The Recycle Bin has been a staple on Windows for a long time, but not everyone wants it on the desktop. You can disable it via the Desktop Icon Settings, but there is a bug where if you attempt to re-enable it, the “Recycle Bin” option is grayed out and cannot be toggled.
Fortunately, you’re able to fix the issue by reverting specific changes in the Registry Editor or the Group Policy Editor.
1. How to Bring Back the Recycle Bin Using the Group Policy Editor
The Group Policy Editor lets you show or hide the Recycle Bin icon from the desktop. Check if you have modified and accidentally disabled the Recycle Bin group policy recently. If so you can set the Remove Recycle Bin icon from the desktop policy to “Not Configured” which will restore it.
You may not find the Local Group Policy Editor in Windows Home Edition. However, you’re able to run a batch script toenable Group Policy Editor on the Windows Home editionor skip to the Registry Editor-based fix in the next step.
To restore the Recycle Bin icon using the Group Policy Editor:
Close the Group Policy Editor and check your desktop to see if you may access the Recycle Bin. If not, make sure the Recycle Bin is set to show in Desktop Icon Settings.
To enable Recycle Bin in Desktop Icon Settings:
If you may’t access Group Policy Editor or if the issue persists, you can use the Registry Editor to fix this problem.
2. Modify the Recycle Bin Registry Settings
Another way to resolve and restore the grayed-out Recycle Bin icon in the Desktop settings is via the Windows Registry. you’re able to modify the registry entry value responsible for the settings and configurations of Recycle Bin working to restore the functionality.
Making modifications to the Windows registry involves tweaking settings that may harm your device if performed incorrectly. We recommend youcreate a Windows restore pointandtake a Windows registry backupbefore attempting to modify the Windows registry.
To modify the Recycle Bin registry value:
If the issue persists, try tocreate a new user account with administrative rights,perform a system restore, orrepair corrupted Windows files with Windows' built-in tools.
Get Access to the Recycle Bin Desktop Icon Setting Again
An incorrectly modified group policy can gray out the Recycle Bin icon in the Desktop Icon Settings dialog. Fortunately, it’s an easy fix, and you should now have your Recycle Bin back to how you like it.
