February 1, 2005

What is the Windows Recycle Bin, should I empty it, and what are the proper settings?

One of the things I have seen people worry needlessly about for a long time is the Windows Recycle Bin.  I have seen many people overly concerned about files in it and not fully understanding how it works, so in this discussion, we will cover these issues.

First of all, the Windows Recycle Bin is a failsafe way to get back something you have deleted.  By default, when the computer was loaded with Windows, the default setting for the Recycle Bin is for it to hold 10% of the capacity of the hard drive.  What happens is, when you delete a file, it disappears from the place where it was originally and moves into the recycle bin, which is basically just another folder. 

As a side note, whenever you delete a file on a computer, it isn't really deleted physically from the hard drive, it just has the name changed so the computer can't see it any more.  It remains on the hard drive until it is overwritten with new data.  If you later decide you need the file back, you can start up Windows Explorer, go to the Recycle Bin, right click on the delete file you want to get back, then left click on Restore.  This will put the file back where it was originally. 

Once things are put into the recycle bin, additional deleted items will continue to go to the recycle bin until it contains the maximum capacity it is set for.  Then as more files are added, the oldest files are purged out making room for the newest files.  This is why it doesn't pay to worry about files in the recycle bin.  As soon as you delete them, new ones will take their place.

To look at the settings for the Recycle Bin, start up Windows Explorer, find the Recycle Bin icon at the bottom of the left pane, right click on the Recycle Bin, then left click on Properties.  This is where you can check and change the settings.  If you don't want to use it you can also turn it off. 

I recommend leaving it at the default settings, and not worrying about it.  I have seen a rare occasion where people have been deleting large files and the Recycle Bin didn't recognize the files were larger than the 10% limit and it ended up getting too much data in it.  I should note this is very rare.  Most of the time, if the file is too large to fit in the recycle bin, it will give a message stating it can't be saved in the Recycle Bin.  If disk space is getting to a premium, you can manually empty the recycle bin and modify the settings if necessary.  Sometime you may be glad you have the capability to retrieve something you deleted.

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