Abstract :
Did your computer delete all files after updating to Windows 10? FonePaw Data Recovery allows you to get them back..
“I am really surprised. I was already using Windows 10 and the updates automatically went through last night without me being able to stop it. This morning, all the important documents on my computer were erased! Can Microsoft do this? How can I get all my data back? "
This was posted by a Windows 10 user in the Microsoft community. Some users have noticed that files disappeared right after updating Windows 10 (a forced update by Windows), and even after a restart nothing changes, these files still cannot be found.
Read also:
- How to recover lost data from USB drive? (opens new window)
- How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files on Your PC (opens new window)
- Error: USB device not recognized on Windows 10/7/8 (opens new window)
Does Windows 10 Update remove files? And how to recover deleted files after Windows 10 update? This guide will give you the answers to the questions you are looking for..
Usually, Windows 10 updates do not remove files. But if all your files are gone on Windows 10, try restarting your PC first. Sometimes it is possible to find all the files after a restart. If that doesn't work, you can open File Explorer and check if the free space of the volumes has suddenly increased significantly. If so, your files were definitely deleted during Windows Update, but you can still try to restore them using FonePaw Data Recovery (opens new window) . On the other hand, if there is no change in your disk space, Windows 10 has not actually deleted your files.You can recover lost files (opens new window) after updating Windows 10 with the following methods.
# Method 1: Find all files missing after Windows 10 update with software
Before installing the application, remember that you should not write any new data to the drive where your lost files were located. This is because this new data could replace the data you want to recover. Therefore, if Windows 10 update erased all your files, then it is better to stop using your computer. You can download and install FonePaw Data Recovery on the drive to prevent your files from being completely lost..
Step 1: Download and install FonePaw Data Recovery by clicking the button below.
Step 2: After opening the program, you can tick the type of files to be recovered. If the Windows 10 update deleted your photos, check “Photos”; If text files are lost, check “Documents”. Then select the C drive or other drives where the lost files are located. As the program can only recover lost files from one drive at a time, you will have to repeat these steps to restore all files on each drive if you have lost data in different hard drives.
Step 3: Click “Scan” button, and the program will start scanning for files deleted during Windows 10 update.
Step 4: After scanning, lost files will be presented based on file type or their location. You can preview the files to check if they are what you want to restore. If you can't find what you want, click "Deep Scan" to find other deleted files on your computer.
Step 5: After verification, tick the files you want to recover. Click on the "Recover" button at the bottom right to find them.
Of course, if you find that the used space in the volume has almost no change after Windows 10 update, it means that the files may be transferred to other folders or may be hidden by Windows system . So you can try the methods below to locate your files after Windows 10 update.
# Method 2: Logging out of the temporary account
After updating your Windows system, your personal account could be disconnected and it is also possible that your username is a temporary account. In this case, your personal files cannot be found on your PC due to the protection of account privacy by Windows.
In this case, right click on the “Start” menu and choose “Shut down or log out” → “Log out”. After signing out, select the personal account you normally use again and sign in. Then you can check if your files have been restored successfully.
# Method 3: Find lost files after Windows 10 update
As I mentioned, apparently lost files can be transferred to other paths that you don't know. So you can enter the name of the desired files in the search field next to the "Start" menu and enter the name of the lost files. Then check if there are any matching files in the search results.
Some users say they found their files in the path: C: / Username / (username) / Desktop. You can directly navigate to this folder to see if your files are there or not.
# Method 4: Show hidden files
Some files may be hidden automatically by Windows 10 after the update. You can display them by checking "Hidden items" under the "Display" tab.
# Method 5: Recover files from Windows.old folder
If you are using the full or custom update process, the installer will save a copy of your previous installation to the Windows.old folder, which will be saved within ten days after installing the update. You can quickly access this folder to find your files before they are automatically deleted.
Step 1: Open "This PC".
Step 2: Click on "Local Disk C"
Step 3: Go to Windows.old folder and find your personal files. You are strongly advised to move them to a safe location.
If you cannot find this folder, you can update your system by cleaning up the installation process, which will not prevent making a backup or corrupt the backup file. Don't subscribe and keep trying with the methods below.
# Method 6: Restore from a previous backup
There are two methods of restoring your files with the help of a backup.
Step 1: Go to “Start” → “Settings” → “Update & Security” → “Backup”, then click “Go to Windows 7 Backup and Restore Tool”. (Make sure you have already made a backup beforehand.)
Step 2: Another solution is to create new files on your PC using the same name and same file type. Then right click on the file and select "Properties" and choose the version of the file to restore under the "Previous Versions" tab.
# Method 7: Go back to the previous update
If after trying all of these methods you still cannot find the files, the last solution is to roll back to the previous Windows update. Go to the “Start” menu → “Settings” → “Update & Security”. Select "Recovery" from the left pane. In the "Rollback to a previous version" section, click "Get started."
Note: Use this method with caution as it will erase any newly saved files which do not exist in the previous version.
Losing data after updating computer system is always annoying, but the various issues mentioned above can solve the problems you are having more effectively. If you are not so familiar with computer hard drives or operation steps, then FonePaw Data Recovery (opens new window) can be a good helper for you. You can easily recover deleted files after Windows 10 update with few simple steps.