The Recycle Bin is a temporary storage space for files, folders and programs that have been deleted. The feature is primarily meant as a safety net in case you ever want to go back and retrieve deleted data. To remove the deleted files from your system completely, you will need to empty the Recycle Bin. It is recommended that you clear out your Recycle Bin regularly to avoid accumulating junk files and slowing down your system.
You can empty it manually by a simple right-click on the Recycle Bin icon (usually on the Desktop) and selecting Empty Recycle Bin option.
But there is a more efficient option. We are going to use Storage Sense to delete files of a certain age automatically every day, week, or month. Let’s explore how to do this..
This is for the Windows 10 operating system
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First, launch Settings by clicking the Start button, then click the Gear icon on the left side of your screen. Also you can press the Windows+I keys to open Settings. Next, click the System icon, then click Storage. Refer to below image:
At the top of the Storage options, click the toggle to the On position. Next, under the toggle, click Configure Storage Sense or run it now blue ink. See below image:
In the Storage Sense options, let’s examine a few different settings. First, is the frequency of when Storage Sense runs You set this option from a drop-down menu labeled Run Storage Sense. You can set it to run Every day, week or month; or whenever disk space is low (the default). Just click the menu and select the option that works best for you. See following image:
For now, we are only talking about deleting files in the Recycle Bin, uncheck the box beside Delete temporary files that my apps aren’t using if you don’t want Storage Sense removing old temporary files. Also, set the Delete files in my Downloads folder option to Never using the drop-down menu.
Between these two options, you’ll find a drop-down menu labeled Delete files in my Recycle Bin if they have been there for over with the options of Never, 1 day, 14 days, 30 days, or 60 days.
What does this mean? Whenever Storage Sense is run (as set previously above), it will automatically delete files that are in your Recycle Bin for longer than that period of time. Just set this option to your liking. Note! This only applies to the Recycle Bin on the your root drive (normally drive C:). Refer to below image:
Now, just close the Settings dialog box.
If you ever change your mind about the frequency of the Recycle Bin emptying (or want to disable it), just go to:
- Settings > Storage
- Set Storage Sense to Off. Or, you can change the interval options again to your your liking.
That’s it. You are finished. I hope you liked this blog post. Please feel free to leave a Comment or click the Tweet button below.
Related
Note! Coming soon if not available.
How to Use Storage Sense to Manage Disk Space in Windows 10
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