Top 8 Ways to Fix Cannot Empty Recycle Bin in Windows 10

How often do you empty the Recycle Bin on your computer? Well I often do It frees up storage space and gets rid of unwanted files. There’s also the issue of privacy. Especially if you allow a large number of files to accumulate over time. Some Windows 10 users complain that they cannot empty the Recycle Bin, causing other problems.

There are two problems – you cannot empty the entire Recycle Bin and some files cannot be deleted. It’s most likely happening because you don’t have admin rights or a third party app has blocked you.

Let’s start.

1. Recently Installed App

Have you recently installed an app that can manipulate and control things at the system level? This may be preventing the file/folder deletion. You can uninstall the app from Control Panel but I recommend Recuva. It will help a clean uninstall so that there are no files left in the system. These residual junk files and registry entries often cause more problems, including the one you are currently experiencing.

2. Reset Recycle Bin

Resetting the Recycle Bin will give it a fresh start.

Stage 1: Open Command Prompt from the Start menu by clicking Run as administrator.

Step 2: Type the following command and press Enter on your keyboard to execute it.

rd /s /q C:\$Recycle.bin

Stage 3: Now you will repeat the same command as above, but replace the letter C with each drive (D, E, etc.) you create on your drive.

You would think that the Recycle Bin was on the C drive or where the OS was installed on its own, but behind the scenes things work a little differently.

3. Kill OneDrive Task

OneDrive has been known to interfere with the way the Recycle Bin works. You don’t need to uninstall OneDrive. End their process to check if that fixes the Unable to empty the Recycle Bin issue.

Stage 1: Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager.

Step 2: Locate OneDrive under the Processes tab, right-click it and select End task.

or

Can’t find OneDrive in the list? Microsoft doesn’t want you to do this. Open Command Prompt with admin rights and issue the following command to kill the OneDrive task from there. You can end any running task using the commands recommended by Microsoft.

taskkill /f /im onedrive.exe

If you are not actively using OneDrive, you can remove it completely from the system.

4. Other Ways to Empty the Recycle Bin

You can bypass the Recycle Bin entirely by using the Shift+Delete shortcut. This will skip sending the file to Bin and delete it directly from disk. Only use this when you’re sure you don’t want that file/folder anymore.

There is a way to empty the Recycle Bin from Settings too.

Stage 1: Press Windows key+I to open Settings. Search for Delete temporary files and open the folder.

Step 2: The scanning process will take some time. Click on Temporary files.

Stage 3: A list of options will appear with a button to remove files at the top. You can empty not only the Recycle Bin, but also other files.

5. Restart Windows Explorer

Stage 1: Open Task Manager again and look for the Windows Explorer entry under the Processes tab.

Step 2: Right click on the same to select Restart option. Note that doing this will close all open windows and sometimes even applications. Be sure to save all open jobs before continuing.

6. System Scan

A virus or malware could be behind this strange phenomenon. The hacker doesn’t want you to delete or quarantine its infected files. One way to do this is to prevent file deletion.

Run a system scan using built-in Windows Security or your favorite antivirus. You should also run a deep scan using Malwarebytes. The link is shared below.

There is another app you can also download called Microsoft Safety Scanner. However, keep in mind that you can only use the downloaded version for up to 10 days. I recommend making a new copy each time you scan.

Download Malwarebytes

Download Microsoft Safety Scanner

7. Safe Mode

It will only take a minute or less, but you should be able to empty the Recycle Bin by entering Safe Mode on your computer. If that works, one of the recently installed apps is the culprit. Try clean boot to find the culprit.

8. Third Party Application

You can go for an app like CCleaner or IObit. Such apps will deep clean the browser cache, empty Recycle Bin and temporary files. Check out all the options to avoid accidentally deleting something.

garbage discussion

These were some of the ways to empty the Recycle Bin. Even if you manage to fix it using our solutions, I suggest you investigate any bug or virus causing this problem. If it’s a virus/malware, it can compromise your computer’s security. Do you know any other tricks you want to share with us and other readers? Drop them in the comments below.

Next: Would you like your Android smartphone to have a recycle bin feature for a rainy day? Click the link below to find out how you can get it now.