Deleted files keep coming back or reappearing in Recycle Bin

It may sometimes happen that when you delete files from Windows 10 and empty the Recycle bin, it may reappear in the Recycle Bin again. It is a straight forward case of a corrupted Recycle Bin folder. While it may not sound like a big deal, unless files are not removed from the bin, their space is not released. In this post, we will share how you can resolve the issue.

Deleted files keep coming back in Recycle Bin

There is no reason why the Recycle Bin folder would get corrupt, but the system files tend to get corrupt all the time (hence we have the DISM and SFC tools).

We will need to delete a specific folder— $Recycle.Bin, a system folder – but it is not available straightforward since it’s a hidden file. Also, you will need admin permission to fix this.

Locate and Delete Hidden $Recycle.Bin folder

1. Open File Explorer, and click on View Tab.
2. Check the box that says—Hiden items.
3. Open the primary drive or the partition in which Windows is installed.
4. Then click on the search box, and type $recycle.bin
5. Please wait for it to appear in the search result, and when it does, right-click on it, and choose to delete.
6. It will ask you for permanent deletion; click Yes.
7. It will also ask you for the confirmation action; click on the Continue tab.
8. When the UAC prompt appears to you, click on the Continue button.
9. It will ask you for the permanent deletion; click Yes.
10. Delete File dialogue box will appear; check the Do this for all current items and click Yes to save your time.

After completing this process, restart your system and once it restarted, go to the Folder Options again and change the viewing of hidden files to their default settings.

Try deleting some files, empty from the recycle bin, and check if it reappears after a restart.

Hopefully, this should resolve the problem.