[Fixed] Where Is the Recycle Bin in Windows 10/11? Find It and Recover It

The Windows Recycle Bin is one of the system folders in the Microsoft Windows operating system. Most people know what it is for: it's where you can temporarily store things you've deleted.

Windows 10 Recycle Bin is in the upper left corner of your Desktop. It's very easy to find and double-click to open it. But sometimes you may also find the Recycle Bin icon missing. Where is Recycle Bin in Windows 10/11? This tutorial solves the problem with sharing recover any lost important data.

Why does the Recycle Bin icon missing from the desktop?

The Recycle Bin icon missing may appear in 2 situations. The first is that you find it suddenly disappears without doing anything while the second is that it disappears after emptying trash. No matter which, there are some common reasons:

After knowing the reasons, it is time to know "Where do I find the Recycle Bin on Windows 10." In the next part, we will share the detailed steps along with the way to recover lost/deleted data.

Where is the Recycle bin in Windows 10/11?

By default, on Windows 10 and 11, you can find the Recycle Bin right from the top left corner of the desktop. You can also right-click on the shortcut and choose Open from the menu, or you can click the icon and press Enter to find the disappeared Recycle Bin. If the method doesn't work, you can follow these now:

Way 1. Find Recycle Bin in Windows 10/11 from File Explorer

File Explorer provides an intuitive graphical interface for users to navigate through their files and folders. It is a common way to find any files or folders stored on your computer, including the missing Recycle Bin.

To open it, simultaneously hit "Win+E”. Then type "recycle bin” in the search bar and then press the "Enter” key.

Or you can click the icon in the address bar. In the drop-down menu, choose "Recycle Bin" to find Recycle Bin in Windows 10/11 from File Explorer.

Way 2. Access Recycle Bin with Run box

The Run box is easily accessible and familiar to Windows users, making it a convenient option for those who prefer a straightforward way to find and open the Recycle Bin.

Simultaneously press "Win +R" to open the Run box. Type "explorer.exe shell: RecycleBinFolder" and click "OK". The Recycle Bin will pop up after that.

Way 3. Launch Search to open Recycle Bin

The Search feature is user-friendly, making it accessible to all levels of computer users, even those who may not be familiar with command-line interfaces or advanced settings.

Step 1. Click on the Search icon/box on the taskbar or press “Win + S”.

Step 2. Type "recycle bin" in the search bar.

Step 3. From the search results, select the Recycle Bin App by clicking on it.

Way 4. Use CMD to find Recycle Bin

Where can I find Recycle Bin? If you are familiar with command lines, CMD provides a quick and straightforward method to find the Recycle Bin without navigating through complex menus.

Step 1. Look for "cmd" in the Windows 10/11 search box, click on Command Prompt, and choose Run as administrator.

Step 2. Enter the following commands one by one and press Enter after each: • DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth• sfc /scannow

Step 3: The command operation may take a few minutes to finish. Once it's done, you can check if the issue with the missing Recycle Bin is resolved.

Way 5. Find Recycle Bin via PowerShell

Windows PowerShell is also an efficient tool to find Recycle Bin on Windows 10/11, which is suitable for both individual users and system administrators.

Step 1. Press the Search button and enter "PowerShell".

Step 2. Right-click on Windows PowerShell in the search results and select "Run as administrator".

Step 3. Type "shell:RecycleBinFolder" and hit Enter. The Recycle Bin will then open.

Others

There are other 2 methods for finding Recycle Bin in Windows 10 if you encounter the icon is missing from the desktop.

Situation 1: All Desktop icons disappeared.

First, right-click on any empty space. From the menu that appears, choose "View."

Click on the field that says "Show desktop icons" if it doesn't already have a checkmark next to it. Then your desktop icons will appear right away.

Situation 2: Only the Recycle Bin Desktop Icon Disappeared.

Open the Settings window by pressing Win + I. Then click on Personalization or right-click on a blank spot on the desktop and pick Home. The third step is to go to Themes > Related Settings > Desktop Icon Settings.

Now, you can check whether the "Recycle Bin" option is selected. If not, click on it and then click "OK."

You can hide the Recycle Bin desktop icon again by going to the Desktop Icon Settings window and unchecking the box next to it.

Recover deleted files from Recycle Bin on Windows 10/11

When you delete files or folders from a Windows computer, they are sent to the Recycle Bin and stay there for a while, unless you empty the Recycle Bin. However, even if you empty it, you also have a chance to get them back with the powerful data recovery tool, AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. It allows you to recover lost important data during the finding the missing Recycle Bin in Windows 11/10/8/7. Besides, it supports recovery of over 200 types of data from various external hard drive, you can get back texts, photos, videos, audio, emails, and compressed files from HDD, SSD, USB drives, and SD cards easily.

Step 1. Download and install the data recovery software. Locate and click on the options labeled "Recover" and "Recover Data".

Step 2. Identify the partition where the lost files were originally stored. Initiate the scanning process by clicking on "Start Scan".

Step 3. A comprehensive list of deleted files will appear. Select the specific files you want to recover and click on the "Recover" button.

Step 4. Choose a destination folder path to save the recovered files. Proceed by clicking on "Select Folder".

Step 5. Once you see the window below, it indicates that the lost files have been successfully recovered. Simply click "OK" to finish the task.

Final words

Where is the Recycle Bin in Windows 10? This passage gives you targeted methods based on different situations. With AOMEI Partition Assistant, you can not also recover deleted files from Recycle Bin, but also you can convert system disk between MBR/GPT without data loss, move installed apps to another drive, regular clean PC, clone disk, and so on. If you are a Windows Server user, please choose the Server edition.