8 Fixes for Recycle Bin is Corrupted on C Drive in Windows 10/11

Recycle bin is the application excessively used in Windows to store deleted files, it is a stable app from Microsoft. But there may be instances where Recycle bin becomes black screen, unresponsive, or comes with error message "The Recycle Bin on C:\ is corrupted. Do you want to empty the Recycle Bin for this drive?". 

Corrupted Recycle bin is frustrating and will disrupt your work on Windows, but thankfully, we have a guide of useful tips for you, it includes 8 troubleshooting methods to help users address the Recycle bin corruption issue.

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Reasons Why Recycle Bin Gets Corrupted on C Drive

Recycle bin is the built-in app on Windows, it seldom runs into a problem, but temporary or system-related issues can sometimes cause Recycle bin to corrupt. Instead of re-installing the system or paying for an expert, you can simply figure out the reason why cause the corruption first, then find the remedy to your specific case.

• Improper configuration of Recycle bin
• Malware or virus infection
• Drive permission has been altered
• The disk is corrupted
• System files are corrupted
• Errors in $Recycle.bin folder
• Sudden power off
• C drive is close to full

8 Fixes for Recycle Bin is Corrupted on C Drive in Windows 10 or 11

First of all, make sure there is enough space on your Windows to run PC properly, and you are recommended to remove some unwanted large files first, because full disk can cause Recycle bin corruption as well. If your PC has enough space, there are additional 8 fixes to troubleshoot this issue.

#1 Reset Recycle Bin with Command

Resetting Recycle bin can delete files and directories in the bin, including the file that lead to corruption, also can restore it to default settings. Windows users can reset recycle bin in command prompt.

1. Enter Command Prompt in the search box of start menu and open the app.
2. Type "rd /s /q C:\$Recycle.bin" into command prompt.
3. Hit Enter.
4. After the resetting, open Recycle bin again to check if the issue persists.

#2 Scan Malware on Windows PC

There may be virus attacking your PC and prevents your computer from working properly, especially when you have downloaded a lot of 3rd-party software or extensions from unauthorized app developers. To make sure the corrupted recycle bin is not caused by malware or virus, you are recommended to scan your Windows first.

1. Open Windows Security from Settings.
2. Choose Virus & threat protection > Scan options.
3. Choose Windows Defender Offline scan and select Scan now.
4. Your Windows will list malware once the scanning finishes, click Start actions to remove it and restart your PC.

#3 Reset Permission of Recycle Bin Folder

If you don’t have the permission of the recycle bin folder anymore, you won’t be able to open and empty the bin and it seems to be corrupted. This can be caused by wrong configurations, malware, conflicts with other software, etc. In this case, we just need to regain the permission of this specific folder to do changes.

1. Open File Explorer, go to Local Disk C, click the 3-dot icon beside View and choose Options.
2. Go to View > Advanced settings > Files and Folders > Hidden files and folders, check the box before "Show hidden files, folders, and drives".
3. Then scroll down the setting list, uncheck the box before "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)" and click Yes to confirm the action.
4. Then you will find the recycle bin folder, right click on it and select Properties.
5. Go to Security > Advanced.
6. Go to Owner, remember this user name, then click on Change.
7. Change to Administrator, check the box before "replace owner on sub-containers and objects", then click Apply and OK.
8. Another prompt will pop up, click OK.
9. Then select Others or Groups.
10. Type the original user name of the account in step 6 that has the corruption issue, check the box before "replace owner on sub-containers and objects" again and click Apply, you will regain the permission now.
11. Click OK and check the recycle bin to see if the corruption persists.

#4 Repair C Drive with SFC

SFC, which is System File Checker, it is designed to scan and repair Windows system files from command prompt. If you got a blue screen of death, missing dynamic link library, crashed or unresponsive programs, a SFC process may solve your problems.

1. Enter Command Prompt in the search box of Windows start menu, run the app.
2. Type "sfc /scannow".
3. Then hit Enter, and it will repair corrupted files if there is any.

#5 Boot Windows in Safe Mode

Safe mode lets users boot Windows with basic files and drivers only, it just loads the essentials and runs the system at a basic state. By booting PC in safe mode, we will be able to narrow down the causes of corrupted recycle bin and decide if we need to update or restore the system.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Choose Update & Security > Recovery on Windows 10, or choose System > Recovery on Windows 11.
3. Go to Advanced startup > Restart now.
4. Choose Troubleshoot. 
5. Select Advanced options > Startup Settings. 
6. Click Restart. 
7. After the restart, press F4 to boot PC in safe mode and check if your recycle bin can be opened.

#6 Delete and Reinstall Recycle Bin

If aforementioned 5 methods cannot fix the issue, it is time to delete and reinstall Recycle bin on your Windows 10 or 11. Reinstalling Recycle bin will delete your files from the trash, but if you can want to restore files from the deleted or emptied recycle bin, please read the complete process as follows to fix corrupted recycle bin without losing files, each step in the process is indispensable.

Step 1. Delete Recycle Bin First

It is easy to delete the recycle bin from your Windows PC, you can simply right click on the Recycle bin to empty and delete.

1. Right click on the Recycle bin icon to empty it first.
2. Then right click on the icon again and delete its icon.

Step 2. Reinstall Recycle Bin on Windows

1. Open Settings > Personalization.
2. Select Themes and click on Desktop icon settings.
3. Check the box before Recycle bin and click Apply.
4. Recycle bin will be reinstalled to your Desktop.

Step 3. Recover Files from Deleted or Emptied Recycle Bin

After the deleting and reinstalling steps, the files in your recycle bin have been removed as well, to restore the data, there is a dedicated data recovery program can help you, it is Cisdem Data Recovery.

Cisdem is a respectable program to scan and recover files lost under various situations, for example, when you deleted files by mistake, emptied trash bin by accident, formatted a disk, or the files get lost due to system crash, power off, virus infection, etc. It supports a number of file types, file systems and storage devices, users can use this program to recover videos, photos, documents and so on from Windows, Mac, SD Card, USB, HDD, SSD...

For files that get corrupted even before the recovery process, it can fix with ease, no matter it is a video, image, Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

1. Download and install Cisdem Data Recovery on your Windows PC.
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2. Go to PC Recovery and select C drive, then click Search for Lost Data.
3. Go to Type, check each folder to find the deleted files that once moved to the recycle bin. Also you can use the Filter tool to quickly search a wanted file.
4. Preview the files by double clicking on the file icon. 
5. Select the deleted files and click Recover button.

#7 Update Windows

Also, you can update your Windows to the latest version and fix any bug that possibly lead to such a corruption of recycle bin.

1. Go to Settings, choose Windows Update.
2. Update your Windows to the latest version.

#8 Restore from A Store Point

If none of the above method solves your problem, you may have to restore to a previous Windows version that runs without errors. System Restore is a built-in utility to recover Windows from a selected store point, so your Windows will revert back to the good state it was. 

1. Choose the Recovery tool from Control Panel.
2. Open System Restore and click Next.  
3. Select a restore point and click Next.
4. Click Finish.
5. Restart your PC and you will find the system files back once booted.

Conclusion

If you are an advanced Windows users know more about technical stuffs, you can find more fixes to repair corrupted recycle bin. And for common users, the 8 fixes list in this guide are all worth for a try. That said, you can reset recycle bin, repair c disk or systematic problems to get the issue solved. If you end up with deleting and reinstalling recycle bin, don’t be hesitate to install Cisdem Data Recovery on your PC and recover the recycle bin files easily.