Does the Recycle Bin Empty Itself? Windows 11 Auto-Delete Fix

Does The Recycle Bin Empty Itself?

You go to the Recycle Bin to retrieve a file you deleted by mistake, only to find it empty. Does the Recycle Bin empty itself? You didn't tell it to, so where did everything go? Understanding the mechanics behind your Recycle Bin is key to keeping your files safe and your mind at ease. Let's pull back the curtain on this essential Windows feature and unravel the mystery once and for all.

Does The Recycle Bin Take Up Space?

Yes, absolutely. The Recycle Bin does take up space. What happens if I empty my Recycle Bin? When you "delete" a file by sending it to the Recycle Bin, you haven't erased it; you've simply moved it to this special storage area. The files sitting inside it are still fully intact and occupy the same amount of storage space they did in their original location.

Windows reserves a specific percentage of your drive's total capacity for the Recycle Bin. If the total size of the files you move to the Bin exceeds this limit, the oldest files in the Bin are automatically and permanently deleted to make room for the new ones.

You can check and change how much space the Recycle Bin is allowed to use. To do this, right-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop, select Properties, and you'll see a slider or a field to set the maximum size.

Most importantly, you can uncheck "Don't move files to the Recycle Bin. Remove files immediately when deleted" and send the deleted files to the Recycle Bin.

Does the Recycle Bin Empty Itself? The Straight Answer

Does the Recycle Bin empty itself? Yes, if you have enabled the Storage Sense feature. By default, the standard Recycle Bin is a patient, passive holding pen for your deleted files. It will hold onto them indefinitely until you manually right-click and select "Empty Recycle Bin".

Storage Sense was first introduced in Windows 10 build 15014, which automatically cleans up files it deems unnecessary, such as temporary files and the contents of your Recycle Bin. The Storage Sense feature is disabled by default. However, during a system update or if a user is trying to free up space, it can be accidentally activated. If it’s enabled, you can configure how often it cleans the Recycle Bin—every day, every week, every month, or only when your disk space gets low.

Stop the Recycle Bin from Emptying Automatically in Windows 11

It’s easy for you to stop the Recycle Bin from emptying automatically in Windows 11. Check the steps below:

1. Click the Start button, then choose Settings. Or you can simply press the Windows Key + I on your keyboard to open Windows Settings.

2. Then click System > Storage.

3. Under the "Storage management" section, you will see an option labeled "Storage Sense". Toggle off the switch to disable Storage Sense in Windows 11. If it's already off, then automatic emptying is not active on your system.

Now, you have stopped the Recycle Bin from emptying automatically in Windows 11.

Besides, if you prefer to keep Storage Sense on for other cleanup tasks but want to protect your Recycle Bin, you can customize it. Click on "Storage Sense" to access its settings. Here, you can find the "Run Storage Sense" option and, more importantly, the "Cleanup of temporary files" section. Ensure the dropdown menu for "Delete files in my Recycle Bin if they have been there for over" is set to "Never".

However, you might find the Recycle Bin emptying itself automatically without Storage Sense enabled. You can try the following solutions.

Alternative Ways to Prevent the Recycle Bin from Deleting Automatically

Way 1. Manually Disable Storage Sense and Wait for Another Windows Update

Sometimes, a Windows update would cause your Recycle Bin to automatically delete files; it’s a known bug. You can manually disable the Storage Sense in Windows 10/11 just like the above steps, then wait for another Windows update to fix it.

Way 2. Create A Temporary Folder

The recycling bin should not be used for temporary storage of data. Even tools like Disk Cleanup have a selection to empty this space. So, create a temp folder like "To Be Deleted" and move files there until absolutely not needed, and at that point, delete.

Way 3. Check Your Third-Party Software

Sometimes, the third-party software, like a cleaning utility or a third-party anti-virus software, can cause the Recycle Bin to empty itself. Generally, they have a cleaning option enabled in the background.

Check a cleaning utility like CCleaner, or Webroot's Secure Anywhere, etc. Some users reported that they have fixed the problem by disabling the background cleaning option, like the system optimizer for the Recycle Bin at everyday: uncheck it, then your problem should be fixed.

How to Recover Something Deleted from the Recycle Bin?

What to do if your important files have been deleted from your Recycle Bin? Don’t worry, you have a chance to recover them as long as you find the powerful data recovery software like MyRecover.

MyRecover is a comprehensive Windows data recovery software that allows you to recover files from any complex situation. With MyRecover, enjoy the following strengths:

Recover files from the Recycle Bin even if it’s emptied. Does an empty Recycle Bin permanently delete files? Not really until they are overwritten. So, recover files immediately before they are overwritten. MyRecover uses advanced deep-scan algorithms to locate and reconstruct these "lost" files.

User-Friendly, Intuitive Interface. MyRecover is built for everyone, not just tech experts.

Powerful Preview Function Before Recovery. Before you commit to restoring files, MyRecover allows you to preview them. You can view thumbnails of images and review document details to verify that they are intact and the correct ones.

Broad File Format and Storage Support. MyRecover supports a wide range of file types—including photos (JPG, PNG), videos (MP4, MOV), documents (DOCX, PDF, XLSX), and more—from HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, and SD cards. This makes it a versatile tool for all your data recovery needs, not just the Recycle Bin.

Maintains Original File Names and Folder Structure. When possible, MyRecover recovers files with their original names and can even reconstruct the folder paths they were in. This is a massive time-saver.

How to Recover Something Deleted from the Recycle Bin with MyRecover? Check the simple guide here:

1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer, and launch MyRecover.

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2. Tap Recycle Bin Recovery, choose the drive where these files were located before sending them to the recycle bin, and hit Scan.

3. It will start scanning your missing files, and hit OK when it’s done.

4. Choose your files and hit Recover. Then select a safe location to save them.

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Once the scan is complete, the software will display a list of recoverable files. You can often preview them to ensure they are the right files to recover.

Choose a safe location to recover it to—again, ideally a different physical drive.

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The End

Until now, you have mastered how to stop the Recycle Bin from deleting files automatically. Besides, learn how to recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin is another important skill. Please always keep a backup copy of your important files. Or you have to use a data recovery software like MyRecover to restore files easily.

With MyRecover, you can also recover files from a corrupted SD card, recover files from an unformatted partition, recover files from a crashed computer, recover files from a formatted hard drive, etc.