Recycle Bin is a place/folder where deleted items are temporarily stored on Windows until they are permanently deleted from your computer. Microsoft has allowed recovering deleted files from Recycle Bin since Windows 95. The deleted items are not permanently removed from the hard drive unless a user empties Recycle Bin.
All the deleted files or folders are stored in the Recycle Bin. Recycle Bin allows you to recover and restore all deleted files to their original storage location.
Open Recycle Bin by double-clicking on it to recover the deleted items. After that, double-click on the file/folder in Recycle Bin that you want to restore or recover to its original location. Next, click on the Restore button.
If the Recycle Bin icon is missing from your computer, you can quickly restore them. Similarly, one can add Network, Computer, and Control Panel icons on Windows 11/10/8/7. Increasing and decreasing Recycle Bin storage is possible on Windows 11/10/8/7.
When you encounter an error message, “The Recycle Bin on x:\ is corrupted. Do you want to empty the Recycle Bin for this drive?”, What will you do? This occurs when the $Recycle.bin folder is corrupt on your computer. However, you should note that every driver has their own $Recycle.bin folder at the driver’s root, which remains hidden by default.
This risewindows article will show how you can recover a corrupt Recycle Bin without third-party software.
You can quickly fix the corrupt Recycle Bin by deleting the $Recycle.bin folder from your computer. Deleting the $Recycle.bin folder from your Windows PC will automatically generate a fresh Recycle Bin, and the error will be fixed automatically.
Deleting of $Recycle.bin folder can be done through Command Prompt.
How to Repair a Corrupted Recycle Bin on Windows 11/10/8/7?
Step 1: Open the elevated Command Prompt.
Open Command Prompt with higher rights or administrative privileges; you need to press the Windows logo + R keys to open the Run dialog box. In the Run box, type cmd. After that, press Ctrl + Shift + Enter together from the keyboard to open the Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
Step 2: If the user Account Control dialog box appears, click on the Yes button to proceed.
Step 3: In the elevated Command Prompt Window, type the below-given and press Enter:
rd /s /q C:\$Recycle.bin
Note: In the above command, “C” is the drive letter where I am getting an error. You need to change the drive letter where you get the error. Suppose you are getting Recycle Bin error from drive “K,” then your command will be:
rd /s /q K:\$Recycle.bin
Repeat the command if you have to remove this error from many drives.
Recycle Bin error should not be there once you complete this process on your Windows computer. This command works for all Windows 11/10/8/7 to fix the Recycle Bin error.
Conclusion
Errors with the Recycle Bin can be inconvenient, but they aren’t insurmountable. With a few easy steps, you can restore its functionality and continue using this vital Windows feature. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned Windows user, this guide provides the tools to ensure your Recycle Bin operates as intended.
