How to Delete the Trash in Windows (and Why You Need It)
Like the Recycle Bin folder on a Mac, the Recycle Bin seems to be a pretty important part of Windows. If you accidentally delete something, you can always revert it (unless you use Shift + Delete). But it’s time to question the need for the Recycle Bin on your Windows PC, because all too often it becomes just another folder where clutter accumulates for no good reason. We previously showed you how to automatically empty the Trash , but if you want to go further, there is a way to delete it.
Why you should get rid of the trash
Getting rid of the recycle bin isn’t available to everyone, but if you don’t store a lot of data locally, you might not need it anymore. These days, most people stream music and movies, have online photo backups, and use services like Google Docs or Microsoft 365 (the latter of which saves Office documents to OneDrive by default). Cloud storage services have their own trash folder that you can use to restore anything you accidentally deleted. When you realize that most of the data on your computer is already being backed up online, the need for a recycle bin begins to disappear.
What to do before deleting the trash
Of course, it’s important to make a couple of changes to make sure you’re ready to move into a cartless world. You will probably want to change your browser’s download file location to your Google Drive/OneDrive folder, and you can do the same change for other apps you use to download or save files such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Photoshop, etc. Make sure you have a copy of your data in the cloud in case you accidentally delete something.
You should also invest in a computer backup solution. For most people, an online backup tool like Backblaze is the easiest way to get started. Alternatively, you can purchase an external internet-connected drive such as WD My Cloud Home and set up automatic backups to minimize the chance of data loss.
How to remove the trash from Windows
Now that you’re ready for the post-recycle bin world, you can go to the desktop on your Windows computer and right-click the recycle bin. Select Properties , which will list all drives on your computer. If you want to bypass the Recycle Bin on drive C, select it.
In the “Settings for the selected location ” section, select “Do not move files to the Trash”. Delete files immediately after deletion. Click OK .
You can repeat this process by selecting all other drives on your computer. Also, you can bypass the recycle bin for some discs and leave others.
The final step is to hide the Recycle Bin from the desktop by right-clicking on an empty space on the desktop and selecting ” Personalize “. This will open the settings page in Windows. In this window, select ” Themes ” from the left pane and then click on ” Desktop Icon Options “. This option is on the right side of the page in the Related Settings section. In the Desktop Icon Options window, uncheck Recycle Bin and click OK . This will remove the trash from your computer. Live freely and prosper.