How to Access the Recycle Bin on an External Hard Drive

How to View the Recycle Bin on an External Hard Drive

An external hard drive’s Recycle Bin is classified as a system folder and is hidden. It’s typically named “$RECYCLE.BIN” and located in the root directory of the external hard drive. The folder itself works in the same way as Windows’ native Recycle Bin.

To view the Recycle Bin on an external hard drive, follow these steps:

1. Type “folder options” in Windows Search (Windows Key + S). Click on File Explorer Options or Folder Options depending on your Windows version.
2. Go to View and then uncheck the Hide protected operating system files option. Click on OK.
3. Connect the external HDD to your PC and launch File Explorer (Windows Key + E).
4. Click on View > Show. Check the Hidden items option.
5. The external HDD’s Recycle Bin folder will be visible.

How to Access the Recycle Bin on an External Hard Drive

On PCs running Windows 11, you may be unable to see your external hard drive’s Recycle Bin even after enabling hidden items in Windows Explorer. That’s because Microsoft recently disabled the Recycle Bin folder on external hard drives. Luckily, you can bring the folder back with a quick trip to Windows Registry Settings.

Here’s what the process looks like:

1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run app. Type regedit in the textbox and press Enter.
2. Navigate to this location in the Registry Editor –

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

   
3. Right-click on the white space in the right pane and click on New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. Name the newly created entry as RecycleBinDrives.
5. Double-click on RecycleBinDrives entry and type ffffffff in the Value data field. Click OK.
6. Exit the Registry Editor and restart your PC. The $RECYCLE.BIN folder will be visible in the external drive’s root directory.

How to Recover Files Lost from the Recycle Bin on an External Hard Drive

In scenarios where you’re unable to view the Recycle Bin, or the folder is empty, you can use data recovery programs to get back the files. The only problem is that there are innumerable data recovery apps that all claim to be the best at everything, which makes choosing the adequate one for Recycle Bin recovery, difficult.

To help you out, we have an intuitive software picker that returns fine-tuned data recovery app recommendations according to your specific needs. If you’re the type who likes to read detailed reviews and make an informed decision, our in-depth reviews for Mac and Windows data recovery programs, have got you covered.

When it comes to external hard drive data recovery, Disk Drill is an excellent choice:

• Wide compatibility: The program recognizes and supports data recovery from all external hard drives under the sun, including major manufacturers like WD, Seagate, Toshiba, SanDisk, and more.
• User-friendly: Its easy-to-use, clean UI ensures your data recovery experience is as smooth and user-friendly as possible.
• Support for numerous file formats: Disk Drill recognizes over 300 file formats and comes with an in-built preview feature. This is of immense help because many of us store photos, videos, and other important files on our external hard drives that can be difficult to identify with just the filename alone.

Let’s see what the external hard drive Recycle Bin data recovery process looks like in Disk Drill:

1. Download Disk Drill and install it.
2. Connect the external drive to your PC, and then launch Disk Drill.
3. Select the external hard drive, and click on Search for lost data.
4. Click on Review found items to view all the recoverable files that Disk Drill has discovered. To filter out the results right away, click on the relevant file type instead (Pictures, Video, Audio, Documents, Archives, and Other).
5. Expand the Deleted or lost and Reconstructed sections to view deleted, recoverable files.
6. Select the files using the checkbox next to each of them. Disk Drill will display a preview of the currently selected file. Click on Recover once you’re sure of your selection.
7. Pick a recovery destination and click Next. It’s recommended that you recover the files to a location apart from the external HDD itself.
8. Disk Drill will retrieve your deleted files.

How to Fix a Corrupted Recycle Bin on an External Hard Drive

Errors like, “Access denied” and problems getting the external hard drive’s Recycle Bin to show up, could be indicators of a corrupt Recycle Bin. You can address this issue by using the Error Checking Tool, or the Command Prompt.

Using the Error Checking Tool

The Error Checking Tool scans your entire HDD for bad sectors and other file system issues, then attempts to fix them.

Here’s how to use the tool:

1. Open Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E).
2. Right-click on the external hard drive and choose Properties.
3. Go to the Tools tab and under Error checking, click on Check. You will need administrative privileges to do so.
4. Click on Scan and repair drive.

Using CMD

You can use the Command Prompt to force Windows to delete the Recycle Bin folder on the external hard drive or USB and create a new one. You essentially get a clean slate.

Here’s what you need to do to fix the external drive’s Recycle Bin, using CMD:

1. Search for “cmd” in Windows Search (Windows Key + S). Right-click on the Command Prompt > Run as administrator.
2. Type rd /s /q X:$Recycle.bin in the console and press Enter. Replace “X” with the drive letter of your external drive.