To rename the Recycle Bin in Microsoft Windows, follow the steps below for your version of Windows.

Windows 10 and Windows 11

In Windows 10 and Windows 11, follow the steps below to rename the Recycle Bin.

  • Right-click the Recycle Bin on the Windows desktop.
  • In the pop-up menu, select the Rename option.
  • Type a new name for the Recycle Bin and press Enter.

Older versions of Windows: editing the registry

In Windows 8 and earlier versions of Windows, you can rename the Recycle Bin by editing the Windows registry directly.

  • How to back up and restore the Windows registry.

  • Click Start and select Run, or press the Windows key.

  • Type “Regedit” and press Enter.

  • Open the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT folder.

  • Open the CLSID folder.

  • Open the {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} folder.

  • Open the ShellFolder folder.

  • Change the Attributes data value from “40 01 00 20” to “50 01 00 20”.

  • Once completed, change the CallForAttributes dword value to “0x00000000” (double-click and change value data to 0). You must change both values to get the rename option to appear.

After performing the steps above, you can rename the icon like any other icon. Right-click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop, click Rename, and rename it to whatever you want.

Before editing your registry, save a backup. If any errors occur, you can restore the registry to a known good state from the backup.

  • How to empty or manage the Windows Recycle Bin.
  • Microsoft Windows help and support.