How to delete the files from the Recycle Bin ... even from teams

Hamid Nawaz 0 Reputation points
2026-05-19T13:43:46.75+00:00

How to delete the files from the Recycle Bin ... even from shared folders in teams

Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams for business | Files | Other
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  1. AI answer

    2026-05-19T13:44:00.92+00:00

    To permanently delete files that were shared in Teams, they must be deleted from the underlying storage (OneDrive or SharePoint) and then from the relevant Recycle Bins.

    1. Delete files from Teams (channel shared files)
    1. In Teams, go to Chat > Channels.
    2. Select the channel.
    3. Open the Shared tab.
    4. Hover over the file, select More options > Delete.
      • For multiple files, select the check marks for each file, then More options > Delete. This moves the file to the SharePoint site Recycle Bin.
    1. Permanently delete channel files from SharePoint Recycle Bins
    1. In the same channel Shared tab, select More options > Open in SharePoint.
    2. In SharePoint, open Recycle bin.
    3. At the bottom of the Recycle Bin page, select Second-stage recycle bin (Site Collection Recycle Bin).
    4. Do one of the following:
      • To delete specific items: select the circle next to each item, then select Delete.
      • To delete everything: clear all check marks and select Empty recycle bin.
    5. Confirm Delete.
      • Caution: Items deleted from the Second-stage Recycle Bin are permanently removed.
    1. Delete files from Teams personal OneDrive (OneDrive tab in Teams)
    1. In Teams, select OneDrive.
    2. Go to My files.
    3. Hover over the file and select More actions > Delete.
      • The file moves to the OneDrive Recycle bin.
    1. Permanently delete from OneDrive Recycle Bin
    1. In Teams, select OneDrive.
    2. Open Recycle bin.
    3. Select the file(s) and choose Delete (or Empty recycle bin to remove all).
    1. Delete files directly in a SharePoint document library (for shared folders)
    1. Open the SharePoint document library that backs the Teams channel or shared folder.
    2. Select the file(s) or folder(s) (check box on the left).
    3. Select Delete on the toolbar.
    4. Confirm Delete.
      • This sends items to the SharePoint Recycle Bin; use step 2 to permanently remove them.

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  2. Anonymous
    2026-05-19T15:04:19.6+00:00

    Hi @Hamid Nawaz, 

    Just to make sure I’m understanding correctly, are you looking to permanently delete files that are already in the Recycle Bin, including those from shared folders in Teams? Or are you trying to remove them directly from Teams so they don’t appear in the Recycle Bin at all?  

    In the meantime, let me share some general guidance that should help in both cases. Teams itself doesn’t actually have its own Recycle Bin. Files shared in Teams are stored behind the scenes in either SharePoint (for channels) or OneDrive (for chat files). That means when you delete a file in Teams, it simply moves to the Recycle Bin in SharePoint or OneDrive, rather than being permanently deleted right away. 

    Here’s how you can remove those files completely: 

    • First, open the relevant channel in Teams. Then go to the Files tab and choose Open in SharePoint. This will take you to the document library where the files are actually stored. 

    User's image

    • From there, open the Recycle Bin in SharePoint and delete the file if it’s still in the first-stage Recycle Bin. After that, scroll to the bottom of the page and open the Second-stage Recycle Bin, then delete the file again to permanently remove it: 

    User's image

    Note: 

    • If the file is in a standard channel, it is stored in the team’s SharePoint site. 
    • If the file is in a private channel, it is stored in a separate SharePoint site for that channel. 
    • If you are not a team owner or site collection admin, you may not have permission to permanently delete from the second-stage recycle bin 

    You can also refer to Microsoft’s official guidance here: Delete items from the site collection recycle bin - Microsoft Support 

    If you have any questions or if your scenario is a bit different, feel free to reply here with more details. I’ll be glad to help you work through it. I hope the information I’ve shared above is helpful for your reference. 

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