My 32GB USB thumb drive has no Recycle Bin, but my 250GB external USB drive does. On NTFS filesystems created in Windows Vista and later, it’s \$Recycle.Bin.įrom what I can tell, different operating systems also treat the concept of “removable” slightly differently (or at least inconsistently).On NTFS filesystems created in Windows versions prior to Vista, it’s \RECYCLER.On FAT filesystems, it’s \RECYCLED at the root of the drive.
The actual folder containing the Recycle Bin can have different names, depending on the file system used and the version of Windows you run.
Drives accessed over a network also don’t use a recycle bin, but I believe that’s due to network performance, among other issues. My belief is that it has to do with the assumption that removable drives are typically too small to hold them. It’s confusing and surprising, but the Recycle Bin seems to be used inconsistently across versions of Windows, at least when it comes to what Windows considers to be a “removable” device.ĭrives that are considered “removable” - like your USB Pen Drive - should not have recycle bins at all. I’ve also seen it be present but go unused.
As you’ve found out, there’s not always a Recycle Bin.