Understanding the Recycle Bin

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 11, 2019)

The Recycle Bin icon looks like a wastebasket or trash bin. It appears on the desktop because it is used quite frequently. It is the receptacle for the files that you delete, the same as the wastebasket beside your desk is where you throw papers away. Just like your physical wastebasket, where you can retrieve objects before they are permanently thrown away, the Recycle Bin allows you to "undelete" items that have been thrown away.

It is best to think of the Recycle Bin as a place where your files are stored before they are permanently deleted. Few people think of it as a storage area, but it really is. If you adopt this understanding, then you can more efficiently use your system by managing how the Recycle Bin is used. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Recycle Bin is used to store items you want to delete.

If you open the Recycle Bin (by double-clicking on its icon), you'll notice that it looks like any file listing in any other Windows folder. You can place an item in the Recycle Bin in a couple of ways. The most direct method is to select the object that you want to delete (place in the Recycle Bin) and then press the Del key. You can also use the mouse to drag the object to the Recycle Bin.

Items stay in the Recycle Bin until you explicitly delete them (use the Empty Recycle Bin) link at the top of the Recycle Bin dialog box) or until the aggregate size of the files in the Recycle Bin start approaching the amount of space you have allocated to the Recycle Bin. When that occurs, then Windows automatically deletes the oldest items in the Recycle Bin in order to free up room on the drive. (You can learn more about how to change the size of the Recycle Bin in another WindowsTip.)

 This tip (10863) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Comparing Documents Top and Bottom

Word has a feature that allows you to compare two documents side-by-side. What if you actually want to compare the ...

Discover More

Conditionally Formatting for Multiple Date Comparisons

When you compare dates in a conditional formatting rule, you need to be careful how you put your comparisons together. Do ...

Discover More

Making Text Boxes Appear in a Printout

Add some text boxes to your document, and you might be surprised if they don't appear when you print the document. If ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Permanently Deleting Items

Want to permanently get rid of an object rather than simply moving it to the Recycle Bin? Here are a couple of tricks you ...

Discover More

Changing the Characteristics of the Recycle Bin

Windows allows you to easily configure the properties associated with the Recycle Bin. This tip provides an overview of ...

Discover More

Restoring Items in the Recycle Bin

Placing something in the Recycle Bin does not mean it is gone forever. After placing something there, you may change your ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is two more than 7?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

Newest Tips
Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2024 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.