How to Remove Recycle Bin from Windows Desktop

Some users need to remove the recycle bin from the Windows 10 or Windows 11 desktop. For example, the user needs to have nothing superfluous on the desktop, including icons.

The Windows desktop Recycle Bin item is immediately displayed on the computer screen after the operating system is installed. The Recycle Bin is designed for temporary storage of deleted files, folders and other objects.

The Recycle Bin is a special storage in which data is stored before it is completely deleted from the PC. Thanks to the presence of this system interface element, the user can quickly restore the necessary files if they were previously mistakenly or intentionally deleted.

Despite the benefits of performing important functions, some users are looking for an answer to the question of how to remove the trash from the desktop. This is a workable task where you can hide the Recycle Bin from your Windows 10 or Windows 11 desktop.

After being removed from the screen, the Recycle Bin will not stop working on the computer, it will simply disappear from the desktop. You can even disable the Recycle Bin features completely to immediately delete unnecessary files from your computer directly, without using this intermediate storage.

This guide will show you how to remove the Recycle Bin from your Windows desktop. The instructions in this article are for Windows 11 and Windows 10 operating systems. Similar settings – how to hide the Recycle Bin from the desktop – can be applied in Windows 8 and Windows 7 operating systems.

Pinning the cart to the home screen

First, we’ll pin the cart to the home screen. This is necessary in order to, if necessary, get quick access to the basket from the Start menu.

Do the following:

1. Click on the basket with the right mouse button.
2. In the context menu, click on the “Pin to Start Screen” item.

In Windows 10, in addition to the Start screen, the Recycle Bin can be pinned to the taskbar by pinning in File Explorer. After right-clicking on the Explorer icon on the taskbar, a menu will open from which you can open the Recycle Bin.

How to Remove Recycle Bin from Desktop in Windows 11

Now we will consider the question of how to remove the trash icon from the desktop in the Windows 11 operating system.

To hide the Recycle Bin from the Windows 11 desktop, follow these steps:

1. Right click on the start menu.
2. In the menu that opens, launch the Settings app.
3. In the Options window, click the Personalization tab.
4. In the personalization options, click on the “Themes” button.
5. In the next window, in the “Related Settings” section, click on “Desktop Settings”.
6. In the “Desktop Options” window, in the “Desktop Icons” option, uncheck the “Trash” item to remove the trash icon from the desktop.
7. Click on the “Apply” and “OK” buttons.

As a result, we were able to remove the Recycle Bin from the Windows 11 desktop.

How to Remove Recycle Bin from Windows 10 Desktop

Now let’s see how to remove the trash icon from the desktop in the Windows 10 operating system.

Follow a few steps to remove the Recycle Bin from your Windows 10 desktop:

1. Enter the “Start” menu, click on “Settings”.
2. In the Settings app window, click on the Personalization section.
3. Open the Themes tab.
4. In the Related Settings section, click on Desktop Icon Settings.
5. In the window that opens, uncheck the “Basket” box.
6. Click on “Apply” and “OK”.

You can open Windows desktop icon options from the Run window:

1. Press the “Win” + “R” keys.
2. In the Run dialog box, enter the command:

Rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,,5

3. Press “Enter”.

How to Access Recycle Bin After Deleting from Desktop

If the Recycle Bin icon is not on the Windows desktop, the contents of the Recycle Bin can be accessed in other ways.

Left click on the Windows 11 start menu to see the pinned apps and among them is the Recycle Bin.

In Windows 10, you can open the Recycle Bin from the Start screen if it has been pinned there.

You can use other methods to access the hidden Recycle Bin using Windows Search or File Explorer.

Type the word “recycle bin” into the Windows search box, and then when the item is found click “Open”.

Open File Explorer and then click on the arrow in the address bar. In the drop-down list, you will see the location of the “Trash” which you can open.

How to disable the Recycle Bin feature in Windows

You have the option to disable the Recycle Bin feature in Windows. In this case, all files will be deleted from the computer bypassing the trash. You will not be able to recover data deleted by mistake or oversight because it is not in the recycle bin. Therefore, it is better not to use this opportunity.

At the same time, the Recycle Bin can remain on the desktop or it can be removed from there, as shown above.

Do the following:

1. Right-click on the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop.
2. In the context menu that opens, select “Properties”.

If the recycle bin is already removed from the Windows desktop, then enter the properties of this interface element from Explorer.

3. In the “Properties: Recycle Bin” window, select the drive.
4. Check the box next to “Destroy files immediately after deletion without putting them in the trash.”
5. Click “Apply” and “OK”.

If necessary, do this operation for other disks of this computer.

Now all files will be deleted from the PC instantly without using the recycle bin.

How to disable the Recycle Bin in Group Policy

Users of the Professional and Enterprise versions of the Windows operating system can use the built-in tool – local group policy to disable the recycle bin.

Go through the steps:

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor .
2. In the editor window follow the path:

User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → File Explorer

3. Double-click on the “Do not move deleted files to the trash” option.
4. In the “Do not move deleted files to the trash” window, set the value to “Enabled”.
5. Click on the “OK” button.

How to Disable Recycle Bin in Registry Editor

For users of all editions of Windows, including the Home version, a method is available in which the task is solved by making changes to the system registry.

Do the following:

1. Open Windows Registry Editor .
2. In the “Registry Editor” window, follow the path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

3. Right-click on an empty space in Explorer, first select New and then DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. Name the parameter “NoRecycleFiles”.
5. Right-click on the “NoRecycleFiles” option, and select “Edit …” from the context menu.
6. In the “Change DWORD (32-bit) Value” window, in the “Value:” field, set “1”.
7. Click on the “OK” button.

Article Conclusions

Some users want to know how to remove the trash icon from the desktop in the Windows operating system. If desired, the user can hide the recycle bin in Windows 11 and Windows 10 in the settings. In addition, there are options to disable the recycle bin. In this case, the files will be deleted from the computer without first being placed in the recycle bin. It is better not to use this feature so as not to accidentally lose important data.