How-To Restore a Deleted Recycle Bin

My Recycle bin is GONE!

My Recycle Bin is GONE!

I accidentally deleted recycle bin!

Where is the recycle bin?  Its not on my DESKTOP!

My windows recycle bin is GONE!

I have done that myself, and don’t worry we will get it back!

Today’s How-To Guide for the Computer beginner is: how to restore recycle bin, because you might have deleted the recycle bin by accident!

 

How to recover recycle bin on my computer

I'm going to start with the easiest of fixes for this.  At times our recycle bin on the computer has moved off the screen, and we just can't see it anymore.

If this fix doesn't work?  You don't have to undo anything, but we will move on to 2 other choices.

Left click on an open space on your desktop.  Then Right Click, and a menu will appear.  You are looking for the option to 'sort' or 'arrange' depending on your operating system.  SORT BY is what my Vista computer states.  This will rearrange your icons on the desktop, and if your recycle bin was just off the screen?  It should be placed in order at this point.  It basically 'rearranges' everything.  Check if the recycle bin is present.

If you have an older operating system like Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or even Windows XP?  If you need to recovery the recycle bin Annoyances.org has an article for you, and also software that you will need.

Windows XP can also try the options below first if you wish.  Vista and Windows 7 can use the below to recovery their recycle bin.

When I had got my Vista computer one of the FIRST things I did by accident was 'delete' the recycle bin on my computer.  Can I say I was a bit freaked out by that?

I deleted by RECYCLE BIN!

Some of my friends when they received their computer found their recycle bin on computer wasn't present on their desktop at all.

Where can I find my recycle bin on my computer?
Where is the recycle bin?

 And for those of us that have deleted the recycle bin on our computer we knew we had to find a way to recover the recycle bin. 

How to recover recycle bin?

 Most found the following helpful to retrieve the recycle bin on the computer no matter what happened to it.

I was relieved that it was actually pretty easy.  YEAH!

The first thing you want to do is left click on an open spot on your desktop.

You then are going to right click right after that. 

At this point a menu comes up with choices.

As you can see you want to select 'personalize'.







A menu will come up next, and you want to look for Change Desktop Icons - See Red Arrow

 

Once you click on Change Desktop Icons yet another menu will come up.

You want to be sure your 'recycle bin' is marked as above.

If it is?  Delete it - then RE select it!  (then skip next line - *)

*If it isn't go ahead and select it.  You want to be sure that check mark is present.  Some computers may use an 'x'.

After you have CHECKED the recycle bin on your computer look to the bottom of this menu you will see the 'apply' button.  We want to click to 'apply' for this change (recovering the recycle bin on your computer).  Then click 'okay'.

At this point you can get rid of the rest of the menus that we used if they are still present.  Look to the top right hand corner, and click the "X" to exit out of them.

You should see the recycle bin on your computer desktop at this point.  If you don't see it try one more thing before I show you a work around.

Left Click an open spot on your desktop like we at the beginning.  Right Click again as we did as well.  We will NOT select the 'personalize' option, but the refresh option this time.  Here is our picture again, and you notice the third option down says REFRESH.

At times our desktop just needs a bit of refresh in order to show changes.

If all else fails, and you STILL don't have a recycle bin on your computer?  Microsoft recommends this 'work around'.  If you are using Windows XP you may wish to go to the annoyances.org for your work around.

   1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.

   2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.

   3. Click the View tab, and then click to clear the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) check box.

   4. Click Yes when you receive the warning message, and then click OK to close the Folder Options dialog box.

   5. Click Folders on the toolbar.

      Note If Folders is not visible on the toolbar, point to Toolbars on the View menu, and then click Standard Buttons.
   6. In the left navigation pane, under Folders, locate the Recycle Bin folder, and then drag the Recycle Bin folder to the desktop.
   7. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
   8. Click the View tab, and then click to select the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) check box. Click OK.

Note This procedure does not re-create the original icon. However, this procedure restores most of the features of the Recycle Bin. This includes the following:

    * Delete a file by dragging it to the Recycle Bin icon on your Desktop.
    * Retrieve a file that you deleted by double-clicking the Recycle Bin icon on your Desktop, right-clicking the file that you want to retrieve, and then clicking Restore.
    * Empty the Recycle Bin by right-clicking the Recycle Bin icon on your Desktop, and then clicking Empty Recycle Bin.

Note When you use these step to work around this problem, you cannot right-click the Recycle Bin shortcut to access the Recycle Bin Properties. To set properties for the Recycle Bin, follow these steps:

   1. Double-click the Recycle Bin shortcut on the Desktop. The Recycle Bin folder opens.
   2. In the upper-left corner of the Recycle Bin folder, right-click the Recycle Bin icon, and then click Properties.

If this procedure did not fix the problem, you can contact support (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus) .

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I hope this helps you recover your recycle bin!

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Computer Recycle Bin: How do you delete files, folders, and icons?

All windows computers come with what we call a ‘recycle bin’.  Some of the pictures of the icon almost remind me of a trash can.  When I got Vista it was different this time.  It almost reminds me of a glass doesn't it?

Think of the recycle bin on your computer LIKE a trash can, because we use it to get rid of icons, files or folders that have outlived their use for us.  It will be a basic computer operation for you in time!

Just like a trash can there are times in which you will empty the recycle bin on your computer, but that will be the next lesson.

Today I'm was looking at a recipe that I placed on my desktop for a Crunchy Chinese Chicken.  It was basically an shortcut I had placed on the computer desktop to remind me to make it one night for dinner. 

Now I have decided I really don't need that shortcut on the computer anymore, and I want to get rid of it.  I'm going to show you a couple of different ways I can get my file, folder or icon into the Recycle Bin on my computer.

Keep in mind you can't remove programs doing this.  You need to go remove programs section under your control panel for that.   YES you can delete the program icon, but the program will still be on the computer itself.

The first portion for any of the steps below starts with selecting the item to be sent to the recycle bin on my computer.  You do this by using your left click button on top of what you wish to send to the recycle bin on your computer.

As you can see from my picture my Crunchy Chinese Chicken recipe is highlighted.

At this point you have a couple of different options you can use to send it to the recycle bin.

1)  When I click to highlight the icon pictured I DON'T let go!  I click once to highlight and HOLDING down that click I then DRAG the icon over the icon picture of the recycle bin on the desktop.  Once you are OVER the icon picture of the recycle bin you let GO!  It should be gone!

2)  The second way is again highlight the item you wish to send to the recycle bin.  Then RIGHT click.  You then are given a couple of options like the picture I have supplied.  You want to click the word 'delete' in this case.

As you can see you have a couple of different choices in this picture.

You can use your left click button again to click on 'delete'.

3)  The last option I find is the easiest.  You highlight the icon as I mentioned before, and then you look on your keyboard to find the 'delete' button.

Once you find that delete button you PUSH IT!

Like to so many other things we do on the computer you may get a message when attempting to send your item to the recycle bin.  It is basically asking us ARE YOU SURE you want to send it to the recycle bin?

If you notice the right below the question it mentions the recipe I was trying to get rid of by 'FILE name'.  

Its a nice double check for ourselves.  I tend to go rather fast when I delete things, and on occasion I click the WRONG file, folder or icon.  I don't notice I picked the wrong item until this prompt comes up with the question, and of course the NAME of the file I'm getting rid of shows up.  I can say NO at that point if I made the mistake, but in this case I have chosen the correct item.  

I tell the computer YES I want to send this file to the recycle bin on my computer.

This is a picture of a computer FILE folder.  I use these at times to keep organized.  For example, in this file folder I keep shortcuts to websites I read on a regular basis.

You may have seen this type of icon, and it will hold videos, photos, and documents for some examples.

You can delete these files just like you have seen above for files and icons.  Just keep in mind that EVERYTHING inside that file will also deleted.  Its always a good idea to double click on the folder to make sure everything in the folder is something you want to get rid of.  You would then CLOSE the folder, and follow either step 1, 2 or 3 above.

I find at times a visual is better at explaining things.  I made a video showing the above examples regarding the computer recycle bin.

If you can't see the video Click HERE.

I hope this helps others, and you are now more comfortable with deleting files, icons, and folders with your computer recycle bin.

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