How to Delete Trash From a Computer

By Si Kingston

The Recycle Bin is a virtual trash can located on your desktop. Its purpose is to house unwanted files on your system until you are ready to delete them. The Recycle Bin is basically a file folder. It is important to delete items from the Recycle Bin since files stored inside the bin are still taking up valuable file space and any files containing sensitive information are still retrievable.

Select a file that you want to delete from your computer.

Use the mouse to drag the file and drop it into the Recycle Bin. Alternatively, you may right-click on a file and select "Delete" from the drop-down menu. This will also move the item to the Recycle Bin. All trash items will be stored in the Recycle Bin until you take further steps to delete the items from your system.

Double-click the "Recycle Bin."

Click on "Empty the Recycle Bin" at the top of the window to delete all Recycle Bin items in Window 7 and Vista. For Windows XP, the "Empty the Recycle Bin" option is listed at the left of the window under "Recycle Bin Tasks."

References

Writer Bio