Solved Can't empty Recycle Bin

fixer · Dec 3, 2023

I've recently started using OneDrive and am now collecting undeletable entries in Recycle Bin. This happens because I'm using OneDrive in manual mode, i.e. no sync, I just upload individual files and folders as necessary as an offsite backup. If you upload a folder this way when it already exists in OneDrive you have to delete the old folder first but this deleted folder then also shows in your local recycle bin. Files are different as OneDrive does give you the choice as to what to do with the old one. Lord knows why deleting a folder in OneDrive would create an entry in your local Recycle Bin when sync is turned off but it does, and you cannot delete it so I have quite a collection already.

Does anyone have any idea how I might clear my Bin?

fixer · Dec 3, 2023

OK, fixed it. Need to first delete in local OneDriveTemp folder

TM21 · Dec 3, 2023

Well, that was quick!

I and a few Mil others have elected to keep our data a little bit closer to home, so One Drive is GONE!
AS for cleaning out the recycle bin(s), a simple one line command in my Cleanup.bat (batch file) program does that nicely.

PowerShell Clear-RecycleBin -force -ErrorAction:Ignore

That simple one-liner, in a batch file will empty every Recycle Bin on your PC.
I have OS's on three drives and that command empties the Recycle Bin on every one of them.
The above command assumes that you have the "PowerShell" active on your PC. Obviously, I do!

Cheers mates, and Merry Christmas,
TM

fixer · Dec 3, 2023

Hi TM. These folders, if they exist at all, which I rather doubt, really are undeletable. Your batch file is as ineffective against them as are all the other ways of deleting stuff in the recycle bin. That's probably because they weren't deleted on the computer - they were deleted in OneDrive online.

Understand your attitude to OneDrive - I wouldn't consider using it as the primary home for my files either, but I'm just pushing files to it as an offsite backup and that works fine until you delete a folder online, when this problem occurs. Oh, and btw, the fix I found that worked for my laptop doesn't on my Win 10 PC.

Here's the bin -

Solved Can't empty Recycle Bin

fixer

Well-known member

My Computers

System One System Two

fixer

Well-known member

My Computers

System One System Two

TM21

Banned

My Computer

System One

fixer

Well-known member

My Computers

System One System Two

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