How To Hide Recycle Bin In Windows

Microsoft first released Recycle Bin in Windows 95. Since then, Recycle Bin has been on the Windows Desktop by default. Rather than deleting files immediately from the hard drive, files are stored in this bin as a failsafe mechanism in case of accidental deletions.

Some Windows users prefer to keep their Recycle Bin hidden for different reasons. It could be a data privacy concern, or it could be a visual aesthetics preference. It is possible to hide the Recycle Bin, but you cannot delete it.

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How To Hide Recycle Bin In Windows

There are two popular ways to hide the Recycle Bin. Both methods work across all Windows platforms. We will take a look at both methods first. Then we will answer some frequently asked questions about the recycle Bin.

Hide Recycle Bin Using the Desktop Icon Settings.

This one is more popular and accessible by all users. You don’t need to restart the PC to apply changes. So it is much easier to toggle settings.

Windows 10 and Windows 11

Go to Start Menu and Select Settings.
Click on Personalization.
Click on Themes.
Scroll down to the Related settings section and click on Desktop Icon Settings.
Uncheck the Recycle bin.
Click Apply and OK.

The steps above will hide Recycle Bin In Windows 10.

Windows 8 and 8.1

Click on Start Menu or Press Win + C.
Search Recycle Bin in the search bar.
Click on Show or hide common icons on the desktop in the search results.
Uncheck Recycle Bin. This window is the same as that described in Windows 10.
Click Apply and OK.

This should hide Recycle Bin In Windows 8.

Windows 7

Right-click on the Desktop and click Personalize.
On the left navigation pane, select Change desktop icons.
Uncheck Recycle Bin. This window is the same as that described in Windows 10.
Click Apply and OK.

These steps will hide Recycle Bin In Windows 7.

Using Local Group Policy Editor

This approach is a little more advanced than the previous. But, not a lot of users have easy access to it, which makes it better security-wise. It also supersedes the first approach. Once enabled, you cannot change settings using the first approach.

For Any Version of Windows Except All Windows (N) Home Versions

Go to Start Menu and search for Local Group Policy Editor (or gpedit.msc)
In the left navigation pane, go to the following location User Configuration\Administrative Templates\ Desktop
Locate the Remove Recycle Bin icon from the desktop and double-click on it.
Change Not Configured to Enabled
Click on OK.
Restart to apply changes.

Tip: To get the recycle Bin back, change to Not Configured or Disabled.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Access the Recycle Bin After Hiding It?

You can always reverse the hide feature by undoing the same steps as above. But if you want to keep accessing it when hidden, there are a few different alternative ways to open it.

From Explorer
- Go to This PC.
- On the search bar, type Recycle Bin and hit Enter.
From Run Dialog
- Press Win + R together.
- Type shell:RecycleBinFolder and press Enter.
From Powershell
- Open Powershell or Command Prompt
- Type start shell:RecycleBinFolder.

Does Removing Recycle Bin Delete It Forever?

No. Recycle Bin is a folder feature provided by Windows. Removing it only makes it disappear from the Desktop. You can still send files to the Recycle Bin when deleted unless the default settings are changed.

Anyone using the computer can still access the Recycle Bin by any other means described above.

How to Bypass Recycle Bin When Deleting Files and Folders?

The Recycle bin is temporary storage. You need to clean Recycle Bin regularly to delete files and folders. But, it is possible to bypass it and go to the permanent deletion. There are two ways to skip the Recycle Bin.

Pressing Shift When Deleting a File:
- Select the file you’d like to delete.
- Either press Shift + Delete together OR
- Right-click to open the pop-up menu and hold Shift while selecting delete.
Configuring Recycle Bin Properties:
- Right-click on the Recycle Bin to bring up the pop-up menu.
- Choose Properties.
- Select the option Don’t move files to the Recycle Bin.
- Click Apply then OK.

Why Should I hide Recycle Bin in Windows?

Recycle Bin is meant as temp storage for files you no longer need. But it can store them indefinitely if you never reach the bin storage limit.

Privacy Reasons

Perhaps you are someone who doesn’t want other people to snoop around in your deleted files. In such a case, you’d want to hide Recycle Bin in windows. There is always the option to delete them forever, but what if you want the files back?

Hiding the Recycle Bin is the best option so that you can access and recover your deleted files when needed. But at the same time, you make it harder for others to view them by hiding them.

Free Your Desktop View

If you are like me, you too prefer a clean desktop view. You likely want to remove all files and shortcuts from the Desktop. Doing so, you would also want to hide Recycle Bin in windows desktop. Some backgrounds do look better without the icons!

Is It Possible to Limit the Size Taken Up by the Recycle Bin in My Disk?

Yes. Follow the steps below:

Right-click on the Recycle bin to bring up its Properties.
As shown in the screenshot, you can find the size allocated in each partition. Click on the desired partition.
Enter the maximum size you’d want to be taken up by the Recycle Bin in the units of MB.
Click OK.