Last Updated on December 24, 2022 by Mathew Diekhake
Windows 10 allows you to have your files in the recycling bin emptied automatically, so it frees up more hard disk space for your computer. The same type of feature was also introduced to the temporary files, so you do not collect unnecessary files that clog up your hard drive space that way either.
There are lots of people giving incorrect facts about Windows 10 and its recycling bin online. If you listen to Microsoft or us directly, you will get the facts. The fact is that there was a new feature introduced in Windows 10 that allows for the automatic deletion of the files sitting in the recycling bin, and you can even choose the number of days that your files sit in the recycling bin before they are automatically deleted.
To be clear, this new feature means you never have to right-click on the recycling bin anymore and manually choose to delete your files because they will be removed automatically for you once a certain number of days is up. If you have not changed it from its default setting, this will be 30 days. You can still manually delete the files in the recycling bin sooner by right-clicking on its desktop icon if you need to free up hard drive space sooner than 30 days, or you can change the setting so that Windows 10 always automatically deletes your files sooner than 30 days.
The default 30-day setting is a good amount of time to wait because it at least gives you the chance to restore files later on that you might change your mind and decide to keep. There might be jobs that you come back to do sometime over the next few weeks, and it took you those few weeks to realize you needed the files that are sitting in the recycling bin. However, if you do not use your computer for work-related purposes, or you know for a fact that whatever goes into the recycling bin is not going to be something that you need, you might prefer shortening the time files remain recycled before they are permanently deleted to free up your disk space quicker. Conversely, nothing is stopping you from keeping files in the recycling bin for longer than 30 days if you prefer that option too.
Here’s what you need to change the number of days that your files stay in the recycling bin before they are preeminently deleted from the computer when using a version of the Windows 10 operating system.
How to Change Number of Days Windows 10 Recycle Bin Gets Emptied
You can change the time it takes for the Recycle Bin to get emptied in Windows 10 in the System category of the Settings app. Here is how to do that:
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Click on the System category.
3. From the left System menu, click on Storage. And then from the right side of the same window, under the Storage Sense heading, click on Change how we free up space automatically.
4. Under the Temporary Files heading, click the drop-down menu and select the number of days you would like the Recycling Bin to get emptied after.
In conclusion, that is how to change the number of days it takes for the Recycling Bin to be emptied in Windows 10.