Recycle Bin opens documents folder

Question

Whenever I drag an item into the Recycle Bin, the Documents folder opens. Triple-clicking the Recycle Bin will also cause this to happen. I've scanned the internet for solutions, but none that were suggested have worked.

Answer 1

Hi Daniel Kuras,

I understand how frustrating that can be, especially when the Recycle Bin starts opening a completely unrelated folder.

Based on your description, this may be caused by a corrupted Recycle Bin shortcut, an incorrect shell folder association, or File Explorer corruption.

First, please let me know:

• Does the Documents folder open when you double-click the Recycle Bin normally, or only when dragging files to it and triple-clicking it?
• Does the same behavior occur in a newly created local Windows user account?

In the meantime, please try rebuilding the Recycle Bin:

1. Right-click Start and select Windows Terminal (Admin).
2. Run the following command: rd /s /q C:\$Recycle.bin
3. Restart your PC.

After restarting, Windows will automatically recreate the Recycle Bin.

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