How to enable the delete confirmation dialog box in Windows

Starting with Windows 8, Microsoft turned off the delete confirmation dialog box by default. What does that mean? It means that if a person was browsing their files and had a single file selected or a folder full of 100's of photos and accidently pressed delete on their keyboard or their cat walked across the keyboard and pressed it for them, there would be no prompt, the file would go straight to the recycle bin.

You might think, well it's in the recycle bin, I can just restore it? Yes, that's true, if you know it's there.

What if you were to run an app such as CCleaner (just to name one) which during part of it's cleaning routine empties the recycle bin? Now its gone unless you notice it soon enough and run some data recovery software to get it back.

Luckily that option is easy enough to turn back on. Here's how to do it.

• Right click the Recycle Bin
• Left click Properties

• Put a check mark in "Display confirmation dialog box"

• Click OK

That's it! Now when you press the delete key you will be prompted if you wish to delete the file.

Happy Computing!

If you learned something today, great! If not, maybe share your own tech tip in the comments below!

I'm Adam, I'm known as Warwagon on the forums. For the past 19 years, I've been operating my own computer repair business. In doing so, I deal with the average computer user on a day-to-day basis.

Every bit of information I provide for people I do so with the lowest common denominator in mind. It's a common misconception that everyone who joins or browses a tech site is a techie. Some people are just looking for guidance. That is why for some, these tech tips may seem a bit too simplistic but they are educational for others.

How to enable the delete confirmation dialog box in Windows