How to Restore the Recycle Bin
The Recycle Bin is normally displayed on the Windows desktop by default, but can sometimes be hidden or removed by accident. If you can no longer find or access Recycle Bin, you can restore the feature through the settings or Control Panel...
Method 1 of 4:
Windows 8
-
Picture 1 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, then tap on 'Search.'- If using a mouse, point to the lower right corner of your screen, move the mouse pointer up, then click on 'Search.'
-
Picture 2 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Type 'desktop icons' into the search field, then select 'Show or hide common icons on the desktop.' -
Picture 3 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Place a checkmark next to 'Recycle Bin,' then click on 'OK.' The Recycle Bin will now be restored to the desktop.[1]
Method 2 of 4:
Windows 7
-
Picture 4 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Click on 'Start,' then type 'desktop icons' into the search field. -
Picture 5 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Click on 'Show or hide common icons on the desktop.' This will open the Desktop Icon Settings menu. -
Picture 6 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Place a checkmark next to 'Recycle Bin,' then click on 'OK.' The Recycle Bin will now be restored to your Windows desktop.[2]
Method 3 of 4:
Windows Vista
-
Picture 7 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Click on 'Start,' then click on 'Control Panel.' The Control Panel window will open and display on-screen. -
Picture 8 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Click on 'Appearance and Personalization,' then click on 'Personalization.' -
Picture 9 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Click on 'Change desktop icons' in the left pane. -
Picture 10 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Place a checkmark next to 'Recycle Bin,' then click on 'OK.' The Recycle Bin will now be restored to your desktop.[3]
Method 4 of 4:
Windows XP
-
Picture 11 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Click on 'Start,' then select 'Run.' The Run dialog box will display on-screen. -
Picture 12 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Type 'regedit' into the dialog box, then click on 'OK.' Registry Editor will open and display on-screen. In Windows XP, the Recycle Bin can only be restored by making changes to Registry Editor. -
Picture 13 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Navigate to the following entry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Explorer Desktop NameSpace. -
Picture 14 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Right-click on 'NameSpace' in the left pane, select 'New,' then select 'Key.' -
Picture 15 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Type the following string into the 'Key' field, then press 'Enter:' 645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E. The new registry key you entered will display below 'NameSpace' in the left pane of Registry Editor. -
Picture 16 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Click on the new registry key you just created, then double-click on 'Default' in the right pane. This will bring up the 'Edit String' window. -
Picture 17 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Type 'Recycle Bin' into the field next to 'Value Data,' then press 'Enter.' -
Picture 18 of How to Restore the Recycle Bin Close Registry Editor. The Recycle Bin will now be restored to your Windows XP desktop.[4]
Update 04 March 2020
You should read it
- How to restore the Recycle Bin icon lost in Windows 10
- Tips for using Recycle Bin more effectively
- Simple way to integrate CCleaner into the right-click Recycle Bin menu
- Instructions to hide or delete Recycle Bin icon on Desktop Windows 7, 8, 10
- How to create a shortcut to clean the Recycle Bin on Windows 10/11
- How to Pin the Recycle Bin in Windows 10
- 9 ways to open Recycle Bin on Windows 10
- 5 Recycle Bin settings on Windows 11 you should know
- How to add Recycle Bin to Windows 11 system tray
- How to hide and show the recycle bin on Windows 11
- Automatically 'clean up' the Recycle Bin on Windows 10
- How to fix Recycle Bin not self-cleaning on Windows 10