How to Automatically Empty the Recycle Bin – Windows 11

To delete your files for good, you need to empty the Recycle Bin on your PC manually. If you find that task tiresome or complex, you can automate clearing the Recycle Bin. In this article, we will take a look at how to do that in Windows 11.

To instantly remove the files in Recycle Bin, use Windows’ Storage Sense feature. This feature assists in clearing various files on your Windows 11 PC, including downloaded and deleted files.

Automatically Empty the Recycle Bin

Open the Windows Settings. Click on Windows Start Menu and search for the Settings; you can also use keyboard shortcuts Windows+i keys to do so quickly.

In Settings, click “System.”

Once you get to the System page, scroll down a bit and click “Storage” on the left side of the System Section. On the “Storage” screen, you will see “Configure Storage Sense” under the “Storage” section on the right side.

The “Storage Sense” page has an alternative called “Automatic User Content Cleanup.” Switch the toggle on to enable Storage Sense. In the same page, scroll down a bit, and click the “Run Storage Sense” drop-down menu and choose when you’d like to run this feature.

Remember that this option does not determine how long your files should be in Recycle Bin to be deleted. You will process that option in the steps described below.

Select the “Every Day,” “Every Week,” “Every Month,” or “During Low Free Disk Space” option as you’d like it.

Then, to determine how long a file should be in the Recycle Bin before the Storage Sense removes it, click the “Delete Files in My Recycle Bin if They Have Been There for Over” and choose an option (“Never,” “1 Day,” “14 Days,” “30 Days,” and “60 Days) from the drop-down menu.

Muhammad Imran Habib

Imran is a technology evangelist with 8 years of experience working with some of the Industry leading companies. Imran's expertise includes On-Prem/Virtual Infrastructure deployments, IT Solutions for SMEs, End User Computing Support.

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