How to Delete Files on Windows 11 laptop – Everything there is to know about deleting files, recovering them, and emptying the Recycle Bin in Windows 11.
How to Delete Files on Windows 11 Laptop 2024
Windows 11 is the latest iteration of Microsoft which offers a user-friendly interface.
Opinions can be divided on whether that is the case, but one thing we will all agree on is that there has been a lot of change.
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From the Taskbar, Action Center, and Settings to File Explorer, everything looks fresh and alive.
One of the changes you might notice is the revamped context menu.
Right-clicking on a file doesn’t bring up the same context menu we used to do for years.
Despite the changes, the relevant options remain, some in the form of tiles while others in the form of icons.
If you plan to delete a file or folder, these options are still accessible with the same ease, but the steps are slightly different.
However, the DEL key still works like a charm.
How to delete files on Windows 11 laptop using the Delete icon in the Context Menu
When you right-click on a file, a neat new context menu with far fewer options appears.
If you can’t find the Delete option, here’s how to do it.
To delete a file, right-click on it and select the Delete icon at the top or bottom of the context menu.
The icon resembles a trash can and is placed together with icons for Cut, Copy, Rename, and Sharing.
Click Yes, if a confirmation box appears.
Note: The confirmation box only appears if configured in the ‘Recycle Bin’ properties.
How to delete files on Windows 11 laptop from the Command bar File Explorer
When you launch File Explorer, you’ll see the Command Bar at the top.
This is a quick way to access some basic tools including the Delete icon.
To delete a file, select it, then click the Delete icon in the Command Bar.
How to delete files on Windows 11 laptop from the Legacy Context Menu
After years of working on the old context menu, we don’t expect you to get to know the new one right away, and neither does Microsoft.
Therefore, they have not completely removed the old context menu and it is still accessible.
Here’s how you do it.
To delete a file, right-click to open the context menu, then select Show More Options to access the old context menu. Alternatively, select a file and press SHIFT + F10 and the old context menu will appear.
Next, click the Delete option to delete the file.
How to delete files on Windows 11 laptop using Keyboard Shortcuts
You can also delete files and folders in Windows 11 by selecting them and pressing the DEL key on the keyboard.
When you press it, the file is moved to the recycle bin.
To permanently delete a file in Windows 11, select the file you want to delete in File Explorer, then press the keyboard shortcut SHIFT + DEL.
When the confirmation box appears, click Yes to confirm the deletion of the file.
Files deleted this way will not be found in the Recycle Bin.
That’s how to delete files on a Windows 11 laptop that you can choose according to the most convenient and easy way for you.
How to restore deleted files on Windows 11 laptop
If you accidentally delete a file, you can recover it from the Recycle Bin.
However, you should restore it immediately because the recycle bin starts cleaning old files when the storage space runs low.
You can recover many specific files or all those stored in the Recycle Bin at once.
To restore a specific file, launch the Recycle Bin from either the Desktop icon or the Start Menu, right-click on the file, and select Restore from the context menu.
To restore multiple files, hold down the CTRL key, click all the files you want to recover, and then click Restore the selected items near the top right corner.
To recover all files in the Recycle Bin, simply click ‘Recover all items’ near the top right corner.
Click Yes in the confirmation box that appears.
How to empty the Recycle Bin to delete Files Permanently
Files you delete will go into the ‘Recycle Bin’ and continue to take up space on the hard drive.
If you don’t want it on your computer, you can empty the recycle bin and free up some space.
To empty the Recycle Bin, click the Empty Recycle Bin option in the Command Bar at the top.
Next, click Yes on the confirmation box that appears.
Conclusion:
You should now understand how to permanently or temporarily delete files on a Windows 11 laptop. Deleting files that are no longer needed can help increase your laptop’s performance and free up your storage.
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