Read this article to find out why deleted files are sometimes missing from the Recycle Bin. How to configure the size of Recycle Bin in Windows, how to fix the damaged Recycle Bin, and how to restore permanently deleted files. Information is very important in this rapidly developing world. Widespread use of all kinds of computer devices has brought all information into the digital form. Personal computers and laptops, netbooks and tablet PCs, smartphones and other devices have access to information, process and store it, and identify it with specific users.
Introduction
The Windows operating system has become the most popular choice, especially for personal computers and laptops. It includes a wide range of integrated system tools for full-fledged management of the computer’s entire functionality, data storage and processing, as well as file management.
One of the embedded tools dealing with removing unnecessary data is the Recycle Bin. It’s an element of the operating system’s interface that takes up certain part of the disk space and deals with deleting and temporary storing information deleted by the user before such data is erased permanently. The Recycle Bin acts as a kind of interim stage between the still existing data and its final removal so that users have a chance to restore deleted files and folders if they were removed by mistake. As you can see, the Recycle Bin is one of the main elements in data protection system that ensures safe recovery in case of accidental loss.
Uninterrupted access to data on any devices (if necessary) makes the system much easier to use. However, constant addressing the data storage devices may cause failures in their work due to internal factors, external influence or user’s actions.
So the Recycle Bin should be the first place for the user to check when they are looking for deleted files. Nevertheless, quite often some of the files you delete don’t end up in the Recycle Bin. Unfortunate users may not see the necessary files there.
Why deleted files are absent from the Recycle Bin
Originally, the Windows operating system is configured so that all deleted files are sent to the Recycle Bin. However, under certain conditions deleted files and folders miss the Recycle Bin and are deleted immediately. That’s why users can find the files in the Recycle Bin after deleting. There are several causes for deleted files to be absent from the Recycle Bin. In this article, we will try to describe the most widespread cases.
Deleting files with the Shift button
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The procedure for deleting a file on a desktop or laptop computer is simple enough. You can choose either of the following ways:
- Deleting files in an ordinary way Select the file by left-clicking on it in the Windows File Explorer, on the desktop or in another file manager, and press the Delete button on the keyboard.
Otherwise, right-click on the selected file and open the context menu. From the list of possible actions, select Delete.
In both cases, the delete file service will show you the warning message, Are you sure you want to move this file to the Recycle Bin? Click on the Yes button and finish deleting the file in a standard way. The selected file will be moved to the Recycle Bin immediately. This method is good for single elements and groups of files (files and folders) and you can delete them right after you select them.
When you delete files this way, restoring them from the Recycle Bin is very easy, if they were deleted by mistake, or you need to have them back. In this case, open the Recycle Bin and choose the necessary deleted file or folder (or a group of files and folders, using the standard selecting procedure). Right-click on it and open the context menu. From the list of actions, select Restore. The chosen file (a group of files and folders) will be restored immediately and placed back to the last location where the file (files and folders) was/were stored before being deleted.
Or click on Restore the selected items button which you can find in the Recycle Bin tools tab to achieve the same result.
As we have mentioned before, after deleting the file is sent to the Recycle Bin unless the Recycle Bin default settings were modified. You will read about it in detail a bit later.
- Deleting files permanently The other way uses the advanced technology for deleting files directly from the disk without placing them into the Recycle Bin and it works when you press the key shortcut Shift + Delete. When you use this command, selected files and folders will be removed at once and will no longer be available. Go to the location where you store your file (or a group of files and folders), select it / them and then press the abovesaid key shortcut. The delete file service will show you the warning message, Are you sure you want to permanently delete this file? Click the Yes button and the selected file will be deleted.
In this case, the Windows operating system has no tools to recover permanently deleted files or folders.
This is when third-party data recovery software comes up as the best solution. Use it to recover deleted files in the latest operating system, Windows 10, or other (i.e. earlier) versions of this operating system.
However, you should know that all versions of Windows lack the option for full permanent deletion of files that would exclude their subsequent recovery. Modern data recovery software uses various advanced algorithms to bring all your files back if necessary. If you are interested in truly permanent deletion of your files (for example, you want to sell your hard disk and you’d like to erase some confidential data completely), use one of the following ways which guarantee 100% erasure.
In the first case, overwrite the sectors, where you used to keep the data, several times to ensure the information will be erased completely. Such action actually removes the records so that they cannot be restored later.
In the second case, you’ll have to encrypt your confidential data, and then destroy the key used for encryption. Now you can delete such files following either procedure described in points 1 or 2. Even if the files were restored after such procedures, viewing their contents without the encryption key would be impossible. However, such method of deleting files permanently requires basic knowledge of cryptography.
Placing deleted files in Recycle Bin is disabled
When you can’t find files in the Recycle Bin the first thing to do is to check its settings. Find the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop and right-click on it. In the context menu, select Properties.
Otherwise, open the Recycle Bin window by double-clicking on its desktop icon or in any other way you like. Then click on Recycle Bin properties button which you can find in the Recycle Bin Tools tab.
When opening the window Recycle Bin Properties the General tab shows the section Settings for selected location. This problem appears when the option Don’t move files to the Recycle Bin. Remove files immediately when deleted is selected, so that files are deleted at once.
In this section, select the option Custom size and specify the maximum size of the Recycle Bin or agree to the size offered by the system. Then click Apply and ОК for the changes in the Recycle Bin settings to take place.
The size of the Recycle Bin should not be too small: if the Recycle Bin has insufficient space allocated for it, it will be more difficult to restore deleted files from there by using only Recycle Bin functions. After the Recycle Bin is full, each subsequent deleting of a file will place it into the Recycle Bin but another file (or group of files) which existed there before will be erased to make room for the newly added file. In other words, the Recycle Bin will overwrite the older deleted file with the new one. And if you decide to restore a file, which was deleted some time ago, from the Recycle Bin there are high chances that it has already been overwritten and therefore unavailable for restoring with the Recycle Bin standard procedure.
The file is larger than the maximal size of the Recycle Bin
Considering this factor is actually the continuation of the previous part of this article. You may face a situation when the size of the file you are trying to delete exceeds the size limitations of the Recycle Bin. Using the method described in the previous part of the article, open the Recycle Bin Properties window. In the section Settings for selected location check the maximum size set for the deleted files in the Recycle Bin. If this size is too small, you can expand it and then click Apply and OK to save the new settings.
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