Guide: Fix ‘Corrupted Recycle Bin in Windows 10’ Issue
When you delete a file on a Windows PC, it is sent to the Recycle Bin, which acts as failure protection. It is like a second chance for you to recover that deleted file if you need it again and put it back on your hard drive. What happens if the Recycle Bin gets corrupted and you can’t recover deleted files or empty the Recycle Bin? If the Recycle Bin gets corrupted, you will see an error every time you try to open it. Here are some solutions that will help you restore a corrupted Recycle Bin in Windows 10 so that you can recover that deleted file and get peace of mind. Let’s start.
1. Add the recycle bin again
I don’t have the Recycle Bin on my desktop. Yes that’s right. I’ve moved all my files to the cloud and things work differently there. Either way, there is a way to delete the Recycle Bin and then add it back and sometimes that can fix the problem. Press the Windows key + I keys on your keyboard to open Settings, search for desktop icons and select Themes and related settings.
Scroll a bit to find the desktop icon settings.
That’s where you can select which icons to show or hide on the desktop. Deselect Recycle Bin here, restart your computer and choose Recycle Bin again.
Try and see if you can access the Recycle Bin and if various related functions are working properly or not.
2. Malware scan
It is possible that malware has infected your computer leading to the Recycle Bin error. To fix a corrupted Recycle Bin due to malware, I recommend that you download and use Microsoft Safety Scanner and Malwarebytes. Microsoft recommends both, and I recommend using them both one at a time.
Both are free to use and highly recommended by many experts. Follow the onscreen instructions if they find anything. If not, read on for other solutions. Note: Microsoft recommends that you always download a new version of the Safety Scanner for each run. You can only use the old version if it was downloaded 10 days or less earlier. Download Microsoft Safety Scanner Download Malwarebytes
3. Update the display drivers
Some users have reported that updating their computer display drivers has fixed the problem with the corrupted Recycle Bin. It’s worth the try. To do this, search for Device Manager in the Windows Start menu and open it. Double-click on Display adapters and right-click on your graphics card to select the Update drivers option. Now repeat the same steps for Generic PnP Monitor under the Monitors option.
If necessary, reboot after the drivers are updated and check if you can open the Recycle Bin again or not.
4. Reset the trash can
Resetting the Recycle Bin will give it a second life as if it was recently installed. Open the command prompt with administrative privileges by searching for it in the Start menu. You can also open it by pressing Windows key + X keys on your keyboard and selecting Command Prompt with admin in parentheses. When it opens, type the command below and hit Enter. rd / s / q C: $ Recycle.bin
That may take a while, and that’s okay. When done, restart your computer and try again.
5. Reinstall the Recycle Bin
Open Control Panel and go to the View tab under File Explorer Options. Uncheck the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) box and select Show hidden files, folders and drives option. Click Apply and then OK. Note that these will reveal some new and crucial files and folders in the file explorer. Note: Do not remove or change anything other than stated herein guideWhen in doubt, back upup on a pen drive. You will now see a $ RECYCLE.BIN folder in every drive on your computer. Inside this folder is a Trash folder and permissions folder (s).
Now open the command prompt again with administrator privileges and repeat the command below for every drive you have on your computer by replacing the drive letter. In the command below, the drive letter is D, which comes before the ‘$’ sign. rd / s / q D: $ Recycle.bin
That will delete the Recycle Bin and the permission folders. If not, do this manually, again for each station. To hide system protected files, return to the folder view and select Do not show hidden files, folders and drives. Now restart your computer and repeat the process in point 1 above to restore the Recycle Bin on your desktop. Hopefully this would have solved the problem for you.
6. Travel back in time
Windows 10 comes with a handy feature where you can restore your computer to the latest restore point. This will not delete any files or folders, but will restore your Windows operating system to how it was at that day and time. To do this, search for ‘restore’ in the search tool and select Recovery. Choose Open System Restore.
You will see a list of all available restore points with a brief description of when it was created. If you only see one restore point, select Show more restore points at the bottom of the screen. Select a restore point and click Next to follow the on-screen instructions.
That may take a while and your computer may restart several times during the process. Make sure your computer is charged and connected to a power source before you begin. Once done, check if this fixes the damaged Recycle Bin issue.
You cannot recycle wasted time
Recycle Bin is a handy Windows feature that we do not use every day. But if we do, it could potentially save the day. Hopefully, one of the above solutions will fix your corrupted Recycle Bin error. If you found another way, share it with us in the comments below. The next up: Still can’t get the Recycle Bin to work? Learn about a third-party tool that will boost your recycling experience.
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