Hello, everyone.

I have noticed the following issue recently on both my Windows 10 and Windows 11 laptops, and am not sure how to deal with it.

When I attempt to empty my re-cycle bin, I’m presented with a dialog that says something like “Do you want to cancel all transfers in progress?”.

I often get stuck in the dialog, whether I answer yes or no.

And, once stuck in the dialog, I can’t seem to exit it.

Can someone tell me what this dialog means, how to get rid of it, or at least how to deal with it effectively.

Thanks!

Dr.  Tom Behler From Michigan

Tom,

In my experience, pressing spacebar on “Yes” removes the message. However, you may want to check your last, or one of your last actions. Just today, I got a similar message after I’d attempted to delete a file. You would think deletion didn’t mean transfer, but it seems Windows interpreted it that way on this occasion.

So, after pressing “Yes,” perhaps alt-tab from window to window to see if any operation has been suspended. If you find a deletion or other operation is on hold, press the escape key.

Ultimately, the trick is to ensure you haven’t attempted to copy over or delete a file before attempting to empty the recycle bin. If this doesn’t work, one more thought. Close Word, which might have something going on in the background that you don’t find out about until closing it.

Glenn:

All my files are saved to OneDrive.

However, I remember occasionally having this issue even before I started saving to OneDrive.

Tom Behler