How can I recover files after Windows reset/reinstall?

Data recovery after a reset/reinstall depends on exactly how Windows was reinstalled and what has happened on the drive since.

1. Check whether files were preserved by the reset

• If Reset this PC was used with Keep my files, personal files such as Desktop and Documents should remain, while apps and settings are removed.
• If Reset this PC was used with Remove everything, or Windows was reinstalled clean, personal files are normally removed and are not available through normal browsing.

Details: Recovery options in Windows

2. Look for a Windows.old folder (after an upgrade scenario) If the reinstall was actually an upgrade and the option Nothing was chosen in “Choose what to keep,” personal files are not migrated but may be stored temporarily in C:\Windows.old for 10 days:

• Open File Explorer and check the root of the system drive (usually C:) for a Windows.old folder.
• If present and within 10 days of the upgrade, browse into Windows.old\Users\<your old username>\Desktop and ...\Documents and copy needed files to another location.

Important limitations:

• This method does not work if:
  • Windows was installed fresh from installation media and the drive was formatted.
  • Reset this PC was used (it does not create Windows.old).
• The contents of Windows.old are automatically deleted after 10 days, or overwritten by later installs.

Details: Retrieve files from the Windows.old folder after a Windows upgrade

3. Search the drive for misplaced or hidden files If the reset kept files but locations changed, or if another user profile is in use:

• Open File Explorer → select This PC.
• Use the search box (top right) to search for known filenames or extensions (for example, *.docx, *.xlsx, *.jpg).
• If search doesn’t find them, run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter as described:
  • Open Control Panel → search for Indexing options → Advanced → Troubleshoot search and indexing.
• Ensure hidden items are visible if files might be hidden.

Details: Find lost files after upgrading Windows

4. Use Windows File Recovery for deleted data If files were removed by a reset/reinstall and are not in Windows.old or visible anywhere, they may still be recoverable at the disk level if the sectors have not been overwritten.

Key points before using it:

• Stop writing new data to the drive as much as possible (installing apps, downloading files, etc. can overwrite recoverable data).
• Recovery from local storage only is supported (internal drives, external drives, USB). Cloud and network locations are not supported.

Basic usage:

1. Install Windows File Recovery from Microsoft Store if needed.
2. Open it and run a command like:
   • Recover specific folders:

          winfr C: E: /regular /n \Users\<username>\Documents\
     

   • Recover common document types:

          winfr C: E: /regular /n \*.docx /n \*.xlsx /n \*.pdf
     

   • For deeper scans, use /extensive mode.
3. The source (where files were) and destination (where recovered files go) must be different drives (for example, source C:, destination an external drive E:).
4. Recovered files are placed in a Recovery_<date and time> folder on the destination drive.

If Regular mode does not find the files, try again with Extensive mode. If nothing is recovered, the data may already be overwritten.

Details: Windows File Recovery

5. When recovery is unlikely Based on the provided information:

• A fresh install from installation media with drive formatting, or
• A Reset this PC with Remove everything, followed by continued use of the PC

makes successful recovery less likely, because the previous data is removed and free space may already be reused.

If the files are not in Windows.old, not found by search, and Windows File Recovery cannot locate them even in Extensive mode, they are effectively lost from the OS perspective.

References:

• Recovery options in Windows
• Find lost files after upgrading Windows
• Retrieve files from the Windows.old folder after a Windows upgrade
• Windows File Recovery
• Backup, restore, and recovery in Windows