Files that Weren't Deleted Showing up in Recycling Bin

Question

So I have a user with an issue I haven't been able to diagnose. Her recycling bin is filling up with files that she works with. The files are still in their original locations on her disk, but it seems like every time she goes to edit one, it spawns in her recycling bin. The files are of all different types, one drive is disabled, and the recycling bin isn't synced up to any other folder. The files are from different folders around the drive. Is there anything that can cause this kind of behavior?

Answer 1

Some applications like Excel, don't rewrite file data back to the file being edited. A "file save" operation creates a temporary file, deletes the original, and then renames the temp file to the original name.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/description-of-the-way-that-excel-saves-files-fe847711-96cf-5978-00ae-46e30db88982

The delete operation would be the reason the file is sent to the recycle bin. Are these all Office files? If so, you should add tags for Office/Word/Excel to this question to reach out to those experts to see if they have any insight as to how to manage this. I don't use Office.

Answer 2

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for your post. Generally speaking, we often occur this issue when you sync OneDrive to your PC, you will see one of three icons in File Explorer; One being the Sync icon (saying it is currently syncing or updating), one being the Cloud icon (saying it is done syncing or updating), and one being the Download icon (green circle with a check box). While all files are stored in OneDrive, a PC must download the info within the file to open, view, and edit it on that PC (and then store it back in OneDrive when you save it).

If you have opened a file from OneDrive via File Explorer, and someone later deletes it from OneDrive, it will appear in your Recycle Bin because your PC recognizes the file no longer exists. If you have not opened it, it will not appear in the Recycle Bin because outside of seeing it in the folder, the PC has never downloaded the info to view it, and doesn't recognize it is gone.

If you are seeing a ton of files from OneDrive you once worked on in your Recycle Bin that you did not delete, it likely means someone else in our organization deleted them from OneDrive.

However, I noticed that you have disabled the OneDrive. Thus, please try the following methods to do the troubleshooting:

1. Restart your computer and try emptying the Recycle Bin again. Sometimes a simple restart can fix temporary glitches. 2. Run the System File Checker (SFC) to check for and repair any corrupted system files. To do this, open an elevated Command Prompt (right-click the Start button and select "Command Prompt (Admin)") and type the command "sfc /scannow" (without the quotes). This will scan your system files and repair any corrupted ones. 3. Reset the Recycle Bin settings. To do this, right-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and select "Properties." Under the "Recycle Bin Location" section, select the drive where you're experiencing the issue and click the "Custom size" radio button. Change the size to a smaller value than the one currently set, and then click "Apply" and "OK." Now try to empty the Recycle Bin again. 4. If none of the above steps work, you may need to rebuild the Recycle Bin. To do this, open an elevated Command Prompt and type the command "rd /s /q C:$Recycle.bin" (without the quotes), and press Enter. This will delete the Recycle Bin folder for the C: drive. Then restart your computer, and a new Recycle Bin folder will be created automatically.

Best Regards,

Ian Xue

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