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How to Fix ‘Can’t Empty Recycle Bin’ Issue in Windows 10 PC

by Swati Seth
2 minutes read
How to Fix ‘Can’t Empty Recycle Bin’ Issue in Windows 10 PC

This tip is about the how to Fix ‘Can’t Empty Recycle Bin’ Issue in Windows 10 PC. So read this free guide, How to Fix ‘Can’t Empty Recycle Bin’ Issue in Windows 10 PC. If you have query related to same article you may contact us.

How to Fix ‘Can’t Empty Recycle Bin’ Issue in Windows 10 PC – Guide

The Recycle Bin is where you can find all your deleted files. You would use it to permanently delete files from the Recycle Bin or to restore an accidentally deleted file. But let’s say you just can’t empty the trash for some other reasons. It could be that some applications are interfering with the trash or the trash is corrupted. Whatever the situation, the blog will show you some effective ways to get your junk working again. But for some reason the text “Empty Trash” is dimmed and I can’t click on it. I have to go to the trash and delete everything there. How do I fix this problem? ”

Close running applications

Some apps may be crashing the Recycle Bin. A common example of such a program is OneDrive. Closing OneDrive or any problematic app may help resolve your issue. Here’s How to do this:

  • Click Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
  • On the Processes tab, right-click OneDrive or any suspicious app you want to close and select End Task.
  • From here, try deleting items from the Recycle Bin and check if the issue is resolved.

    If you somehow suspect that OneDrive might be running but it doesn’t show up in Task Manager, close it via Command Prompt. Here’s How to do this:

  • Press Windows key + R and type CMD.
  • Click Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open an elevated Command Prompt.
  • Type the following command at the command prompt and click Enter:
  • taskkill / f / im onedrive.exe
  • If this method solves your problem, you may want to consider uninstalling OneDrive if you are not actively using it. This will help you avoid this Recycle Bin problem in the future.
  • Update or remove third-party software programs

    If you’ve tried to close all running applications and haven’t been able to fix this error, you can take a different approach. You might consider updating your third-party software programs or removing them completely. You can remove applications through Control Panel by following these steps:

  • Type Control Panel into the Start menu search bar and select Best Match.
  • In Control Panel, click Uninstall a program.
  • Right-click any application that you suspect is causing problems in the Recycle Bin and click Uninstall.
  • Restart your PC and check if the issue is resolved. If you don’t prefer to use this method, you can try using a third-party software program to uninstall applications. This will perform a clean uninstall that will help ensure you don’t leave any junk folders behind.

    Empty the trash through the settings

    Instead of manually deleting files from Recycle Bin, you can try to do this in PC settings. To do this, navigate to Windows Start menu > PC Settings > System > Storage > Temporary files.

    In the Temporary files window, check the Trash option and click the Remove files button button. When the process is complete, go to the Recycle Bin and check if there are any files in it.

    Restart Windows File Explorer

    Windows File Explorer may be interfering with the Recycle Bin and making it difficult to permanently delete files. For this reason, restarting it may help resolve the issue. See How to restart it.

  • Click Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
  • On the Processes tab, right-click in Windows Explorer and select Restart.
  • Try emptying the Recycle Bin and see if this method works. Try the other methods if that doesn’t solve your problem.

    Clean boot your PC

    If you’ve tried all the other solutions and still can’t empty the Recycle Bin, you might consider performing a clean boot. Here’s How to do this:

  • Press Windows key + R, type msconfig and click Enter to open the System Configuration window.
  • On the General tab, select the Selective startup option and uncheck Load startup items.
  • Then go to the Services tab, check the Hide all Microsoft services box and click the Disable All button button. Return to the Startup tab of the System Configuration window, click Apply and OK to apply all your changes.

    reset the trash

    You may be struggling to empty the Recycle Bin simply because it is corrupt. To fix it, you need to reset it through the Command Prompt. Here are the steps you should take to do this:

  • Press Windows key + R and type CMD.
  • Click Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open an elevated Command Prompt.
  • Type the following command at the command prompt and click Enter: rd / s / q C: $ Recycle.bin
  • Final note

    I hope you like the guide How to Fix ‘Can’t Empty Recycle Bin’ Issue in Windows 10 PC. In case if you have any query regards this article you may ask us. Also, please share your love by sharing this article with your friends.

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