How often do you empty the Recycle Bin on your PC? Yes, I do that often. It frees up storage space and removes unwanted files. And it’s also a matter of privacy. Especially if you let a lot of files accumulate over time. Some Windows 10 users complain that they cannot empty the Recycle Bin, leading to other problems.
There are two problems – you can’t empty the entire Recycle Bin and you can’t delete some files. This is most likely because you don’t have admin rights or a third party app is preventing you.
Let’s get started.
1. Recently installed apps
Have you recently installed an application that can change and control everything at the system level? That might interfere with the file/folder deletion process. You can uninstall apps from Control Panel, but I recommend Recuva. It will help to perform a clean uninstall so that there are no files left in the system. These leftover registry and junk files often lead to more problems, including the one you’re experiencing right now.
2. Reset Trash
Resetting the Recycle Bin will give it a fresh start.
Step 1: Open Command Prompt from Start menu by clicking Run as administrator option.
Step 2: Type the command below and press Enter on your keyboard to execute.
rd /s /q C:\$Recycle.bin
Step 3: Now, you will repeat the same command as above but replace the letter C with every drive that you created on your drive (D, E, etc).
You would think that the Recycle Bin exists in the C drive or where only the operating system is installed, but things work a little differently behind the scenes.
3. Turn off OneDrive tasks
OneDrive is known to interfere with the way the Recycle Bin works. You don’t have to uninstall OneDrive. Just kill its processes to check if it fixes the Can’t empty Recycle Bin problem.
Step 1: Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager.
Step 2: Find OneDrive in the Processes tab, right-click on it and select the End Task option.
or
Can’t find OneDrive in the list? Microsoft doesn’t want you to. Open Command Prompt with admin rights and issue below command to cancel OneDrive task from there. You can shut down any running task using the commands suggested by Microsoft.
taskkill /f /im onedrive.exe
You can completely uninstall OneDrive from the system if you are not actively using it.
4. Other ways to empty the trash
You can completely bypass the Recycle Bin by using the keyboard shortcut Shift+Delete. That will skip sending the file to the Recycle Bin and delete the file directly from disk. Use this option only when you are sure that you don’t want that file/folder anymore.
There is also a way to empty the Trash from Settings.
Step 1: Press Windows key + I to open Settings. Search for Delete temporary files and open the folder.
Step 2: The scan will take some time. Click Temporary File.
Step 3: A list of options will appear with a Delete File button at the top. You can empty not only the Recycle Bin but also other files.
5. Restart Windows Explorer
Step 1: Open Task Manager again and find the Windows Explorer entry in the Processes tab.
Step 2: Right click on the same to select Restart option. Note that doing so will close all open windows and sometimes applications. Be sure to save all open jobs before continuing.
6. System Scan
A virus or malware could be behind this strange phenomenon. Hackers don’t want you to delete or quarantine their infected files. One way to do that is to prevent file deletion.
There is another app that you can download separately called Microsoft Safety Scanner. Note, however, that you can only use the downloaded version for up to 10 days. I recommend getting a new copy every time you scan.
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 this works, then one of the recently installed apps is the cause. Try a clean boot to find the culprit.
8. Third-party apps
You can use an application like CCleaner or IObit. Such apps perform a deep clean of the browser cache, emptying the Recycle Bin and temporary files. Check all the options so you don’t accidentally delete something.
Backbite
Here are some ways to empty the Trash. Even if you try to fix the problem with our solutions, I still recommend that you investigate any bugs or viruses that are causing this problem. If it’s a virus/malware, it could compromise your computer. Do you know any other tricks you’d like to share with us and other readers? Drop them in the comments below.
Next: Wish your Android smartphone had a trash can feature for a rainy day? Click the link below to find out how you can get it now.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
