How to empty Recycle bin windows 11/10/8/7

In the computer world there is nothing absolutely easy or absolutely difficult, it all depends on one’s level of preparation and the work environment with which one has to do. For example, you who don’t consider yourself a PC expert yet but have been using Windows for many years, would you be able to perform all the routine operations (even the most basic ones) on an operating system other than Microsoft’s?

No, right? This is why today I want to offer you a guide on an apparently trivial topic how to empty the Recycle Binexplaining how to carry out this very simple operation that allows you to permanently delete files from your computer.

How to empty the PC Trash Recycle Bin in windows 10/11/8/7 64-32 Bits

However, since there is not only the Microsoft operating system, I will broaden the topics of this tutorial a bit to also include macOS, mobile devices and some of the best known email platforms in the world. No more talking then, the Recycle Bin is overflowing and we need to resolve the issue.

We begin to see how to empty the computer’s trash Windows, longer to write than to do to be honest. Just for completeness, the Recycle Bin is the Recycle Bin icon (incredible isn’t it?) that you always find on your desktop (where you decide).

So, once on the desktop, go to the icon of Basketyou do right click and press voice Empty Recycle Bin. Here a confirmation message will ask you if you want to permanently delete the number of files that are in it. If you want to proceed, press the button Yes And that’s it.

Obviously this is not the only way to delete what is in the Recycle Bin, but it is certainly the fastest. However, if you don’t want to delete everything in bulk but prefer one more deletion selectiveyou can open the Recycle Bin by double-clicking the icon to see what’s inside.

Here you will find the button at the top right Empty Recycle Bin (which proceeds again to a total and irreversible deletion of the files), or go and choose which files to delete personally. To do that you do right click on the file in question and, from the menu that opens, click on the Trash icon. This, instead of sending it to the Recycle Bin (where it is already), will bring up a message to be confirmed via a button Yes.

Finally, if you want to permanently delete multiple files but not all, you can make a partial selection by pressing the button Erase and clicking on the file you want. Once chosen, do right click above, then on the trash can icon and finally on the button Yes. In some cases these files may still be recoverable either for benign use (you deleted something you shouldn’t have) or for malicious use (you sold your PC and they’re trying to recover your data). So I leave you with my guides on how to recover deleted files and how to permanently delete them just in case.

How to empty trash on Mac

If you want to know how to empty trash on mac safely, you will be happy to find that the procedures are no more complex than seen for PC. The Recycle Bin of Mac it’s always located in the Doc bar, so it’s easy to spot and impossible to miss.

To empty it completely in one fell swoop, you have to do right click on its icon, then select the item Empty the trash followed by the button Empty the trash in the window telling you that your files are about to be permanently deleted.

But if you prefer more control over what you’re deleting, you can also click the icon Basket to open up this space and see what’s inside. Here you can proceed to delete all data in one fell swoop by pressing the circle icon with i three dots horizontal, then on the voice Empty the trash followed by the homonymous button for definitive confirmation.

If you just want to delete some files, you can do right click on what you want or make a multiple selection, then doing right click and pressing on the item Delete now…. Here too a further window will appear asking you if you are sure of what you are doing, where you confirm with the button Delete.

If all this does not work and you want an even more direct procedure, you can act from Terminal of the Mac. To do this go to the Launchpadthen on the voice Other and here choose the icon Terminal. At this point, enter the command rm -rf ~/.Trash/* then press the key Enter. Your account password may be required to proceed, so enter it and press again Enter to finish the process. For more details, I leave you with my guide on how to empty the Mac Trash and, if necessary, how to restore deleted files on the subject.

How to empty the mobile trash

If you have one smartphonesthere may also be a Trash here that you may want to empty from time to time, so let’s see how to do it.

How to empty the Android Trash

If you have a phone android, the procedure for emptying the Recycle Bin may vary slightly depending on the manufacturer of the Recycle Bin. I can’t know which model you have, but you can be sure that there will be numerous similarities between what I show you and what you will have to do.

The first thing to do is open the memory management app which, in my case, is called Archive. From here, scroll down until you find the entry Basket and tap on it then, once inside, press on three dots at the top right and tap on the item Empty. At the message asking if you’re sure what you’re doing, press the button Delete.

If, on the other hand, you only want to delete certain files, you can select them using a prolonged tap above, then press the icon Delete everything that you find below to proceed. If this procedure does not correspond or for more information on how to delete files from the Android Trash, I leave you to my guide on the subject.

How to empty iPhone Trash

If you need to empty the Recycle Bin on your iPhones (or iPads), the procedure is slightly different. In fact, here there is no File Recycle Bin, but only one for some specific apps. For example, there is a Recycle Bin for the app Photowhere deleted images will be kept for 30 days.

To empty the Photo Trash, open the app Photoscroll down until you find the entry Recently deletedpush the button Selectselect the photos you want to delete and then tap on the item Delete. Finally confirm by pressing on the item Delete from all devices.

How to empty the Gmail Trash

If you want to get rid of the “junk” messages on Gmail, you can do it both through the web version and through the mobile app. Starting from the Web version, the first thing to do is connect to this page, then click on the item Other under the mail folders and finally on the entry Basket.

From here, press the box above the emails, to select them all, or use the one alongside, to decide which ones to delete individually, then press the button Permanently delete. If you’re using the mobile app (Android/iOS/iPadOS), press on horizontal lines top left, then on the entry Basket and here you press the button Empty Recycle Bin now. Alternatively you can run a prolonged tap on the ones you want to delete to select them, then on three dots at the top right and finally on the button Permanently delete. For more details on how to delete emails from Gmail, I leave you with my guide on the subject.

How to empty the Outlook Trash

If you use Outlook from pconce the client opens, go to the folder Deleted maillet us right click above and press on the item Empty folder followed by the button Yes. Alternatively, you can enter the folder, select items by holding down the button Ctrl and clicking on them, then delete them with the button Delete. If you use the web version of Outlook the procedure is identical.

If, on the other hand, you operate from a smartphone or tablet, once you open theOutlook apps (Android/iOS/iPadOS) press on your icon at the top left, then on the item Deleted. From here, press the button Empty folder or do prolonged tap on the emails you want to select, then on the Trash icon at the bottom.