Where Is the Recycle Bin in Windows 10/11? 5 Ways to Find It!

Where Is the Recycle Bin in Windows 10/11?

The Recycle Bin isn’t always displayed on your desktop, but Windows provides multiple locations and shortcuts to reach it. Here’s a complete guide to finding the Recycle Bin in Windows 10 and 11.

Method 1: Find the Recycle Bin Using the Search Feature

We’ll start with the easiest method. Even if the Recycle Bin icon doesn’t appear on your desktop, Windows Search can still locate it instantly. This makes the search bar the most direct way to access the Recycle Bin in Windows.

For Windows 10 and 11, simply go to the Search Bar, then type "Recycle Bin" and tap the icon that shows up.

What it looks like on Windows 10

What it looks like on Windows 11

It's no doubt that this is the easiest solution, but some of you may run into another problem: You can't find the Recycle Bin in the Search bar even if you've typed the whole name. Below are the steps that help you find the Recycle Bin from the Search bar.

Method 2: Locate the Recycle Bin Icon via Settings

Sometimes the Recycle Bin icon disappears from the desktop, making it hard to access deleted files. Fortunately, Windows allows you to restore system icons through the Desktop Icon Settings, which lets you quickly bring back the Recycle Bin on your desktop.

Regardless of whether you're using Windows 10 or 11, the steps are the same. Let's see how to find the Recycle Bin location in Windows 11 and Windows 10.

• Press Windows + I and go to Personalization > Themes.
• Find the Desktop icon settings on the right side bar.

What it looks like on Windows 10

What it looks like on Windows 11

Once you click on the Desktop icon settings, you will see the following window. Check the box next to the Recycle Bin, then press OK. After that, when you go back to the Desktop, you'll see that the Recycle Bin is added already.

Method 3: Find the Recycle Bin File Path in File Explorer

If you prefer navigating through folders rather than using search or desktop icons, you can access the Recycle Bin directly via its file path in File Explorer. This method lets you open the Recycle Bin like any other folder. You can have a clear view of its contents and location on your system.

Follow the below steps to access the Recycle Bin file location via the File Explorer:

• In the taskbar search box, type File Explorer and click on it.
• Type Recycle Bin in the address bar of the File Explorer, then hit Enter to access it.

What it looks like on Windows 10

What it looks like on Windows 11

You can also open the Recycle Bin through File Explorer’s caret menu by clicking the “>” in the address bar and selecting Recycle Bin from the dropdown.

What it looks like on Windows 10

What it looks like on Windows 11

• Press Windows + E to locate and click the File Explorer.
• From the dropdown menu, click "Options" under the View tab to proceed.
• When a new window pop up, switch to the View tab, scroll down and uncheck "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)".
• When prompted, confirm by clicking Yes, then click Apply followed by OK.
• Navigate to the root of any drive (for example, the C: drive).
• You should now see the $Recycle.Bin folder. Open it to view all your deleted items stored in this hidden system folder.

Method 4: Access Recycle Bin in the Run Window

If navigating through File Explorer feels slow, you can use a quicker alternative. Windows allows you to open the Recycle Bin directly through the Run window, making this method especially helpful when you need fast access.

Here's how to locate the file path to Recycle Bin on both Windows 10 and Windows 11:

• Press Windows + R to open tue Run window.
• Enter this command shell:RecycleBinFolder, press the Enter key to open the Recycle Bin folder.

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Method 5: Get into Recycle Bin Folder Location via PowerShell

For users comfortable with commands, PowerShell offers another reliable way to open the Recycle Bin’s folder location. It bypasses the graphical interface entirely and lets you interact with the Recycle Bin at the system level.

For Windows 10/11 users, here're the simple steps:

• Right click the Start menu, or you can press Windows + X to find and choose the Windows PowerShell.
• Enter this command start shell:RecycleBinFolder, press the Enter key to open the Recycle Bin in the File Folder.

How to Pin Recycle Bin to Different Locations?

Now that you know where to find the Recycle Bin in Windows 10/11, you may want quicker access to it. A convenient way to do that is by pinning the Recycle Bin to locations you use most often, such as the taskbar, Start menu, or File Explorer.

Way 1: How to Pin Recycle Bin to Start Menu?

If you prefer opening tools directly from the Start Menu, you can pin the Recycle Bin there for easier access. Follow these steps to get it added.

• Open the Start Menu and type "Recycle Bin" into the search bar.
• When the Recycle Bin appears in the search results, select "Pin to Start" from the context menu.
• The Recycle Bin will now appear in your Start Menu for quick access.

If you've followed the method 2 to locate the Recycle Bin icon in Settings, then you may be able to see the Recycle Bin added to the desktop. In that case, you can also right-click the Recycle Bin and click "Pin to Start", which can also pin it to the Start menu.

Way 2: How to Pin Recycle Bin to Taskbar?

The taskbar is one of the most convenient places to keep frequently used tools. If you've followed to pin the Recycle Bin to the Start menu, you can quickly follow the similar steps to pin it to the taskbar.

• Launch the Start menu and find the pinned Recycle Bin.
• Right-click on it, locate "More" and click the "Pin to taskbar".

Way 3: How to Pin Recycle Bin to File Explorer?

If you regularly work inside File Explorer, adding the Recycle Bin to your File Explorer view can make it much easier to access. Here’s how you can pin it directly inside File Explorer using Windows Registry.

• Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type "regedit", and hit Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
• In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following key: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace and wait for it to load.
• Right-click on an empty area within the NameSpace folder, then select "New > Key" from the context menu.
• A new key will appear. Rename it exactly as follows: {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
• Close the Registry Editor. Open This PC in File Explorer, and you will now see the Recycle Bin listed alongside your drives.

What it looks like on Windows 10

What it looks like on Windows 11

How to Recover Files Deleted from Recycle Bin?

The Recycle Bin acts as a safety net for deleted files, but it’s not foolproof. If you’ve accidentally emptied it and realized too late, there’s no need to panic. Dedicated data recovery software can often retrieve lost files that would otherwise seem gone.

One such tool is 4DDiG Windows Data Recovery. It’s designed to perform deep scans on your storage devices, recover a wide variety of file types, including photos, videos, documents, and emails from multiple storage devices, even after the Recycle Bin has been emptied.

In addition to accidental deletion, 4DDiG can handle data lost due to formatting, partition loss, or virus attacks. It supports recovery from internal and external hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, and more. With this tool, you can have more confidence in getting back all the lost/deleted files.

• First, download and install Tenorshare 4DDiG on your computer. Start the software, go to the Recycle Bin to go on to the next phase.
• As soon as you choose it, 4DDiG begins scanning the Recycle Bin thoroughly for all data. You can find the files you want by using the Filter feature.
• After finding the files you're looking for, you'll have the option to preview them.Next, click the "Recover" button.
• Choose a different drive to save the recovered files. Avoid saving them back to the same place to prevent overwriting existing data.

FAQs about Recycle Bin

1. Where is the recycle bin folder located?

The Recycle Bin folder is typically located on the desktop in Windows operating systems. It is a system folder that contains files and folders that have been deleted from your computer. When you delete a file or folder, it is moved to the Recycle Bin instead of being permanently deleted from your computer. This allows you to recover deleted files if you accidentally delete them or change your mind later.

2. Where is the recycle bin folder in C drive?

The Recycle Bin folder is located in the root directory of the C drive. The root directory is the top-level directory in the file system hierarchy, which contains all of the files and folders on your computer. The Recycle Bin folder is a hidden system folder that is named "$Recycle.Bin".

3. Where to find the restored file from recycle bin?

When you restore a file from the Recycle Bin, it will be moved back to its original location on your computer's hard drive. If you are unsure where the file was located, you can search for it using the Windows search function.

Conclusion

So now you know where is the recycle bin in Windows 11/10. All the methods above are legit and 100% working. You can use any of them to find the Recycle Bin. However, if you have accidentally deleted any important files from your Recycle Bin, you can use the Tenorshare 4DDiG to recover them in a few minutes.