How do I recover my lost files

Try the following steps in order on the Windows 11 device to locate and recover the missing files after the upgrade.

1. Search the whole PC for the files
2. Right-click the Start menu and select File Explorer.
3. In the left pane, select This PC.
4. In the Search This PC box (top right), type either:
   • A known file name, or
   • A wildcard by type, for example:
     • *.doc for Word documents
     • *.xlsx for Excel files
     • *.jpg / *.png for pictures
5. If files are found, right-click a file and select Open file location to see where they were moved. Copy or move them back to the desired folders if needed.
6. Make sure hidden files are visible Some files or folders may be hidden after the upgrade.
7. Right-click the Start menu and select Settings.
8. Go to System > Advanced.
9. Under File Explorer, turn Show hidden and system files to On.
10. Go back to File Explorer and re-check locations like Documents, Pictures, and Desktop.
11. Check if a temporary profile is in use If Windows signed in with a temporary profile, the usual files will appear missing.
12. Select Start > Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings.
13. If a message appears such as You are logged on with a temporary profile. Roaming options are currently unavailable, restart the device and sign in again.
    • This may need to be done more than once.
14. After signing back into the normal profile, check the usual folders again.
15. Look for files in the Windows.old folder (within 10 days of upgrade) If the upgrade chose Nothing in “Choose what to keep,” personal files may be in Windows.old for about 10 days.
16. Sign in with an account that has administrator rights.
17. Right-click Start and select File Explorer.
18. Under This PC, open Local Disk (C:).
19. Right-click the Windows.old folder and select Open.
20. Open Users > the folder with the previous user name.
21. Open folders such as Documents, Pictures, Desktop and locate the needed files.
22. Select the files/folders, right-click and choose Copy.
23. Browse to the desired location (for example, the current Documents folder), right-click and select Paste.
    • Repeat for any other folders or users.

Note: This works only if the Windows.old folder still exists and the upgrade was not done by a clean install or Reset this PC.

5. Restore from backup if available If a backup was created before the upgrade using Backup and restore (Windows 7):
6. Connect the external drive that holds the backup.
7. Right-click Start and select Search, type Control Panel, and open it.
8. In Control Panel, search for backup and select Backup and restore (Windows 7).
9. Choose Select another backup to restore files from.
10. Select the backup on the external drive and follow the wizard to restore files.
11. Check OneDrive if files were synced If files were stored in OneDrive before the upgrade, sign in to OneDrive in a browser and look for the missing files there. Also check the OneDrive Recycle Bin.

If none of these methods locate the files and there is no backup, native Windows recovery options are exhausted and third-party recovery tools would be the only remaining option.

References:

• Find lost files after upgrading Windows
• Retrieve files from the Windows.old folder after a Windows upgrade