How to remove the Recycle Bin from your desktop

Right after Windows installation, two significant icons appear on your desktop – Edge browser and “Recycle Bin”. You can simply drag and drop the former into the latter to get rid of it, but how do you remove “Trash” from your desktop? Some users may find it annoying, especially if they prefer a desktop without unnecessary icons, only with a beautiful wallpaper to create an atmosphere of calm and concentration.

Microsoft has made the process of hiding the Recycle Bin somewhat non-obvious, but it is possible to remove it. To do so, follow the steps below:

1. Personalisation

Right-click on your desktop and select “Personalisation”. This will open a menu to customise the appearance of your operating system.

2. Themes

Go to the Themes section. This is where you can customise the appearance of icons on your desktop.

3. Changing desktop icons (Windows 11) or Desktop icon settings (Windows 10)

If you have Windows 11, select “Change desktop icons” which is located in the settings list right after themes. In the case of Windows 10, the name of the item is slightly different and is called “Desktop Icon Settings” and it is located on the top right of the settings window.

4. Uncheck the box

In the window that appears, find “Trash” and uncheck the box next to it. After that, click “OK” to save the changes.

The Recycle Bin will now disappear from your desktop. However, it will not be completely disabled and you can always find it by typing “Recycle Bin” or “Recycle Bin” in the address bar of Explorer and pressing Enter. You can also drag the “Recycle Bin” icon to the Quick Access Toolbar to have quick access to it.

If you don’t need the Recycle Bin at all and want files to be deleted immediately without moving them to it, you can do the following:

5. Destroying files immediately after deletion

1. Open the “Recycle Bin” by right-clicking on it.
2. Select “Show Advanced Settings” and then “Properties” (or just “Properties” in Windows 10).
3. In the properties, select the “Destroy files immediately after deletion without placing them in the Recycle Bin” option for each drive that has Recycle Bin enabled.
4. Press “OK”.

Now all files you delete will be destroyed immediately, without moving them to the “Recycle Bin”. Note that special applications will be required to recover such files.