How to enable delete confirmation dialog box in Windows 10 & 11

By default, in Windows, a confirmation message does not appear when attempting to delete files or media. Instead, the files are immediately moved to the Recycle Bin as trash.

In some instances, this may be a convenient way to quickly delete unnecessary files, but there is a higher chance of accidentally deleting files. Fortunately, Windows 10 and Windows 11 have an option to trigger a confirmation dialog box before deleting a file either temporarily or permanently, providing an added layer of protection.

How to enable delete confirmation dialog box in Windows 10 & 11

On the Windows desktop, right-click on the Recycle Bin icon and select Properties. If the Recycle Bin icon is not visible on your desktop, please refer to our article on how to add it by clicking here and follow the steps provided to enable the Recycle Bin icon.

To enable the confirmation message before deleting files, tick the checkbox that says Display delete confirmation dialog and then click on Ok. You may also adjust the size of the Recycle Bin to accommodate deleted items on your disk. The values displayed here are in MB's, and it's worth noting that 1024 MB equals 1 GB.

After applying the settings as described above, when you right-click on any file and choose Delete, a confirmation dialog box will appear, and you will be prompted to proceed with the deletion or abort the operation based on your selection.

If you want to delete a file without moving it to the Recycle Bin and without any confirmation, you can press Shift + Delete from your keyboard. This will permanently delete the file without asking for any confirmation.