where is the recycle bin in windows 10 located?

Right-click desktop and personalize, choose Themes, then Desktop Icon Settings, and check the "recycle bin" box to turn it on (this works in all versions of Windows, not just 10).

If you already did that, but you still don't see the icon, it may mean you're in tablet mode.  Tablet mode must be OFF to reach your desktop.  That's because when your tablet mode is on, it works like a tablet and shows your Start homepage instead of the desktop.

Finally, if you are sure your tablet mode is already off and the icon should show, make sure your desktop icons aren't hidden. Right-click your desktop wallpaper, go to View, then "Show Desktop Icons" to show them.

To recap...

Right-click desktop, choose Themes, then Desktop Icon Settings, and check the "recycle bin" box.

In my Windows 10 there is no "Themes" available when right clicking the desktop.

Here is how it works for me:

• Right click on the desktop. Select "Personalize"

• Personalisation window opens, from there select "Themes" and then "Desktop icon settings"

• In the small window which has opened select "Recycle bin"

That's how it works in Windows 10 Pro 64bits, version: 10.0.10240, build: 10240

Why is it that things work differently for you? What Windows version are you using?

10240.  Sorry I forgot to say "personalize", but it sounds like you're smart enough to figure that out :)

Corrected:

Right-click desktop and personalize, choose Themes, then Desktop Icon Settings, and check the "recycle bin" box.

The responses to my inquiry how to locate the recycle bin in windows 10 were very helpful, with the one exception; when I right click my desk top nothing happens.  I use the Microsoft pen to right click and nothing happens, so I revert to low tech and attach a optical mouse and right click and nothing happens.  I am beginning to wonder if I received a clean install of windows 10 to my Microsoft surface pro 3?  Of course I am fully aware of previous Microsoft windows conventions, like right clicking on empty space to the desktop, but windows 10 is mind-blowingly unconventional, so users beware.  Please provide insight why my windows 10 and Microsoft surface pro 3 might be behaving like this.  Something that might be related:  it took Norton technicians, remoting in, and entire hour to reinstall my antivirus, after upgrading to windows 10.  This is an experienced technician taking an entire hour.  Your insight is greatly appreciated over my trivial recycle bin and other related missing desktop icons.  If trivialities in windows 10 are this interesting, I fear the big issues to come.

We're not seeing any inability to right-click the desktop on any computers in our labs or distributed to our users.  So if I were you, I think the first thing I would do is create a new local-only user account on the computer and see how the desktop behaves (and remember that you can't right-click the desktop when in Tablet Mode).

To create a "local only" account:

1. Settings > Accounts > Family & Other Users > Add Someone Else
2. Choose "This person doesn't have an email address"
3. Choose "Add a user without a Microsoft account" (don't worry you can add one later, or link it to your own)

Hello TinaBahr: You can open your start menu (that window pane at the lower left). And on the lower left of the window menu, at the bottom, left click "All apps". At the top of that menu, you'll see the recycle bin. If you right click on that, you can pin it to the start menu, so that when you open the start menu, it will be visible in the squares to the right.

Hope this is helpful.

Thank you, but I now know my Microsoft start button on the task bar does not work.  When I left click on it, nothing happens, only when I right click, do I get a response, and that is with stylus pen or mouse.  I cannot right click on black space to the desk top, if I do, nothing happens.  I did locate personalization window through some other windows 10 feature, and selected recycle bin, my computer, desktop, etc, but none of those features can be found anywhere.  I still cannot locate the recycle bin and this computer icons anywhere.  I placed a call into Microsoft technical support, and after 90 wait, I received a call; I answered; and they hung up on me.  I am so displeased with Microsoft windows 10, after spending 6 hours of effort, to personally solve a fundamentally simple problem, that I am about ready to tell Microsoft to take their **** back; I am not the debugging guinea pig.  Is this a Microsoft surface pro 3 incompatibility, or a major bug with windows 10?  Please help.  All features to window 8.1 or 8.2, I can't remember, worked without incident.  Window 10 in a mess.

 

If I understand Microsoft convention, and how my Microsoft surface pro 3 responded before the Microsoft 10 upgrade, when I invoke desktop mode, that takes me out of tablet mode.  When I select desktop, after right clicking the start button, I have a blank page with nothing but wallpaper.  I right click on empty space and nothing happens, that is with stylus and old fashion optical mouse.  When I attempt to left click the windows start button, none of the features are available to select that you would expect, after left clicking the start button.  If I expend 6 hours to just attempt to locate the recycle bin, what other more troublesome surprises await me?  This is going from frustrating to bizarre.  Please provide simple, by the numbers, laymen's terms' instruction, how to locate the recycle bin in windows 10, to a Microsoft surface pro 3, because none of the guidance or instructions are executable, because right click on desktop blank space does not work, and right clicking the start button does not bring up what is normally described by everyone's input.  Why is this so difficult?

I'm sorry to hear that you are having that sort of problem. Just a suggestion. I have found that contacting Microsoft technical support through chat instead of phone is more effective. If your problem cannot be resolved, maybe they can explain to you how to downgrade back to your previous version of windows...Good luck with it.

Tablet mode is designed for your fingers, but you said you're using a mouse, so please leave your tablet mode off so that you can use your desktop the way you wish.  Your tablet mode must be off to get to your recycle bin.

If somehow your recycle bin was turned off from displaying, the process to turn it on is like it was in your last Windows, just a single checkbox to turn it on or off. Here's the option checkbox to turn it on (but remember, you can't do this when you're using your computer in touchscreen tablet mode).

1. right-click Desktop, choose Personalize.
2. on the themes section, click Desktop Icons link
3. turn on Recycle Bin and click OK.

Here's a video demo to be clear (remember, you can't do this in tablet mode, it must be off).

Click here to enlarge.