Methods to Access the Recycle Bin on an External Hard Drive
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Written By Keshav Katyal -
Approved By Rohit Arora
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Updated on 6 Jun, 2024 -
Min Reading 4 Min - Share
Summary: In this post, we will be discussing a hidden feature of external storage drives – the recycle bin. We will see how to access it and manage data inside it. And in case you have accidentally deleted some of your files, try using a data recovery tool to recover them easily.
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Does a hard drive have its own recycle bin? How does one access and manage it?
Such questions have been posted countless times on various forums across the internet. Let’s try to find the answer to this.
Recycle Bin is a folder that keeps all the files that have been deleted from their respective locations on a computer. Similarly, external storage devices like hard drives or pen drives, have recycle bins present on them that keep deleted files before they are permanently deleted or overwritten by new data.
Depending upon the file system, different external storage drives have recycle bins with different names, such as $RECYCLE.BIN, RECYCLER, or RECYCLED.
As we all know, when we delete a file, it is never truly removed from the device. Only the pointers and its name from the file table are removed. This makes the space occupied by the unmarked data ready to be overwritten by new data. The deleted data can be recovered easily if the data hasn’t been overwritten. In such a case, file recovery is required. Let’s read further and know more about hidden folder.
What is the Purpose of Recycle Bin on an External Hard Drive?
As mentioned before, Recycle Bin on an external storage device temporarily stores deleted files and data inside it. It acts as an added layer of security and prevents data loss due to accidental deletion.
Where to find the Recycle Bin on an External Hard Drive?
The $RECYCLE.BIN, RECYCLER or RECYCLED folder is a critical location, which is hidden by default. It is located in the root directory of a drive. You can access this folder by making the hidden files and folders visible. To do this –
- Open This PC and navigate to the connected external drive.
- Click on View in the menu bar at the top of the window.
- Locate the Options button and click on the downward arrow.
- Click on Change folder and search options.
- In the next window, click on the View tab and then choose Show hidden files, folders and drives option. Also, uncheck the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) option.
- Click on Apply and then OK.
This will make the hidden files and folders visible. You will now be able to see the Recycle Bin folder named either $RECYCLE.BIN, RECYCLER, or RECYCLED.
How to Delete the Recycle Bin Files on an External Storage Drive?
Now that we know how to access the Recycle Bin on an external hard drive, let’s learn how to delete files from it. For this, you need to first connect an external storage drive to your computer. Then make the hidden files and folders visible using the method mentioned in the previous section. Once done, locate the recycle bin, double-click on it to open it, and then delete the files present inside it.
Note –In some cases, you won’t be able to delete the files present in the recycle bin of the external drive. This could be due to some errors like the 0x80070091. In this situation, you can take a complete backup of your data and format the external drive to delete the files in the recycle bin on the external drive.
How to Recover Deleted Files on an External Drive?
If you have accidentally deleted important files from an external hard drive’s recycle bin and now require them, you can still get them back. However, the files you deleted should be present in there, and the data shouldn’t have been overwritten by new data. In such a scenario, you can easily restore them by undoing it. However, if they are not present there, you will require a robust data recovery software to recover deleted files that we will discuss in the next section.
What if the Files Have Been Permanently Deleted?
If the files have been permanently deleted from an external hard drive using either SHIFT + DELETE or formatting, you won’t be able to recover them from the recycle bin.
In this case, you can take help of a specialized hard drive data recovery software like Stellar Data Recovery as the recovery of erased files is not possible without it.
This software‘s powerful data recovery algorithms allow easy recovery of deleted or lost data from any storage media. It can retrieve almost any type of file lost due to system crashes, formatting, accidental deletion, and more. You too can try your hands with this and recover your precious data in a few clicks.
Final Words
Recycle Bins on hard drives and other external storage devices function like the Recycle Bin present on our computers. However, unlike the latter, they are hidden on the external drives. In this post, we discussed various ways to access the hidden recycle bin present on an external storage drive.
We also touched upon the importance of data recovery from files lost from an external drive’s recycle bin and looked at a powerful data recovery tool. Do let us know in the comments if we have missed any other workable method.
Frequently Asked Questions
Simply open File Explorer > View > Options > View tab > Show hidden files, folders, and drives > Apply > OK.
Open CMD (Administrator) > Type rd /s /q X:$Recycle.bin and press Enter. Replace X with the drive letter of your external hard drive. This will delete the recycle bin from that external drive. Restart your computer afterwards and the system will automatically recreate the recycle bin on the hard disk.
A. Yes, all storage drives including USB drives have their own recycle bin where the deleted files are moved.
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NO About The Author
A passionate writer, driven by his interest in everything tech, Keshav Katyal has always been captivated by the latest gadgets since childhood. His interest in gadgets grew when he got his first gaming console, the Nintendo Game Boy Advanced. Hours and days of tinkering with gadgets encouraged the inner geek in him who now loves writing about the latest technologies.
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I’ve also used computers since 1995 and didn’t know this about external drives. Will partially-overwritten files still appear in the hidden recycle bin? I ask because I wonder how Windows (I’m using Win10) knows when such data is partially overwritten if it no longer has pointers. If they still show, I assume from the article they are non-corrupted (not partially overwritten)?
In any case thanks so much for a simple and very helpful article. I feel silly having never known the use of those folders all these decades.
Finally, an amazing article. You have given a very good and straightforward and variety of suggestion.
We are overwhelmed to know that the article helped you.
It helped me alot, thank you so much
Can I access the recycle bin on my external hard drive from a different computer?
Accessing the recycle bin on an external hard drive from a different computer depends on various factors. If the external hard drive is connected to the other computer, you can navigate to the drive and locate the recycle bin folder to access and restore deleted files. However, if you don’t have physical access to the external hard drive but have network access to it, you may need to use remote access or file-sharing methods to access the recycle bin. It’s important to ensure that you have the necessary permissions and connectivity to access the external hard drive from the other computer.
Can I access the recycle bin on an external hard drive using a Mac?
Yes, you can access the recycle bin on an external hard drive using a Mac. The process may differ slightly from the methods mentioned in the blog post if you’re using macOS. On a Mac, deleted files are typically moved to the Trash instead of the recycle bin. To access the Trash on your external hard drive, simply connect the drive to your Mac, open the Trash from the Dock or Finder, and you should be able to see and restore the deleted files. It’s always recommended to safely eject the external hard drive before disconnecting it to avoid any data loss.
Brilliant article! I’ve been using external hard drives for years, but I never knew accessing the recycle bin was possible. Your post not only taught me something new but also provided multiple methods to choose from. I appreciate the effort you put into making your content comprehensive and user-friendly. Kudos to you, and keep up the excellent work
Your appreciation and encouragement mean a lot to me. It motivates me to continue delivering excellent work and creating valuable content for readers like you. If you have any more questions or need assistance with any other topic, feel free to ask. I’m here to help. Thank you again, and I wish you all the best!
When I open the external hard drives recycle bin, I know for a fact there are numerous photos and videos of a lost loved one in the recycle bin, how ever when trying to access it they do not appear in the recycle bin folder to be restored any fix around this?
Hi Jon,
If the photos and videos of your lost loved one are not appearing in the recycle bin folder on your external hard drive, try these steps:
Check Your Hidden Files, Sometimes, files might be marked as hidden. Enable the option to show hidden files in your file explorer settings.
Try to Restore Through Recovery Stellar Data Recovery Software.
Stop using the external hard drive immediately to prevent new data from overwriting the deleted files.
Remember that the chances of recovering deleted files decrease if the drive has been used extensively after the deletion. Always back up your important data regularly to prevent such situations in the future.