How to change Recycle Bin icon in Windows 11/10

There are two states of the Recycle Bin – one is Recycle Bin with deleted items and the other one is empty Recycle Bin. Both states of Recycle Bin have a different set of icons. In this post, we will show you the steps you can take to change the Recycle Bin icon in Windows 11 or Windows 10. You can make the icon dark or black or set any other icon of choice. The dark icons would blend well, with the dark theme you have set for your PC.

The Recycle Bin is a location where all the deleted files and folders are temporarily stored in every version of the Windows operating system. The Recycle Bin can be used to recover deleted files. Mostly you can find the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop.

Change Recycle Bin icon in Windows 11/10

To change the Recycle Bin icon in Windows 11/10, carry out these steps:

1. Open Settings > Personalization > Themes
2. Click on the Desktop Icon Settings link you see
3. Select the Recycle Bin (full) icon
4. Press Change icon
5. Choose the icon and set it
6. Repeat the process for Recycle Bin (empty) icon.

You can set a dark or any icon of your choice – but the images have to me in the .ico format.

Read: How to change File and Folder Icons.

As an example, let us change the icon to a dark one. Before changing the Recycle Bin icon, you first need to download the Recycle Bin dark icons. There are many websites that can offer a lot of decorative icons in the ico format.

Let’s begin.

• First, head over to DeviantArt and download the Recycle Bin dark icons.
• Next, right-click on the desktop and choose Personalize > Themes.
• On the right pane, scroll down and under Related Settings, click Desktop icon settings.
• In Desktop icon settings window, choose the Recycle Bin(full) icon.
• Click on Change icon and browse the location where you downloaded the Recycle Bin icons.
• Choose the icon and click OK.
• Now repeat the same steps for Recycle Bin (empty) icon.
• Click Apply > OK.

Note: If you constantly switch themes, then make sure the Allow themes to change desktop icons option is unchecked, to avoid themes to change the desktop icons.

If you wish to restore the native icons, right-click on the desktop and choose Personalize > Themes > Desktop icon settings > Restore Default to change the Recycle Bin icons to default.

Read next: How to change Drive Icons.