How to Make the Recycle Bin Icon Appear on the Desktop in Windows Vista or in Windows XP

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There are several reasons why your Recycle Bin icon might disappear. You might have gotten a virus on your system, accidental deletion of the icon, or some aftermarket PC clean tool might of removed it.

A few weeks ago I was working on an XP system that was seriously infected by an virus. After we repaired the system and removed the virus from the system. We had to go in and see what kind of damage was done to the system. After everything was completed, I noticed that the Recovery Bin was missing. So I went into the system and tried to get the icon to come back up. But I had no luck.

What Happens When The Recovery Bin Icon Disappears in Windows XP?

When the Recycle Bin Icon does not appear on the desktop in Windows Vista or in Windows XP, the features of the Recycle Bin do not work. This means you will not be able restore deleted files. Image Source: Windows XP Professional

Make the Recycle Bin Appear on the Desktop in Windows XP

After some research I found there are only two ways to restore your Recovery Bin Icons and they are both super easy to do. But, if you have used some sort of software that removed the Recovery Bin, then it might offer a restore feature. Use that to get your icon back. If not, try these suggestions.

First check and see if you can add the icon back  by following these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel
2. Click Appearance and Personalization
3. Click Personalization,
4. Click Change desktop icons
5. Click to select the Recycle Bin check box, and then click OK.

If this doesn’t work, then you can manually correct this issue or use Microsoft Fix IT feature to automatically fix the issue. To fix it manually or to use the fix it tool, click on the link.

NOTE: These Tips only work for Windows XP and Vista. If you are having this same issue with Windows 7, there is another work around for this.

For this issue, we had to the fix it tool and worked! It only took a few seconds and it was working just fine. I would use the tool over doing it manually.

If you are still using Windows XP or Vista, its time to upgrade your operating system. Windows 7 is a lot better operating system and can help speed up an older system. Just make sure your system meets the requirements of Windows 7.