Windows users are used to having a shortcut to the Recycle Bin on the desktop, the most common place to access it. However, there are multiple reasons why it can disappear from that location, causing some people to think that there is no solution. Today we go over the steps to restore this icon to its most appropriate place.
Your recycle bin could disappear from your desktop for a variety of reasons, but in all cases there are several possible steps to make it reappear in its original location.
Restore trash
Starting with the most general, if you’ve suddenly lost all your desktop icons, including the one in the trash can, you may have accidentally disabled a customization option or caught a computer virus in the past. Whatever the origin, try the next step on your desktop. Long-press or right-click the desktop (for touch devices) and select View. If Show desktop icons doesn’t have a checkbox, click it to add one.
In the specific case that only the trash can has disappeared (although it would also apply to some other system icon), try the following:
- Select Start
- Open the Settings section
- Tap on Personalization
- Go to the “Themes” section
- Choose the option “ Desktop icon settings”
Make sure the box next to Recycle Bin is checked, and then select OK . The icon should appear on the desktop.
Customizing themes in Windows
If the above does not work, you can find the recycle bin in its source path. To do this, make sure that you can see the hidden hidden system files in Windows 10. Then, use File Explorer to go to This PC > Local Disk C: (or the path where we have installed the operating system) > Windows. A file called $Recycle.Bin will be displayed that we can send to the desktop as a shortcut.
Change the icon
Taking advantage of the fact that you have reached the customization menu, you can take the opportunity to change the recycle bin icon or another of the desktop icons. Or we can check that we do not have the trash can with another icon on the desktop. Below the desktop icon selector in which we will have activated the trash can in the previous steps, we will be able to see a graphic representation of our icons, whose design will depend on the version of Windows that we have installed.
Desktop Icon Settings
Here we can see what it looks like with the bin empty and the bin full, with a change icon option in the bottom margin. If we want to return to the default icon, we will only have to click on “Restore default values” to return to the factory design.