bin at once.

You can choose to bypass the Recycle Bin when you delete something to have it permanently deleted immediately from your PC.

When you select to Don't move file to the Recycle Bin. Remove files immediately when deleted, it will remove the Disk Cleanup button from that drive's properties page. You will still be able to directly open and use Disk Cleanup though.




*tip You can permanently delete a file from your computer without sending it to the Recycle Bin by clicking the file and then pressing Shift+Delete.

This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off to have the Recycle Bin permanently remove files immediately when deleted in your account in Windows 10.


EXAMPLE: Recycle Bin permanently delete confirmation dialog






Here's How:

1. Right click or press and hold on the Recycle Bin, and click/tap on Properties. (see screenshot below)



2. Select the Recycle Bin location for the drive (ex: C ) you want at the top. (see screenshot below)




3. Do step 4 (on) or step 5 (off) below for what you would like to do.


4. Turn On Permanently Delete Files for Selected Recycle Bin Location
A) Select (dot) Don't move file to the Recycle Bin. Remove files immediately when deleted, click/tap on Apply, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)





5. Turn Off Permanently Delete Files for Selected Recycle Bin Location
*note This is the default setting.
A) Select (dot) Custom size, set the step 6 below. (see screenshot below)




6. Repeat step 2 above if you have another Recycle Bin location you want to turn on or off to permanently delete files automatically.

7. When finished, click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below step 2)



That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Add or Remove Properties from Recycle Bin Context Menu in Windows
• Add or Remove Empty Recycle Bin Context Menu for Recycle Bin in Windows
• How to Turn On or Off Recycle Bin Delete Confirmation in Windows 10
• How to Change Maximum Storage Size for Recycle Bin in Windows 10
• How to Empty Recycle Bin in Windows 10
• How to Add Permanently Delete to Context Menu in Windows 10
• How to Fix Corrupted Recycle Bin in Windows
• How to Add Secure Delete to Recycle Bin Context Menu in Windows 10
• How to Delete a Folder in Windows 10
• How to Delete a File in Windows 10

:)

 

Recycle Bin On Windows 10

When sending items to the Recycle Bin, it permanently deletes the items, I rather have the items temporarily stored in the recycle bin until I decide to permanently delete them. I've check my Recycle Bin properties, and the Custom size: is checked and the
other option "Don't move filed to the recycle Bin immediately when deleted is NOT checked. I also have the display delete confirmation dialog checked. But when ever I delete something on strictly my computer it gets permanently deleted, what gives? It never
used to do that?

**Moved from: Windows / Windows 10 / Windows settings**

 

Windows 10 file explorer permanently deletes photos but not other files

When I delete photos in Windows 10 file explorer, they are permanently deleted rather than going to the recycle bin. Other file types are going to the recycle bin. I've looked at recycle bin settings, and the 'permanently delete' option is NOT checked.
How can I ensure deleted photos go to the recycle bin?

 

Hello Dan, *Smile

Which drive is this happening with?

What do you have set for the maximum storage size of the drive's Recycle Bin?

If the size of the files are larger than what you have set for the maximum storage size, then they will be permanently deleted.

Change Maximum Storage Size for Recycle Bin in Windows 10 - Windows 10 General Tips Tutorials

 

Thanks for your reply but in this case changing the recycle bin size to less than 5% does not change the situation. I think it might be to do with the recovery bin that I'm using from the Diskeeper folk. I will try uninstalling that and see if I can get the setting back. When I right click the desktop recycle bin icon and go to properties I don't actually get the choices I have to go to the direct shortcut in explorer in order to right click to get the properties.
I'll telephone the support of Diskeeper Recovery Bin after Easter and report back.
Cheers for now, thanks again for your reply,
Dan

 

I look forward to hearing what they say.

 

Don't move files to Recycle Bin, where's registry key? *Smile

 

It's not practical to set this via registry since each volume is assigned a unique GUID with no easy way of knowing which drive they are for. The NukeOnDelete is the DWORD for this setting.