Personalization Add or Remove Recycle Bin in Navigation Pane of File Explorer in Windows 11


  • Staff
Recycle_Bin_empty_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to add or remove Recycle Bin in the navigation pane of File Explorer for your account in Windows 11.

The Recycle Bin provides a safety net when deleting files or folders. When you delete any of these items from a hard disk, Windows places it in the Recycle Bin and the Recycle Bin icon changes from empty to full.


Contents

  • Option One: Add or Remove Recycle Bin in Navigation Pane using "Show all folders"
  • Option Two: Add or Remove Recycle Bin in Navigation Pane using REG file


EXAMPLE: Recycle Bin in navigation pane of File Explorer

Show_all_folders.png
Recycle_Bin_navigation_pane.png






Option One

Add or Remove Recycle Bin in Navigation Pane using "Show all folders"


If Show all folders is turned on, the Recycle Bin will always show in the navigation pane until you turn off Show all folders.


1 Turn On (add) or Off (remove) "Show all folders" in Navigation Pane for what you want.





Option Two

Add or Remove Recycle Bin in Navigation Pane using REG file


This option will allow you to add the Recycle Bin to the navigation pane without having to turn on Show all folders.


1 Do step 2 (add) or step 3 (remove) below for what you want.

2 Add Recycle Bin to Navigation Pane of File Explorer

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​

Add_Recycle_Bin_to_Navigation_Pane_of_File_Explorer.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}]
"System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree"=dword:00000001

3 Remove Recycle Bin from Navigation Pane of File Explorer

This is the default setting.


A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​

Remove_Recycle_Bin_from_Navigation_Pane_of_File_Explorer.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}]
"System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree"=dword:00000000

4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7 If File Explorer is open, close and reopen File Explorer (Win+E) to apply.

8 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.


That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

Attachments

  • Recyle_Bin_empty.png
    Recyle_Bin_empty.png
    9.2 KB · Views: 155
  • Add_Recycle_Bin_to_Navigation_Pane_of_File_Explorer.reg
    716 bytes · Views: 258
  • Remove_Recycle_Bin_from_Navigation_Pane_of_File_Explorer.reg
    716 bytes · Views: 233
Last edited:
Yet another useful @Brink tutorial. Thanks a bunch.

When I first opened Win 11 on this still-almost-new PC, I found the default setup for File Explorer busy, jumbled, and messy. Your tutorials and registry patches have tamed it. Sending another virtual beer your way. 🍺
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G10
    CPU
    i5-1240p
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Whatever comes in it
    Sound Card
    Whatever comes in it
    Monitor(s) Displays
    No external monitor. Yet.
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Internal 512 GB SSD
    External 6 TB, 1 TB, 225 GB desktop HDD, 2TB portable HDD
    A whole army of USB flash memory sticks
    Mouse
    Logitech M317
    Internet Speed
    500 mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    CalDigit TS4 dock for all my USB stuff, speakers, and connect to Android phone
    HP MFP M277dw laser printer/scanner
Yet another useful @Brink tutorial. Thanks a bunch.

When I first opened Win 11 on this still-almost-new PC, I found the default setup for File Explorer busy, jumbled, and messy. Your tutorials and registry patches have tamed it. Sending another virtual beer your way. 🍺
:shawn:
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Another option, is pin it to quick access, and then you have a working recycle bin in your File Explorer pinned menu,
Not quite so good like in earlier Windows version where it would be on the taskbar itself when using Windows desktop toolbar, but atleast you don't need to close a full screen window to empty it, or see if anything is in it.
1675016660987.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win10 Pro, Win10 Pro N, Win10 Home, Windows 8.1 Pro, Ubuntu
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ۞ΞЖ†ԘΜΞ۞
    CPU
    Intel Core i9 9900K
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero
    Memory
    32 GB Quad Kit, G.Skill Trident Z RGB Series schwarz, DDR4-3866, 18-19-19-39-2T
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 ROG Strix O24G, 24576 MB GDDR6X
    Sound Card
    (1) HD Webcam C270 (2) NVIDIA High Definition Audio (3) Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ BL2711U(4K) and a hp 27vx(1080p)
    Hard Drives
    C: Samsung 960 EVO NVMe M.2 SSD
    E: & O: Libraries & OneDrive-> Samsung 850 EVO 1TB
    D: Hyper-V VM's -> Samsung PM951 Client M.2 512Gb SSD
    G: System Images -> Samsung 860 Pro 2TB
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000i High Performance ATX Power Supply 80+ Platinum
    Case
    Phanteks Enthoo Pro TG
    Cooling
    Thermaltake Floe Riing RGB TT Premium-Edition 360mm and 2x120 Phantek& Halo front, and 1x140 Phanteks
    Keyboard
    Trust GTX THURA
    Mouse
    Trust GTX 148
    Internet Speed
    25+/5+ (+usually faster)
    Browser
    Edge; Chrome;
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender of course & Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit as an added layer between browser & OS
    Other Info
    Router: FRITZ!Box 7590 AX V2
    Sound system: SHARP HT-SBW460 Dolby Atmos Soundbar
    Webcam: Logitech BRIO ULTRA HD PRO WEBCAM 4K webcam with HDR
Not quite so good like in earlier Windows version where it would be on the taskbar itself when using Windows desktop toolbar.
@Cliff S I already had placed the Recycle Bin on the toolbar, but having it in File Explorer is an extra plus. TBH, I'd forgotten that I could pin it, but I still like having it out of the way at the bottom of the Nav pane. I'm trying to keep Quick Access entries to just a few, to minimize the amount of stuff to scroll past to get to Libraries and This PC. Here's how I did it (before I knew to search all the fine @Brink tutorials).

https://www.windowsreport.com/pin-recycle-bin-to-taskbar-windows-11/
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G10
    CPU
    i5-1240p
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Whatever comes in it
    Sound Card
    Whatever comes in it
    Monitor(s) Displays
    No external monitor. Yet.
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Internal 512 GB SSD
    External 6 TB, 1 TB, 225 GB desktop HDD, 2TB portable HDD
    A whole army of USB flash memory sticks
    Mouse
    Logitech M317
    Internet Speed
    500 mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    CalDigit TS4 dock for all my USB stuff, speakers, and connect to Android phone
    HP MFP M277dw laser printer/scanner
@Cliff S I already had placed the Recycle Bin on the toolbar, but having it in File Explorer is an extra plus. TBH, I'd forgotten that I could pin it, but I still like having it out of the way at the bottom of the Nav pane. I'm trying to keep Quick Access entries to just a few, to minimize the amount of stuff to scroll past to get to Libraries and This PC. Here's how I did it (before I knew to search all the fine @Brink tutorials).

https://www.windowsreport.com/pin-recycle-bin-to-taskbar-windows-11/
The only problem with that method to "Pin to taskbar" the Recycle Bin is you do not have the usual "empty" and "full" icon. You only have a static icon. :(
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
The only problem with that method to "Pin to taskbar" the Recycle Bin is you do not have the usual "empty" and "full" icon. You only have a static icon. :(
The icon that it put in File Explorer looks exactly like the one in Task Manager. Is it dynamic and changes appearance when The Bin is full?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G10
    CPU
    i5-1240p
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Whatever comes in it
    Sound Card
    Whatever comes in it
    Monitor(s) Displays
    No external monitor. Yet.
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Internal 512 GB SSD
    External 6 TB, 1 TB, 225 GB desktop HDD, 2TB portable HDD
    A whole army of USB flash memory sticks
    Mouse
    Logitech M317
    Internet Speed
    500 mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    CalDigit TS4 dock for all my USB stuff, speakers, and connect to Android phone
    HP MFP M277dw laser printer/scanner
The icon that it put in File Explorer looks exactly like the one in Task Manager. Is it dynamic and changes appearance when The Bin is full?

Correct. The one added to the navigation pane in File Explorer by this tutorial does change to the full and empty icon.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Hello @Brink,

so, this only show Recycle Bin in Navigation Pane, I was wondering... is there an option to show Recycle Bin in This PC?

Cheers
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
> Showing all folders (Option 1 in Brink's tutorial) does the job, but creates a total mess of our Navigation Pane.
> Option 2 in Brink's tutorial works nicely, but I try to avoid implementing Registry changes unless absolutely necessary
> @Cliff S : This, for us, is the Goldilocks solution!
  1. Show all folders
  2. Pin Recycle Bin to Quick Access
  3. De-select Show all folders

Thank you both for the excellent tips!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS8950
    CPU
    i7-12700K
    Motherboard
    Z690 : 9D2HH Foxconn, R6PCT Foxconn 2nd
    Memory
    16GB (2 x 8)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 770 with shared graphics memory
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CBL282K Smiiprx
    Screen Resolution
    4K UHD (3840 x 2160) @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital PC SN810 512 GB M.2 NVMe SSD, PCIe
    PSU
    750W
    Cooling
    2G44F Asetek 125W CPU liquid cooler
    Keyboard
    Arteck Wireless
    Mouse
    Victsing-mm057 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 6
    Browser
    Vivaldi
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender (native)
  • Operating System
    Win 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5620
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P
    Memory
    2 x 8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    NVMe 512 GB
    Case
    Aluminum
    Mouse
    Touchpad
    Browser
    Vivaldi
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender (native)

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