When a file or folder is deleted, it is sent to the Recycle Bin. To protect users against accidental deletion of important files, the Recycle Bin collects deleted files and provides a method of restoring those files. You must empty the Recycle Bin to make the deletion permanent. Until the files are deleted from the Recycle Bin, the disk space that is occupied by those files is unavailable for other uses.

To empty the Recycle Bin simply right-click the Recycle Bin icon to reveal a shortcut menu. Then, select Empty Recycle Bin from the menu choices.