How to permanently delete files after emptying recycle bin

Delete or restore files from your OneDrive recycle bin in Android, iOS, or Windows mobile

Table of Contents Show

Delete files
Recover a file from the Recycle Bin
Empty the Recycle Bin
See how much storage space you have (personal OneDrive accounts only)
Delete files
Recover a file from the Recycle Bin
Empty the Recycle Bin
See how much storage space you have (personal OneDrive accounts only)
Delete files
Recover a file from the Recycle Bin
Empty the Recycle Bin
See how much storage space you have
Need more help?
How do I permanently delete files after deleting from Recycle Bin?
How do you permanently delete files so they Cannot be recovered?
Does empty Recycle Bin permanently delete files?
How do I permanently delete something instead of recycling?

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Files deleted from OneDrive are kept in the OneDrive Recycle Bin for 30 days for personal accounts. The files can be restored to OneDrive before then, or you can permanently delete them from your OneDrive.

Note: If your recycle bin is full, the oldest items will be automatically deleted after three days. If you're signed in with a work or school account, items in the recycle bin are automatically deleted after 93 days, unless the administrator has changed the setting. See more information about how long deleted items are kept for work or school accounts.

Select your device's OS (Android, iOS, or Windows mobile) from one of the tabs below:

Delete files

Tap and hold the file you want to delete. (To delete multiple files, after selecting a file, check the circles next to each additional file you want to delete).
Note: You can only delete 200 files at a time. If you need to delete more than 200 files at once, go to OneDrive.com.
Tap Delete
.
When asked to confirm your deletion, select OK.

Recover a file from the Recycle Bin

Tap the Me icon
at the bottom right of your screen, select the account, and then tap Recycle Bin.
In the Recycle Bin view, select the files you want to restore.
To restore the files back to your OneDrive, tap Restore
.

Empty the Recycle Bin

Tap the Me icon
at the bottom right of your screen, tap the account you're using, and then tap Recycle Bin.
In the Recycle Bin view, select the files you want to delete.
Tap Delete
to remove the files permanently.
Note: Android users have the option to empty the entire Recycle Bin at once by tapping Delete All in the upper right.

See how much storage space you have (personal OneDrive accounts only)

In the OneDrive app, tap the Me icon

at the bottom right of your screen, and then look at the Storage Space line to see your total storage and space available or to purchase additional storage.

Delete files

Tap and hold the file you want to delete. (To delete multiple files, after selecting a file, check the circles next to each additional file you want to delete).
Note: You can only delete 200 files at a time. If you need to delete more than 200 files at once, go to OneDrive.com.
Tap More
, then tap Delete
.
When asked to confirm your deletion, select Delete.

Recover a file from the Recycle Bin

Tap the Me icon
in the upper left of your screen, select the account, and then tap Recycle Bin.
In the Recycle Bin view, select the files you want to restore.
To restore the files back to your OneDrive, tap Restore
.

Empty the Recycle Bin

Tap the Me icon
in the upper left of your screen, tap the account you're using, and then tap Recycle Bin.
In the Recycle Bin view, select the files you want to delete.
Tap Delete
to remove the files permanently.

See how much storage space you have (personal OneDrive accounts only)

In the OneDrive app, tap the Me icon

in the upper left of your screen, and then look at the Storage Space line to see your total storage and space available or to purchase additional storage.

Delete files

Tap Select
, then select the file or files you want to delete.
Note: You can only delete 200 files at a time. If you need to delete more than 200 files at once, go to OneDrive.com.
Tap Delete
.
When asked to confirm your deletion, select Delete.

Recover a file from the Recycle Bin

Tap Menu
> Recycle bin. (For Windows 8 or 8.1, tap Menu
> Settings > Accounts. Select the account, then tap View Recycle Bin.)
Tap Select
and tap the check box of the files you want to recover, then tap Restore
.

Empty the Recycle Bin

Tap Menu
> Recycle bin. (For Windows 8 or 8.1, tap Menu
> Settings > Accounts. Select the account, then tap View Recycle Bin.)
In the Recycle Bin view, select the files you want to delete.
Tap Delete
to remove the files permanently.

See how much storage space you have

In the OneDrive app, tap Menu

> Settings

> Accounts. On the Accounts page, each of the accounts connected to your OneDrive app is shown, with total storage and space available for each.

Need more help?

How do I permanently delete files after deleting from Recycle Bin?

To delete files permanently from their original location, select the files and then press Shift and Delete keys together to delete files and folders permanently. Go to your Recycle Bin folder on your Windows system, right-click on it, and select Empty Recycle Bin.

How do you permanently delete files so they Cannot be recovered?

To permanently delete files on Windows, send them to the Recycle Bin and then empty the Recycle Bin to delete them for good. Once the bin is empty, you can't recover the files unless you have data or file recovery software.

Does empty Recycle Bin permanently delete files?

Whenever you delete a file in your computer and empty your Recycle Bin, your data is not entirely wiped out from your computer. Although you can no longer see the file on the location it once was and your operating system no longer has it, a copy of it still exists in your hard drive.