PC Doctor June 14, 2013

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Dear PC Doctor,

I use my work laptop to access a lot of sensitive files and I have to delete them when I'm done with them.  Is there a way to delete files so that they bypass the Recycling Bin so I don't have to delete them twice?


       Thanks Terry

Dear Terry,

Yes, you can delete without sending a file to the Recycling Bin.  If you select a file or folder, then hold Shift while pressing Delete, this will delete the file and it won't appear in the Recycling Bin.  A window will pop up asking you to confirm deleting the folder or file.

Another way to bypass the Recycling Bin is to simply turn off the Recycling Bin so that all files you delete won't end up in the Recycling Bin.  To do this, find the Recycling Bin on your desktop.  If you don't have the icon on your desktop, use Search (from the Start Orb) to find it. Inside the Recycling Bin, right click on any blank space.  In the context menu that appears, select Properties.  This will open a new window.  Here you can check the radio button for “Do not move files to the Recycling Bin.  Remove files immediately when deleted.” Then you can click Apply and close both windows.  No more Recycling Bin!

Good luck! PC Doctor

Until next time… happy computing!