Windows 11 D Drive Space Drops Dramatically After Deleting Game

This issue is typically caused by a corrupted or hidden $Recycle.Bin folder on the drive. When the Recycle Bin metadata becomes corrupted, Windows may fail to release deleted files properly, leaving large hidden files behind even though the bin appears empty. In some cases, Shadow Copies/Restore Points or hidden system folders such as System Volume Information can also consume unexpected space.

Steps that you can try 

1. Manually clear the Recycle Bin folder

Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

rd /s /q D:\$Recycle.Bin

This deletes the hidden Recycle Bin folder on D:. Windows will recreate it automatically.

2. Check Shadow Copy storage

Run:

vssadmin list shadowstorage

If large allocations exist, reduce or delete them:

vssadmin delete shadows /for=D: /all

3. Scan with a disk space analyzer

Use WinDirStat, TreeSize, or WizTree to identify hidden folders consuming space. This confirms whether $Recycle.Bin or System Volume Information is responsible.

4. Run Storage Sense or Disk Cleanup

• Go to Settings → System → Storage → Storage Sense and run cleanup.
• Or run cleanmgr, select D:, and tick Recycle Bin and Temporary Files.

Notes

• Deleting $Recycle.Bin permanently removes recoverable files.
• Removing shadow copies deletes restore points, so ensure backups exist first.
• Disk analyzers are safe read‑only tools; they will not modify files.

The space loss is almost certainly due to a corrupted $Recycle.Bin folder or hidden shadow copies. Clearing the Recycle Bin folder and checking shadow storage should restore the missing space immediately.