Clear the Recycle Bin For All Users in Windows Server 2008 R2

PowerShell Empty All Recycle Bins

You can forcefully empty all recycle bins on local computer without asking user for confirmation to delete recycle bin content using Clear-RecycleBin cmdlet as below

In the above script, PowerShell Clear-RecycleBin uses Force parameter to remove contents of all recycle bin without user confirmation.

Video

How to Empty Recycle Bin in File Explorer Ribbon

Step 1: Open the Recycle Bin.

Step 2: Click on the Recycle Bin Tools Manage tab, and click on Empty Recycle Bin in the ribbon then click on Empty Recycle Bin.

How to Empty Recycle Bin in Storage Settings

Remove file of Recycle Bin in Settings, here is how:

Step 1: Open Settings app, click System > Storage.

Step 2: Click on This PC and then scroll down the list and choose Temporary files.

Step 3: Click on Temporary files.

Step 4: Under Remove temporary files, select the Empty recycle bin checkbox and then choose Remove files button.

Method 4: Empty Recycle Bin from Settings

You can also make Windows 10 empty Recycle Bin via Settings. It is easy to do this:

1. Go to Start > Settings > System > Storage.

2. Click Temporary files under drive C.

3. Scroll down to find Recycle Bin and check it.

4. Scroll up to the top and click the Remove files button.

PowerShell Empty Recycle Bin of Specified Drive

If you want to empty recycle bin of specified drive eg.. C:\, use Clear-RecycleBin command as below

In the above script, PowerShell Clear-RecycleBin uses DriveLetter parameter to specify drive letter as C. It will ask for user confirmation to empty recycle bins of C Drive only.

Output of above command to delete recycle bin contents of specified drive as below

Cool Tip: How to stop running process in PowerShell!

Empty Recycle Bin from File Explorer

The recycle bin is hidden in the File Explorer, but you can easily reveal it. Once you have the Recycle Bin open in File Explorer, you can empty it from the Manage option in the Ribbon. Follow these steps:

1. Open File Explorer
2. In the address bar, start typing Recycle Bin. The term Recycle Bin will appear pretty quick and you can click it to open the recycle bin.
3. In File Explorer, click Manage – Recycle Bin Tools in the menu bar
4. In the ribbon, click Empty Recycle Bin

Setup Recycle Bin to Auto Empty

Login to your Synology Admin Portal and then go into the Control Panel.

You then need to go into the Task Scheduler:

You can then create a new task to carry out the automated clearing of the Recycle Bin using the steps below in the video.

This task will now run as per your settings and empty the recycle bin as per your instructions.

Recurring logon-scriptable deletion

You can do this with the Disk Cleanup tool (cleanmgr.exe). Unfortunately, Microsoft decided to bundle this with the “Desktop Experience” set of features, meaning you’ll have to install a bunch of other crap and reboot.

The alternative is to grab the following two files and move them to the specified locations per Technet:

Cleanmgr.exe should go in %systemroot%\System32.

Cleanmgr.exe.mui should go in %systemroot%\System32\en-US.

Running cleanmgr alone won’t let you clear everyone’s recycle bin, but you can use /sageset and /sagerun to make a logon script that runs for all users via GPO that will clear their recycle bin on the next logon, as described here. It’s not the cleanest thing, but it will work. The linked article is for XP, but the syntax is unchanged as of Server 2008 R2.

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