How to remove the Trash from your desktop

After installing Windows, by default there are exactly two icons on the desktop of a fresh system - the Edge browser and the Recycle Bin. And if you can get rid of the first icon by dragging it into the same “Trash”, then how can you remove the second one from view?

Some might say that it doesn’t interfere at all. But this is a purely individual question. For example, some users like to have no icons on their desktop at all, but only beautiful wallpapers that give peace of mind. And an urn sticking out in the corner can prevent them from achieving complete zen and concentration.

Microsoft has made the process of hiding "Baskets» is a little unobvious, but it can be removed. To do this, right-click on the desktop and select the “Personalize” option.

Go to the “Themes” item - the icon settings are hidden there.

If you have Windows 11, click "Change desktop icons" located in the list of settings right after themes. IN

Windows 10 it's called "Desktop Icon Settings" and it's located in the top right of the Settings window.

In the window that appears, uncheck the box next to “Trash” and click OK.

There is another way to bring up Desktop Icon Options. To do this, press Win + R on your keyboard or select “Start” → “Run”, enter the command desk.cpl ,5 (just like that, with a space before the comma) and click OK.

Keep in mind that this will only remove the Recycle Bin from the desktop, but will not disable it. To get into it, you will need to type in the address bar of “Explorer” Basket or Recycle Bin, if you have an English version of Windows, and press Enter. You can also grab the Trash icon in the address bar and drag it to your Quick Access Toolbar so you can always have it at your fingertips.

Finally, if you don’t need the Recycle Bin at all, open it and right-click on an empty space in the Explorer window. Click "Show advanced options" → "Properties". Well, or just “Properties” if you have Windows 10.

In the properties, select the option “Destroy files immediately after deletion, without placing them in the Recycle Bin” for each drive on which the Recycle Bin is enabled. Click OK. Now all the files you delete will be destroyed immediately - without moving them first.

True, they can still be restored later, but for this will be needed special applications.