Show or Hide Recycle Bin Desktop Icon via Registry

This guide explains how to control the visibility of the Recycle Bin icon on the Windows desktop using the Windows Registry Editor (Regedit). By navigating to the specific registry keys and modifying the GUID associated with the Recycle Bin, you can easily show or hide the icon across user profiles or system-wide.

The Registry Path

The primary registry path that controls the display of desktop icons, including the Recycle Bin, for the currently logged-in user is:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel

For a system-wide setting that applies to all users on the computer, the path is:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel

The Value Name and Settings

Inside this registry key, the Recycle Bin is identified by its unique Class ID (CLSID):

• Value Name: {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
• Value Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD 32-bit Value)

The value data determines whether the icon appears on the desktop:

• 0 = Show the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop
• 1 = Hide the Recycle Bin icon from the desktop

How to Modify the Setting

1. Press Windows Key + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel.
3. Locate the DWORD value named {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} on the right pane. If it does not exist, right-click an empty space, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}.
4. Double-click the value and set the Value data to 0 to show the icon, or 1 to hide it.
5. Click OK.
6. Refresh the desktop by clicking an empty area and pressing F5, or restart Windows Explorer via Task Manager to apply the changes immediately.