If you like a clean, minimalistic desktop, you may not even want the Recycle Bin on the desktop. Normally, when you create a shortcut to the Recycle Bin and drag it to the taskbar, the shortcut is placed under the Explorer icon. With a few tweaks, you can pin the Recycle Bin directly to the taskbar, creating a separate icon, and remove it from your desktop.
NOTE: Moving the Recycle Bin to the taskbar may clean up your desktop, but it does add a step when emptying the Recycle Bin. When you right-click on the icon on the taskbar, there is no Empty Recycle Bin option available.
You must first click the Recycle Bin icon on the taskbar to open it in Windows Explorer, and then you can right-click on it in the left pane, and select Empty Recycle Bin from the pop-up menu. If you don’t like the prospect of this extra step, we recommend you leave your Recycle Bin on the desktop.
If you do decide to move your Recycle Bin, right-click anywhere on the desktop and select New | Shortcut from the pop-up menu.
On the Create Shortcut dialog box, type the following into the Type the location of the item edit box and then click Next.
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe shell:RecycleBinFolder
Enter “Recycle Bin” in the Type a name for this shortcut edit box and click Finish.
Now, you have a shortcut to the Recycle Bin on the desktop. However, the icon is not correct. To change this, right-click on the Recycle Bin shortcut and select Properties.
On the Recycle Bin Properties dialog box, click the Change Icon button.
Enter the following text into the Look for icons in this file edit box and press Enter. Select the trash can icon from the collection of icons in the Select an icon from the list below box. Click OK.
The icon will be correct on the shortcut now. Drag the shortcut to the taskbar to pin it there.
Now you can remove the Recycle Bin from the desktop. The best way to “delete” the Recycle Bin from the desktop is to turn the icon off. This way, if you change your mind at some point and want it back on the desktop, you just turn it back on. To do this, right-click anywhere on the desktop and select Personalize from the pop-up menu.
The Personalize Control Panel item opens in Explorer. Click the Change desktop icons link in the left pane.
On the Desktop Icon Settings dialog box, uncheck the Recycle Bin check box to turn it off. Click Apply and then click OK to close the dialog box.
The Desktop Icon Settings dialog box also allows you to turn on and off other desktop icons and change the icons used.
by Lori Kaufman
Great help. Easy to follow and worked perfectly. I am always a fan of instructions with pictures.