The Recycle Bin is Windows’ dedicated trash can, useful for getting rid of all kinds of unwanted file rubbish. It's one of the few Windows tools that has its own dedicated desktop shortcut by default; you can always click the Recycle Bin’s desktop icon whenever you need to empty the bin.

However, that desktop shortcut isn’t a "normal" shortcut. Unlike normal shortcuts, you can’t pin the default Recycle Bin shortcut to the taskbar or apply a hotkey to it. Yet, you can still pin the Recycle Bin to the Windows taskbar and set up a hotkey for it without any third-party software as outlined below.

How to Add the Recycle Bin to the Taskbar on Windows 11

To add a Recycle Bin to the taskbar, you must first set up a standard desktop shortcut for it. Then you can select to pin that shortcut to the taskbar much the same as any other. This is how you can set up a new Recycle Bin shortcut and pin it to your taskbar in Windows 11.

1. First, right-click the desktop and select New.
2. Click the Shortcut option to bring up the Create Shortcut window.
3. Enter explorer.exe shell:RecycleBinFolder within the Type the location of the item text box, and click the Next button.

   

4. Input Recycle Bin within the Type a name for this shortcut box.
5. Press the Next button to add your new shortcut to the desktop.

The shortcut will not have a File Explorer icon. However, you can change that icon to a more appropriate Recycle Bin one. To do so, right-click the desktop shortcut and select Properties. Then press the Change Icon button to open up a window.

There, type %SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll in the Look for icons in this file text box, and press the Enter key. Then select one of the Recycle Bin icons. Click the OK button, and select Apply to save the new icon settings.

Alternatively, you could download a new Recycle Bin icon from IconArchive. Select a bin icon there, and click the ICO button. Press the Save button to download it to a folder. Then you can select the downloaded icon by clicking Browse on the Change Icon window.

Now you’ve changed the shortcut’s icon, it’s time to add it to the taskbar. Right-click your new Recycle Bin shortcut and select Show more options. Then select the Pin to taskbar option to add it.

Voila, now you have a Recycle Bin shortcut on the taskbar! Go ahead and click that icon to open and empty the Recycle Bin. If you ever want to remove it, right-click the Recycle Bin icon and select the Unpin from taskbar option. You can also erase the desktop shortcut you set up by right-clicking it and selecting Delete.

Related: Delete These Windows Files and Folders to Free Up Disk Space

How to Set Up a Keyboard Shortcut for the Recycle Bin in Windows 11

Alternatively, you can set up a hotkey for the Recycle Bin with a new desktop shortcut. By doing so, you can open that bin by pressing a hotkey. To do so, set up a new desktop shortcut for the bin as outlined above. Then follow these steps to add a keyboard shortcut to it.

1. Right-click your new Recycle Bin desktop shortcut and select Properties.
2. Click in the Shortcut key box.

   

3. Then, press the R button, which will establish a Ctrl + Alt + R hotkey.
4. Select the Apply option to save the changes.
5. Click OK to close the Recycle Bin Properties window.

Now press the Ctrl + Alt + R hotkey you just set up. Pressing the keyboard shortcut will open the Recycle Bin. However, note that removing the custom Recycle Bin shortcut from the desktop will also delete its hotkey.

How to Remove the Default Recycle Bin Shortcut in Windows 11

Pinning the bin to the taskbar or setting up a hotkey for it will make the default Recycle Bin shortcut somewhat redundant. So, you might as well remove the default shortcut from the desktop when you’ve set up an alternative one. This is how you can remove the default Recycle Bin from Windows 11’s desktop.

1. Right-click the desktop and select Personalize.
2. Select Themes on the Personalization tab.

   

3. Click the Desktop icon settings option to open the window in the snapshot directly below.

   

4. Deselect the Recycle Bin checkbox there.
5. Then click the Apply and OK options.

Read also: How to Remove the Recycle Bin From the Windows 10 Desktop

Add a Better Recycle Bin Shortcut to Windows 11

That’s how you can add a better Recycle Bin shortcut to Windows 11. By doing so, you’ll be able to customize the shortcut’s icon, add it to the taskbar, and assign a hotkey to it. A taskbar icon or hotkey for the Recycle Bin is even more directly accessible than a desktop shortcut because you don’t need to minimize any windows to open it with such shortcuts.

Note that this trick also works in other Windows platforms. As such, you can perform the above steps on Windows 10, 8.1, and 7, to name a few.