How To Customize the Recycle Bin Icon in Windows 10

If you’ve recently upgraded to Windows 10 (or installed it fresh) and started poking around, you might’ve noticed all the new icons popping up everywhere. Like, the desktop icons, file explorer icons, and all that. Of course, the default Recycle Bin icon isn’t exactly a design masterpiece—kind of dull when it’s full, and pretty bland overall. But if you’re someone who prefers a bit of style or just hates the standard icons, you might want to swap that default icon with something cooler.

The good news is, unlike some older Windows versions, you don’t need third-party utilities to do this. Windows 10 actually lets you change icons, including the Recycle Bin, through the Desktop Icon Settings. The catch? Accessing this menu isn’t as straightforward as clicking right and choosing “Change Icon.” The classic way via Personalization and direct links isn’t available anymore, but it’s still doable.

Here’s how to pimp out that Recycle Bin icon without messing around too much. It’s not perfect—some steps are a little roundabout—but it works once you get the hang of it. Expect your new icons to look a lot more modern or personalized, and it’s kinda fun to customize your desktop to look just the way you want.

Change Windows 10’s Recycle Bin icon with a custom one

Just follow these steps and you’ll be good. Pro tip: Make sure your custom icons are in .ico format. If you find a cool PNG or JPG, you’ll need to convert it first—there are tons of free converters online, or use tools like Paint. NET with some plugins. I’ve found DeviantArt has some decent icon packs for free, so that’s a good place to start.

How to access Desktop Icon Settings in Windows 10

Open the Settings app (hit Win + I), then go to Personalization. For some reason, the direct link to Desktop icon settings got buried, so instead, click on Themes on the left side, then scroll down to the Related Settings section, and select Desktop icon settings. Depending on your Windows version, this might open a small pop-up window.

If that direct link isn’t working for you, another trick is to right-click your desktop, choose Personalize, then click on Themes, and then find the Desktop icon settings link as described.

Changing the “Recycle Bin (full)” icon

In the Desktop Icon Settings window, click on the Recycle Bin (full) icon in the list. Then, hit the Change Icon button. On some setups, this is a little tricky—sometimes the window won’t refresh immediately, so clicking around or restarting the Explorer process can help.
This opens a Change Icon dialog. Here, you can pick from some default icons, but if you want something custom, click Browse and navigate to wherever you stored your .ico files. Select your favorite icon and click Open, then press OK.

Note: Windows only accepts icon files in .ico format. So, if you have a PNG or JPEG, you’ll need to convert it. There are free online converters like ConvertICO or ICO Convert that do the job pretty quick.

Changing the “Recycle Bin (empty)” icon

Select the Recycle Bin (empty) icon in the same window, then click Change Icon again. Follow the same process as above—browse to your custom icon file, choose it, and confirm.

And if you want to go all out, there’s a free tool called CustomizerGod you can use for bulk icon changes or customizing other system icons. It’s not perfect, but for free, it’s pretty handy. Also, if you’re into customizing folder icons, check out guides on getting Windows 7-style folder icons in Windows 10.

Oh, and don’t forget to peek at some Windows 10 Recycle Bin tips and tricks articles for other neat tweaks.

Wrap-up

Changing the Recycle Bin icon isn’t the most straightforward thing in Windows 10, but it’s definitely doable. Just a matter of navigating a few hidden menus, grabbing some ICO files, and clicking around. Yeah, the process could be more elegant, but once you get used to it, your desktop can look more personalized and less boring.

Hopefully, this takes just a few minutes to pimp out your desktop icons. Good luck and don’t forget—you might need to restart Explorer or log out and back in to see the changes.

Summary

Open Settings > Personalization > Themes> Desktop icon settings.
Select Recycle Bin (full), click Change Icon, and pick or browse for your custom ICO file.
Repeat for Recycle Bin (empty).
Create or download ICO files beforehand to have a good selection.