[10 Fixes] Recycle Bin Takes Forever to Open in Windows 11

Recycle Bin Doesn't Respond!

Why Does Recycle Bin Take Forever to Open in Windows 11?

The "Recycle Bin" in Windows is a temporary storage location for deleted files. Instead of removing files permanently the moment you delete them, Windows places them in the Recycle Bin so you can easily restore them if you change your mind. Just like a safety net — hold deleted items until you manually empty it or until Windows clears it automatically based on storage rules.

Also check: does the Recycle Bin empty itself?

However, when the Recycle Bin becomes slow or unresponsive, issues can arise. So "why does the Recycle Bin take forever to open in Windows 11?" Several common reasons include:

1. A very large number of deleted files: When too many items are stored inside the Recycle Bin, Windows takes longer to index and display them.

2. Corrupted Recycle Bin folder (the $Recycle.Bin directory): If this system folder becomes damaged, Windows may freeze while trying to read its contents.

3. Disk errors on the drive that stores the Recycle Bin: Bad sectors or file system issues can slow down access.

4. Third-party antivirus scanning the Recycle Bin: Security tools may inspect deleted files, causing the Recycle Bin window to load slowly.

5. File Explorer glitches or cached data issues: Sometimes File Explorer itself fails to refresh or load folder content properly.

6. Insufficient system resources: Low RAM, high CPU usage, or background processes can delay loading.

7. Other reasons...

Solutions to "Recycle Bin Won’t Open Windows 10or Windows 11"

Although these issues can make the Recycle Bin slow, unresponsive, or stuck on "Working on it...," the good news is that most of them are easy to fix. Below are the most effective methods to fix Recycle Bin takes forever to open in Windows 11, even if it refuses to load at all.

1: Empty the Recycle Bin to Reduce Loading Time

A large number of deleted items can cause long loading times. You can empty it to check if the Recycle Bin can open successfully: Right-click the Recycle Bin icon. Select "Empty Recycle Bin". Confirm the action.

If the Recycle Bin fails to load, you can empty it using Windows PowerShell:

Step 1. Open the Start menu, search for PowerShell, and select "Run as Administrator".

Step 2. In the elevated PowerShell window, type the command: Clear-RecycleBin and press Enter:

Step 3. When prompted for confirmation, type "Y" and press Enter to proceed.

It empties the Recycle Bin for all drives on your computer. Any files currently in the Recycle Bin are permanently deleted—they do not go back to their original location.

2: Reset or Rebuild the Recycle Bin (Fix Corrupted $Recycle.Bin)

A corrupted Recycle Bin is one of the most common causes of slow or stuck loading.

Step 1. Press "Win + X" → choose "Windows Terminal (Admin)".

Step 2. Enter: rd /s /q C:\$Recycle.Bin and hit on Enter.

Restart your computer.Windows will automatically rebuild a fresh, error-free Recycle Bin.This also fixes Recycle Bin not opening in Windows 10.

3: Run CHKDSK to Repair Disk Errors

If the drive that stores the Recycle Bin has file-system errors, the Bin may freeze on "Working on it…" and take forever to open in Windows computer.

Step 1. Open "Command Prompt (Admin)"or "Windows Terminal (Admin)".

Step 2. Run:chkdsk C: /f /r

Step 3. Press "Y" to schedule the scan, then reboot.

This fixes bad sectors, corrupted directories, and read-delay issues.

4: Run SFC and DISM Commands

Additionally, if it is the corrupted system files that cause Recycle taking forever to open issue, you can run the SFC and DISM commands torepair corrupted system files:

Step 1. Open Windows Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).

Step 2. Run the DISM command first. Copy and paste this command, then press Enter:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Wait for completion (this may take 10-20 minutes). This command repairs the Windows system image

Step 3. Run SFC command next. In the same admin window, type this command and press Enter:

sfc /scannow

This will scan and repair corrupted system files. Wait for the scan to complete (15-30 minutes). Restart your computer after both commands finish.

5: Disable Real-Time Antivirus Scanning Temporarily

Some antivirus tools delay File Explorer from reading deleted items.In this case, you can pause or disable real-time protection in your antivirus settings.

Then reopen the Recycle Bin.If the load time improves, add the Recycle Bin folder to the antivirus exclusion list.

6: Run System Maintenance

Windows has a built-in automated maintenance tool that can silently fix many common system problems, including Recycle Bin performance issues, during idle time. If it hasn't run successfully, you can trigger it manually.

Step 1. Open Control Panel and navigate to "Security and Maintenance" (you might need to change "View by" mode if you don’t find this option).

Step 2. Click the arrow on the left of Maintenance to expand the section. Under "Automatic Maintenance," click the "Start maintenance" button.

Windows will now run a series of diagnostics and repairs in the background. This process can take from several minutes to a few hours. It is best not to interrupt this process and allow your PC to stay on and idle.

7: Restart Windows Explorer

A system glitch can cause File Explorer to hang on folder loading.You can restart your Windows Explorer to check if the Recycle Bin can open as normal.

Step 1. Press "Ctrl + Shift + Esc" to open "Task Manager".

Step 2. Find "Windows Explorer". Right-click it and choose "Restart".

This refreshes the entire Explorer interface without rebooting your PC.

8: Clear File Explorer History

Corrupted Explorer cache files can prevent the Recycle Bin from loading normally.

Step 1. Open "Control Panel". Go to "File Explorer" Options (Tip: If you don’t see it, switch the "View by" mode in the upper-right corner.).

Step 2. Under "Privacy", click "Clear".

Then reopen the Recycle Bin.

9: Free Up System Resources

Low RAM or a heavy CPU load can slow folder loadingand even make your Recycle Bin taking forever to open in Windows 11 or Windows 11. To fix, you can take the following measures:

Closing unused programs: Select programs you aren’t using in Task Manager and click "End Task".

Disabling background startup apps: Go to the "Startup" tab in "Task Manager". Right-click apps you don’t need at startup and select "Disable".

Removing temp files using storage sense

Press Windows + I to open "Settings".Go to "System > Storage". Click "Temporary files". Check the files you want to remove (like Temporary files, Recycle Bin, Downloads).Click "Remove files" to delete them.

10: Create New User Account

A corrupted user profile can cause Recycle Bin opening slowly or freezing. Creating a new local administrator account helps determine if the problem is profile-specific.

Step 1: Open Settings. Navigate to "Accounts > Other users". Click "Add someone else to this PC".

Step 2: Select "I don't have this person's sign-in information" then choose "Add a user without a Microsoft account."

Step 3: Create a username and password for the new account. Click "Next" to complete creation.

Step 4: Return to the user list and click the new account. Select "Change account type" and set it to "Administrator".

Step 5: Sign out of your current account. Log into the new administrator account and test if the Recycle Bin opens normally.

If the Recycle Bin works in the new account, your original profile is corrupted. 

Additional Tip: Recover Files Disappearing from Recycle Bin

If you find that important files have gone missing after troubleshooting your Recycle Bin - whether they were accidentally emptied, disappeared due to system corruption, or were lost during the repair process - don't panic. While the Recycle Bin is designed to prevent permanent data loss, there are still effective ways to recover your files even after they've been removed from this safety net.

First of all, you can check whether you have backups: Open "Windows Settings > Update & Security", navigate to Backup options(Windows File History or Windows 7 Backup and Restore). If you have backed up files using either one, restore files from backup.

If there is not any backup available, you might need to turn to some professional data recovery software like MyRecover. It is designed for exactly this situation and can often retrieve lost data directly from your drive, with no backup required.

Only 3 steps: select and scan the target drive, browse and select what you need from the scan result, and then recover them to another safe location.

Conclusion

So, when you find your Recycle Bin takes forever to open and you cannot restore files from this safety net, you have the above 9 different solutions to try. The troubleshooting process might remove all files from Recycle Bin permanently. Fortunately, should this happen, there are still ways to retrieve permanently files back no matter whether you have backup or not.