The Recycle Bin on E is Corrupted in Windows 10 - How to Fix

How do I fix a corrupted Recycle Bin on my external hard drive?

Generally, the files or folders we delete will be temporarily saved in the Recycle Bin in the system, so that we can recover accidentally deleted files when needed. What if the Recycle Bin gets corrupted? If you also received the Recycle Bin corrupted message as the above users, don't worry. On this page, we will round up several fixes. Keep reading to get a complete guide.

Why is my Recycle Bin corrupted?

Before addressing the solutions for repairing corrupted Recycle Bin, let’s have a look at the common causes of this question.

▶ Malware or virus attacks cause a system failure.

▶ Corruption of the $Recycle.bin folder, where you can find deleted files on Windows 10, prevents the Recycle Bin from normal operation.

▶ An unexpected shutdown of your device causes damage to the running Recycle Bin.

▶ System crashes may result in damage to system files.

▶ A corrupted DLL file linked to the Recycle Bin results in the Recycle Bin not functioning properly.

Fix “The Recycle Bin on E is corrupted in Windows 10” in 3 Ways

Before trying anything method complex to fix "the Recycle Bin is corrupted", we recommend that you run the antivirus software installed on your computer or the Windows Defender that comes with your system to scan your computer for malware or viruses. If there are, get rid of them to see if the corrupted Recycle Bin is repaired.

If the problem persists, try the other methods below then.

Solution 1. Fix corrupted Recycle Bin using CMD

CMD is a powerful Windows tool for many PC problems. For example, you can recover files from USB, external hard drive, and local disks with CMD. You can also utilize it to fix “the Recycle Bin on drive is corrupted on Windows 10”.

Step 1. Type “cmd” in the Windows 10 search box and click on Run as administrator.

Step 2. Input the command rd /s /q E:\$Recycle.bin, then click Enter.

Notes:✎...

The /s parameter applies to delete the specified directory and all its subdirectories, including all files, and the /q parameter specifies no confirmation prompt while deleting a directory.

After resetting Recycle Bin, all folders and files in it will be erased.

If this error occurs on your other hard drive, like the Recycle Bin on drive C is corrupted on Windows 10, replace "E" with the appropriate drive letter, and run the command to fix the error.

After the operation is completed, the corrupted Recycle Bin on the E drive will be deleted. Then, reboot your computer and there will be a new Recycle Bin for you. And the prompt that the Recycle Bin is corrupted on this drive will no longer pop up.

Solution 2. Remove and Reinstall Recycle Bin

In addition to using CMD, you can also fix Recycle Bin corrupted on external hard drive or local by deleting the Recycle Bin folder and all its permissions, and then reinstalling the Recycle Bin.

It is important to note that this option will cause the files in the Recycle Bin to be emptied. If you need to remain the files in the Recycle Bin, please turn to another solution to the Recycle Bin on E is corrupted in Windows 10 error.

Step 1. Press Windows + E keys on the keyboard to open File Explorer, tap View, and click Options.

Step 2. On the pop-up Folder Options screen, select View tab, and untick “Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)” and click OK.

Step 3. Go back to File Explorer and open your E drive, find the $Recycle.Bin folder and delete it.

Step 4. Reboot your computer, right-click on a black space on the Desktop, and choose Personalize.

Step 5. Click Themes > Desktop icon settings > select Recycle Bin, and click Apply.

Solution 3. Repair corrupted Recycle Bin with file checker tool

If the “Recycle Bin is corrupted in Windows 10” is caused by damaged system files, you can run System File Checker to scan your Windows system for corrupted files and repair them to solve can't find Recycle Bin on Windows 10 or Recycle Bin is corrupted on Windows 10.

How to fix corrupted Recycle Bin with System File Checker? The following is a complete guide.

Step 1. Open Command Prompt and tap on Run as administrator.

Step 2. Type the following command and then press Enter.

sfc /scannow

Then, the sfc /scannow command will scan all protected system files, and replace corrupted files with a cached copy on your computer.

How to recover files from corrupted/emptied Recycle Bin

So, what if during the repair process, the Recycle Bin files are emptied, or, unfortunately, the damaged Recycle Bin does not contain the files you need to recover? Here, professional data recovery software - MyRecover can help. It will thoroughly scan the hard drive and get files back from Recycle Bin after empty.

• Easy to use - It allows you to recover files within 3 simple steps.

• High speed and recovery rate - It recovers deleted files at a quick speed, with a high recovery rate.

• All-inclusive - It offers to recover data from formatted hard drives, lost partitions, virus attacks, etc. on USB, SD card, HDD, SSD, and so on.

• Flexible - It supports 200+ types of data recovery, including Word, Excel, PPT, pictures, videos, emails, webpages, and so forth.

Download MyRecover for free and follow the intuitive tutorial below to restore your needed data on Windows 10.

Step 1. Hover the mouse over the drive where your files get lost, (if your files get lost on an external hard drive, connect it to your computer in advance), then click Scan.

Step 2. The tool will run Quick Scan and Deep Scan methods to find all deleted and lost files automatically. It offers the "Filter" and "Search for files or folders" features for you to locate the wanted files quickly.

Step 3. Click on Recycle Bin on the left menu, and select the items you want to restore. Click the "Recover x files" button and save the restored files to a secure path to get back your lost files when the Recycle Bin is corrupted on Windows 10.

Conclusion

How to fix “the Recycle Bin on E is corrupted in Windows 10”? This detailed guide lists three useful solutions. Please refer to the foregoing tips to repair your corrupted Recycle Bin with ease. Besides, we provide a simple and free way - using MyRecover to restore data when Recycle Bin is corrupted or emptied.