7 Ways to Open Recycle Bin on Windows 11 PC

Recycle bin is the folder which contains all the files or anything that gets deleted by the user temporarily. Unless it is permanently deleted, all the deleted files / folders remains in the recycle bin for a specific number of days and after which it gets permanently deleted. But if you want to recover the deleted files / folders back, then you can get it back from recycle bin. In this article, we are going to show you how to open recycle bin in Windows 11 in many ways.

Method 1: Using Run dialog box

Step 1: Open Run dialog box

Press Windows + R keys together on your keyboard.

Step 2: Then, Type shell:RecycleBinFolder and hit Enter key.

Open Recycle Bin Using Run Dialog Win11

This will open the Recycle bin on your system.

Method 2: From Recycle bin icon on Desktop

Step 1: Go to Desktop

Press Win + D keys together on your keyboard.

Step 2: Locate the Recycle bin on the Desktop.



Double click on recycle bin.

 

Recycle Bin On Desktop

Recycle bin will be then launched on your system.

NOTE:- If the Recycle Bin icon is missing on your desktop, then kindly follow these steps below.

1) Press Win key on your keyboard and type themes and related settings.

2) Then, Select the Themes and related settings from the search results.

Open Themes Settings Win11

3) In the Themes page, Click on Desktop icon settings as shown.

Desktop Icon Settings Win11

4) In the Desktop Icon Settings window,

Click on Recycle bin checkbox as shown below. Make sure it is checked.

Then, Click on Apply and OK to make changes.

Recycle Bin Icon Check In Settings Win11

Now you can find Recycle bin icon on the desktop of your system.

Method 3: Using Command line tool

Step 1: Open any command line tool such as Command Prompt or PowerShell

Press Win + R keys together on your keyboard.

Type cmd and hit Enter key.

Cmd Min

Step 2: In the Command Prompt

Type start shell:RecycleBinFolder and hit Enter key.

 

Open Recycle Bin Command In Cmd Win11

This will open up the Recycle bin folder on your system and this above command works in PowerShell application also.

Method 4: From File Explorer

Step 1: Open File Explorer

Press Win + E keys together on your keyboard.

Step 2: In the File explorer

In the address bar, just before Quick access there is a dropdown arrow icon.

Please click on it and select Recycle Bin from the dropdown list as shown in the below screenshot.

 

Recycle Bin From File Explorer Win11

Recycle bin folder will show up on your laptop.

Method 5: Pin to Start menu

Step 1: Go to Desktop

Press Win + D keys together on your keyboard.

Step 2: Right click on the Recycle Bin icon.

Select Pin to start from the context menu.

Recycle Bin Pin To Start Win11

Step 3: Press Windows key on your keyboard.

Scroll the Pinned apps in the start menu window.



You will find Recycle Bin icon in the Pinned apps section as shown below.

Recycle Bin From Pinned Apps In Start Menu Win11

This method is also useful to open Recycle Bin folder on your system.

Method 6: Using Keyboard Shortcut

Step 1: Go to Desktop

Press Win + D keys together on your keyboard.

Then, Right click on the Desktop and select New > Shortcut from the context menu.

 

Shortcut From Desktop Win11

Step 2: In the Shortcut window

Type %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe shell:RecycleBinFolder in the location of the item field.

Then, Click Next to proceed.

Location Of Recycle Bin Shortcut Win11

Step 3: Then, give the shortcut an appropriate name like RecycleBinShortcut.

Once done, Click Finish.

Name The Shortcut Recyclebinshortcut Win11

Step 4: After the RecycleBinShortcut icon appears on the Desktop

Right Click on it and select Properties from the context menu as shown below.

NOTE: You can press ALT + ENTER keys together after clicking on RecycleBinShortcut icon to open the properties window.

Recyclebinshortcut Properties Win11

Step 5: In the Properties window

Click on Shortcut key field and press any letter key on your keyboard to set the shortcut.

It will automatically append the CTRL + ALT to the letter key you pressed.

Then, Click Apply and OK to make changes.

Shortcut Key Set Recyclebinshortcut Win11

So to open the recycle bin folder, you just need to press CTRL + ALT + R keys together on your keyboard.

NOTE:- You can set any letter key for shortcut to open recycle bin.

Method 7: Add Recycle Bin to ‘This PC’ using Registry Editor

Step 1: Open Registry Editor



Press Win + R keys together on your keyboard.

Type regedit and hit Enter key.

Then, Press Yes on the UAC prompt window to continue.

1 Run Regedit Optimized

Step 2: In the Registry Editor

Copy and Paste the below path in the address bar and hit Enter key.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace

Right Click on the Namespace registry and select New > Key from the context menu.

New Key Under Namespace Regedit Win11

Step 3: Then, Rename the newly created key to {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} and hit Enter key.

Rename New Key In Namespace Win11

Step 4: Open File Explorer

Press Win + E keys together on your keyboard.

Then, Click on This PC in the left pane of the window.

You will notice that Recycle Bin icon has appeared before C: drive as shown below.

Recyclebin In Thispic Win11

That’s all guys.

Hope you found this article helpful and informative.

Please leave us comments below if you have any queries.

Thank you for reading!