Windows: Renaming the Recycle Bin

The Recycle Bin is a great feature of Windows, but it is very difficult to customize the name. Unlike other system icons on the desktop, you cannot just right-click it and select Rename as usual.

The only way to rename the Recycle Bin is to hack the Registry.This is not as simple as the method for the other icons, but you can easily get through it.To get started, let’s assume that you want to rename the Recycle Bin as 'WaDaH RuNtaH':

1. Click the Start button and select Run.

2. Then type regedit in the box and click OK.

3. When the Registry Editor is started, you will want to expand the HKEY_CURRENT_USER, Software, Microsoft,Windows, CurrentVersion, Explorer, CLSID, and {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} folders.

4. When you have expanded the last folder, you should see an entry called (Default) that has no value. Right-click that entry and select Modify.

5. Next, just type WaDah RuNtaH, or any other name, in the box and click OK. If you want to hide the text under the Recycle Bin icon, you will still have to specify a name. Instead of typing in a word, just click the spacebar once and then click OK. You do not have to worry about entering in the ASCII code for a space when editing the registry.

6. Close the Registry Editor and press F5 when viewing your desktop to see your changes. If that does not work for your computer, then you will have to log out and log in to activate the changes.

Now your Recycle Bin name has changed! :)