Quickly manage and delete files in the D:\ drive’s Recycle Bin:
- Navigating to the Recycle Bin of your C:\ drive will show all files/folders originating from the D:\ drive
- Delete all files taking up space on your D:\ drive’s Recycle Bin by using the Disk Cleanup utility
- Right click your external drive in Window’s File Explorer and click Properties
- Click Disk Cleanup under the storage visualization of the General tab
- Select Recycle Bin and confirm to delete all contents originating from the D:\ drive
- Windows 11 handles drive management differently
- Click Details under the general tab of Properties (replaces the Disk Cleanup button)
- Click Temporary files
- Select the check mark for Recycle Bin
- Click Remove Files to confirm the deletion
If you’ve ever toyed around with the Xbox PC app then you know just how finicky it can be with external drives. After moving to a new computer I realized that it would take a little more than hitting the delete key on a few leftover files and folders. In the end, it was more tedious than it had any right to be, but I did eventually figure out how to install Game Pass PC games on a different computer with the previously used external drive.