Windows 11 is blocking me from restoring items in my recycle bin

1. Return to your original account​

1. Open Start.
2. Click your account picture/name.
3. Select Sign out.
4. On the sign-in screen, select the account you originally used under Windows 10.
5. Sign in and open Recycle Bin.
6. Select the files and click Restore selected items.

2. Make the original account an administrator​

1. While signed into the original account, open Settings > Accounts > Your info.
2. Check whether Administrator appears under your account name.

1. Sign into the separate Administrator account.
2. Open Settings > Accounts > Other users.
3. Select your original account.
4. Click Change account type.
5. Choose Administrator and click OK.
6. Sign out and return to the original account.

3. If normal Restore is blocked​

1. Create a folder such as C:\Recovered.
2. Open Recycle Bin while signed into the original account.
3. Select the required items.
4. Drag them from Recycle Bin into C:\Recovered.
5. Confirm any administrator prompt.

4. Important precautions​

1. Do not empty the Recycle Bin.
2. Do not run commands that delete or reset C:\$Recycle.Bin.
3. Do not use takeown or icacls against the entire drive.
4. If the files are absent from the original account too, minimize use of that drive until recovery is attempted.
5. If the files were stored in OneDrive, also check OneDrive’s online Recycle Bin.

frustratedtoujours said:

I am the sole owner of and only user of MY PC. None of the instructions I've found online reflect what actually exists on my PC in my desperate need to assign to me ALL privileges. A few months ago I was able to set up "administrator" profile but the administrator sees practically nothing that is on my PC including a totally empty recycle bin. How can I get total control so I can restore the stuff in my recycle bin? I have Windows11 that I upgraded to from 10.

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1. Return to your original account​

1. Open Start.
2. Click your account picture/name.
3. Select Sign out.
4. On the sign-in screen, select the account you originally used under Windows 10.
5. Sign in and open Recycle Bin.
6. Select the files and click Restore selected items.

Try restoring one item​

1. Open Recycle Bin.
2. Right-click one file you want back.
3. Select Restore.

If Restore fails, bypass the original folder​

1. Open Documents.
2. Create a folder named Recovered.
3. Open Recycle Bin in another window.
4. Drag one deleted file from Recycle Bin into the Recovered folder.
5. Check whether the file opens normally.

• Restore is missing or greyed out
• Clicking Restore does nothing
• Windows displays an error—please provide the exact wording
• Dragging the file into Documents\Recovered also fails
• The items are visible but cannot be selected

WindowsForum AI said:

You are right—the account-switching instructions did not apply because you are already using your original Windows 10 account. Please ignore that section. We need to focus specifically on what happens during restoration.

Try restoring one item​

1. Open Recycle Bin.
2. Right-click one file you want back.
3. Select Restore.

If Restore fails, bypass the original folder​

This tests whether Windows is blocking access to the file’s original location.

1. Open Documents.
2. Create a folder named Recovered.
3. Open Recycle Bin in another window.
4. Drag one deleted file from Recycle Bin into the Recovered folder.
5. Check whether the file opens normally.

Do not change ownership or reset the Recycle Bin yet, because doing so could permanently remove its contents.
Please tell me exactly which situation occurs:

• Restore is missing or greyed out
• Clicking Restore does nothing
• Windows displays an error—please provide the exact wording
• Dragging the file into Documents\Recovered also fails
• The items are visible but cannot be selected

That specific result is necessary before making any permissions changes.

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1. What happens when you right-click one item and choose Restore?
2. Can you drag that item into a new folder such as Documents\Recovered?
3. If Windows shows an error, type the exact wording or upload a screenshot.

Do not restore every DLL blindly​

Check where each file came from​

1. Open Recycle Bin.
2. Select View > Details.
3. Locate the Original Location and Date Deleted columns.
4. Sort by Original Location or Date Deleted.
5. Identify which files are actually important to you.

• If it shows one of your personal folders, restore the files you recognize.
• If it shows a particular application folder, reinstalling that application is safer than restoring individual DLLs.
• If it shows C:\Windows, System32, WinSxS, a temporary folder, or an update folder, do not restore the DLL manually.
• If you did not personally delete these files, leave them in Recycle Bin until we determine what created or deleted them.

WindowsForum AI said:

That result is useful: drag-and-drop works, so Windows is not completely denying your account access to the Recycle Bin. Also, .dll files are program components; they are not documents that you normally open.

Do not restore every DLL blindly​

Unknown DLL files might belong to removed software, an old update, temporary folders, or potentially unwanted software. Moving a DLL into Documents\Recovered is harmless for examination, but do not copy it manually into C:\Windows or C:\Program Files.

Check where each file came from​

1. Open Recycle Bin.
2. Select View > Details.
3. Locate the Original Location and Date Deleted columns.
4. Sort by Original Location or Date Deleted.
5. Identify which files are actually important to you.

Use the original location to decide what to do:

• If it shows one of your personal folders, restore the files you recognize.
• If it shows a particular application folder, reinstalling that application is safer than restoring individual DLLs.
• If it shows C:\Windows, System32, WinSxS, a temporary folder, or an update folder, do not restore the DLL manually.
• If you did not personally delete these files, leave them in Recycle Bin until we determine what created or deleted them.

The fact that many files already restored suggests this may be a problem with only certain original destination folders, rather than your administrator privileges.
Please provide the Original Location shown for one DLL that refuses to restore, plus the exact message Windows displays when restoration fails.

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1. Protect the remaining files​

1. Close CCleaner and do not run Duplicate Finder again.
2. Press Windows key + I.
3. Open System > Storage > Storage Sense.
4. Temporarily switch Storage Sense Off because it can automatically remove Recycle Bin contents.
5. If C: has absolutely no free space, move some personal videos, photographs, or archives to an external drive. Do not remove more program or Windows files.

2. Give your original account administrator status​

1. Save all open work.
2. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete.
3. Select Switch user.
4. Sign into the separate Administrator account.
5. Press Windows key + R.
6. Enter netplwiz and press Enter.
7. Select your original account.
8. Click Properties > Group Membership.
9. Select Administrator.
10. Click Apply > OK.
11. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and switch back to your original account.

3. Restore the deleted files​

1. Sign into the original account.
2. Open Recycle Bin.
3. Select View > Details.
4. Press Ctrl + A.
5. Right-click the selection and choose Restore.
6. When Windows requests administrator permission, select Continue or Yes.
7. If offered Do this for all current items, select it.
8. If Windows says that a file already exists, choose Skip rather than replacing the existing file.
9. If restoring everything at once stops, sort by Original Location and restore one location group at a time.

Method 1: Force a complete sign-out​

1. Save and close everything.
2. Press Windows key + R.
3. Enter:

1. Press Enter.
2. At the sign-in screen, look in the lower-left corner for the separate Administrator account.
3. Sign into it and follow the earlier netplwiz procedure.

Method 2: Elevate the original account without switching​

1. Press Windows key + R.
2. Type cmd and press Enter.
3. Run:

1. Write down the result, for example MYPC\lola.
2. Close Command Prompt.

1. Press Windows key + R.
2. Type powershell.
3. Press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
4. When prompted, enter the username and password for the separate Administrator account.
5. Replace MYPC\lola below with the exact result obtained from whoami:

1. Press Enter.
2. If it reports that the account is already a member, your original account is already an administrator.
3. Otherwise, sign out using shutdown /l, then sign back into your original account.

frustratedtoujours said:

I need to sleep. I'll follow up lateR.

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Mike said:

Did you drag "My Computer" into your Recycle Bin?

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WindowsForum AI said:

Of course—get some rest. Leave the Recycle Bin untouched and do not run CCleaner or Storage Sense. We can continue from the forced sign-out or account-elevation step when you return.

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