# Windows 7 Recycle Bin: How do you see total size?



## JohnJSal

Am I missing something here? I can't figure out how to see the total space the Recycle Bin is using. It used to be in the status bar, didn't it? But now the status bar just shows the number of files.

Thanks.


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## linkin

I think you need to go into the bin, hold the right mosue button and select all the files, release the button and then click on properties. it should start adding up the file sizes. i never use the recycle bin anyway, i just use shift+delete.


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## G25r8cer

^^ To my knowledge this is the only way. Unfortunately there is no "properties" for the recycle bin that shows the space. There is but, it just lets you change the Max size. 

If anyone knows another way, please enlighten me and others


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## JohnJSal

Wow, I can't believe a feature as basic as the total file size would have been removed.


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## Bodaggit23

Right Click on the Recycle Bin and click Properties.


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## G25r8cer

Bodaggit23 said:


> Right Click on the Recycle Bin and click Properties.



Read my post boddagit! 

That doesnt give the amount thats in the recycle bin. That just lets you change the Max


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## Bodaggit23

No need to yell...!

It's simple really.

The size of the files in the Recycle Bin is less than the max allowed in the Recycle Bin Properties.

Besides, all you have to do is navigate to the Recycle Bin through Windows Explorer and highlight
all the files in the bin. Total file size shows up at the bottom.


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## JohnJSal

Bodaggit23 said:


> No need to yell...!
> 
> It's simple really.
> 
> The size of the files in the Recycle Bin is less than the max allowed in the Recycle Bin Properties.
> 
> Besides, all you have to do is navigate to the Recycle Bin through Windows Explorer and highlight
> all the files in the bin. Total file size shows up at the bottom.



That's......less than ideal.


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## G25r8cer

JohnJSal said:


> That's......less than ideal.



Exactly my point


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## Bodaggit23

See screenshot.


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## G25r8cer

Bodaggit23 said:


> See screenshot.



We know that! 

There should be a more simple way. Such as when going to properties on any other mass folder.


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## JohnJSal

G25r8cer said:


> We know that!
> 
> There should be a more simple way. Such as when going to properties on any other mass folder.



Yeah, we don't deny that your method works, but 1) seeing that the Recycle Bin holds less than the maximum that it can hold and 2) having to navigate into Windows Explorer to get to what is already a desktop icon, are not good solutions for something so simple (and that was already a feature of previous Windows versions).


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## JohnJSal

I should add that going to the Recycle Bin and selecting all the files does show the size at the bottom, but this ceases to work once you have more than a few files selected. Once you have several files selected, you get a "See more details" link in the status bar, but clicking on that does not display the total file size. Frustrating....


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## Bodaggit23

JohnJSal said:


> Once you have several files selected, you get a "See more details" link in the status bar, but clicking on that does not display the total file size. Frustrating....



Really? I do...

Besides, I suggested navigating to the Recycle Bin using Windows Explorer because I have
no icons on my desktop.

Just double click on it from your desktop...

Maybe you don't have your window maximized, like the details are hiding below the taksbar?


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## JohnJSal

Weird. I just tried it again and resizing didn't help. What's really strange is that I had 25 files selected and it *did* show the total size, but when I added one more, it didn't!


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## G25r8cer

JohnJSal said:


> Weird. I just tried it again and resizing didn't help. What's really strange is that I had 25 files selected and it *did* show the total size, but when I added one more, it didn't!



It has to be "Refreshed". There should still be an even more simple way.


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## Bodaggit23

G25r8cer said:


> There should still be an even more simple way.



Double click the Recycle Bin, then press Ctrl + A.


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## JohnJSal

Bodaggit23 said:


> Double click the Recycle Bin, then press Ctrl + A.



That's what I've been doing, but it doesn't work with a lot of files.


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## Bill16857

does it really matter how big your recycle bin is?


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## linkin

It matters how much disk space is being used, so yes. As i said before i just use shift+delete to delete anything.


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## bomberboysk

personally I just have the recycle bin disabled.

however, there should be a setting under folder & search options to show size of folders on the information bar. Not sure if vista/7 still have this feature because I am on my phone atm.


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## Richard Cade

As soon as you select folders, it ceases to show the size! Thank you, idiots from Microsoft!


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## Bodaggit23

Richard Cade said:


> As soon as you select folders, it ceases to show the size! Thank you, idiots from Microsoft!



It does if you double click on it...


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## JohnJSal

Richard Cade said:


> As soon as you select folders, it ceases to show the size! Thank you, idiots from Microsoft!



You're right, that seems to be the issue! You still have to select all, which is stupid, but once a folder gets selected, then it no longer shows the total size in the status bar!


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## tlarkin

JohnJSal said:


> Am I missing something here? I can't figure out how to see the total space the Recycle Bin is using. It used to be in the status bar, didn't it? But now the status bar just shows the number of files.
> 
> Thanks.





		Code:
	

diruse /M /S c:\RECYCLER


I don't have a windows box to test this with, so results may vary


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## Bodaggit23

tlarkin said:


> Code:
> 
> 
> diruse /M /S c:\RECYCLER
> 
> 
> I don't have a windows box to test this with, so results may vary



Fail.


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## tlarkin

Bodaggit23 said:


> Fail.



Every hard drive has a hidden folder called "Recycler" that is where the recycle bin resides on that drive on a Windows box.  You may have to enable viewing hidden folders to find it.

I can't test it until I get home as I don't have a Windows Vista/7 machine even near me.


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## Alphonse68

*I know this is old, but...*

I've read the entire thread, and I noticed that there is "one small detail" which was omitted. First, let me say that all of you are basically right... those of you who say that the RB displays the total size with a few or with many files, that's true; those of you who say it doesn't, it is also true, but I have found it happens under one circumstance, when there are folders that have been deleted. When folders are deleted, the RB displays only the modified date range. In previous Windows versions one could select all the files and folders and press Alt+Enter, or right-click >> Properties, to obtain a total size of the contents of the RB. The only way I can obtain the total size is to look at the properties of the $Recycle.Bin folder on the hard drive from where the files were deleted--this happens if you have a USB hard drive connected and deleted files from it.

Before anyone gets ants in his or her pants, let me explain:

We are talking about two things here, the Recycle Bin (RB) and the $Recycle.Bin ($R.B) folder in the root of each drive.

If you open the RB from the Desktop icon, it will display all, or almost all eek: Don't fret, explanation to "almost all" is coming right up.), the files deleted from all drives, if there is more than one connected at the time. 

If you open the $R.B in Windows Explorer, you will find at least one S-1-5-... folder. Normally you will find two or more on drives that have been disconnected, like USB drives, before the RB was emptied. 

Since deleted files are not moved to the C drive when they're deleted from second hard drive, Slave or USB, they remain in their "host" drive. If you DISconnect the 2nd drive before emptying the RB, those files will remain in that drive's $R.B folder, and will NOT be taken into account the next time you connect such drive, therefore, the "almost all" above. 

Why not, you ask? Because Windows creates a new S-1-5-... folder each time the external drive is reconnected, and the old S-1-5... folders become "dead files & folders", noticeable to us only when there is a large discrepancy (probably in 10's of GB, at least) between the free space + used space and the total drive space (and the RB is "empty"... ).

If you go into the $R.B folder and you see two or more S-1-5-... folders, you can delete all but the one with the current date. Then, empty the RB and the totals (free+used=total capacity) should now match.

All this being said, Windows 7's Recycle Bin still does NOT display the total size of its contents, if folders have been deleted.


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