How to Fix The Recycle Bin Is Corrupted In Windows 10

It may sound a bit weird, but trash is an inevitable part of our life, both physical and digitally. Since the days of the early man in caves, human beings have generated waste and been careless about disposing of it. But that is another story. Let us talk about the digital trash and how do we dispose of it and where and also what happens if our digital bin stops functioning. In other words, let us discuss the steps to fix if the recycle bin is corrupted in Windows 10.

There can be a lot of digital trash on your computer like duplicate files, unwanted files downloaded by mistake or those files that you do not need anymore. Apart from that, all the junk files, temporary files and cookies and cache must be deleted as these files consume unnecessary storage space and affect the performance of the computer. The issues faced with Recycle Bin can include:

• The Recycle Bin may not display the files you deleted from the computer.
• You may not be able to delete some of the files in the Recycle Bin
• You may not be able to empty the recycle bin.
• You may receive an error message while attempting to access the Recycle Bin like Access Denied or Recycle Bin is Corrupted.

When you get any of the above-mentioned errors, it means that neither can you delete a file from your computer entirely and nor can you restore it from the Recycle Bin. The file is lost in some oblivion and does not do any good but certainly occupy hard disk space.

Also Read: How To Recover Deleted Files From Recycle Bin After Empty

So What Causes The Recycle Bin Is Corrupted In Windows 10?

Before we move to the steps that fix the Recycle Bin is corrupted in Windows 10 error, let us find out why this error occurs in the first place:

The Dynamic Link Library is corrupted. The Windows 10 operating system has a different category of system files known as DLL files that consist of codes and procedures of running the system and its apps. The DLL files build a network and share data and resources and facilitate multi-tasking. If a single DLL file gets corrupt, then it can result in the entire Recycle Bin being corrupted.

Forced or Sudden Shutdown. If you turn off the computer by turning off the A/C socket or face an issue of frequent power cuts in your area, then this unexpected shutting down of your computer impacts the open files in your computer and causes extensive corruption in your computer.

Issues with $Recycle.bin. The Recycle Bin you see on your desktop is a mirror image or copy of the real Recycle Bin, which is located as a hidden folder in every logical drive on your computer. If the original file is corrupted, then the Recycle Bin on the desktop also gets damaged.

Also Read: How To Change Recycle Bin Storage Settings On Windows 10?

How To Fix The Recycle Bin Is Corrupted In Windows 10

Here are some quick and simple methods to resolve the Recycle Bin is corrupted in Windows 10.

Method 1. Reset The Recycle Bin To Fix The Recycle Bin Is Corrupted In Windows 10

This method works for most of the cases and resolves the Recycle Bin is corrupted in Windows 10 in the first go.

Step 1. Type Command Prompt in the search box located on the left bottom of the taskbar.

Step 2. From the results displayed, please hover your mouse on the result that shows Command Prompt app and locate Run As Administrator and click on it.

Step 3. The command prompt will open in the elevated mode. Type the following command in the black and white window and hit Enter.

rd /s /q C:\$Recycle.bin

Step 4. Once the command is executed successfully, close the Command Prompt and reboot your computer for changes to take effect.

Step 5. Once your computer restarts, check the recycle bin. It should be emptied and should function normally.

Also Read: Delete Files Directly Without Sending Them To Recycle Bin In Windows 10

Method 2. Delete And Reinstall The Recycle Bin That Is Corrupted In Windows 10.

Delete the recycle bin that is corrupted in Windows 10 from all the drives.

Every logical drive you have on your computer like C:, D:, E: will have a Recycle Bin of its own. This bin is a system protected folder and is hidden by default. It is called as $Recycle.bin and can become visible if you turn on the hidden files. The objective to delete all these $Recycle.bins and reinstall it. To unhide the system files, follow these steps:

Step 1. Open File Explorer by pressing Windows +E and click on the View tab on the very top left corner.

Step 2. Navigate on the top ribbon towards the right until you find Options at the very last and click on it.

Step 3. A new dialog box will open and click on the View tab and scroll down in Advanced Settings.

Step 4. Now click on the circle beside Show Hidden Files, Folder and Drives.

Step 5. Scroll down a bit further and remove the tick in the checkbox next to Hide Protected Operating System files.

Step 6. Click on Apply and then click on OK. You will be able to see the $Recycle.bin files in every drive.

Step 7. Delete the $Recycle.bin files from each drive. The recycle bin on your desktop will automatically disappear.

Also Read: How To Restore Lost Recycle Bin Icon On Windows 10

Delete the recycle bin to fix recycle bin is corrupted in windows 10.

Step 1. Make a right-click anywhere on the empty space on your desktop and from the contextual menu, click on Personalize.

Step 2. Locate and click on Themes and then click on Desktop Icon settings.

Step 3. A new window will open and find Recycle Bin and place a checkmark near it and click on Apply.

The Recycle bin will now re-appear on the desktop and you can double click on the icon to see if it works fine.

Also Read: How To Schedule Auto-Empty In Recycle Bin

The Final Word On How To Fix The Recycle Bin Is Corrupted In Windows 10

Recycle Bin is an essential feature of the Windows 10 operating system, which helps to accumulate trash and junk files in one place and then, permanently deletes it forever. The issue of Recycle Bin is corrupted in Windows 10 can be resolved with the above described two methods.

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