My laptop factory reset itself and now I've lost all my files!

Question

My laptop factory reset itself and now I've lost all my files!

Answer 1

Hello Aiden Loftis,

I’m sorry your files disappeared. Please avoid another reset or reinstall for now.

Could you confirm:

• Did Windows show Reset this PC, and did you choose Keep my files or Remove everything?
• Are the files available at https://onedrive.live.com/?
• In File Explorer, does C:\Users contain an older user-profile folder?

Keep my files should preserve personal files, while Remove everything deletes them.

If the files are not in OneDrive or an older profile and Remove everything was used, minimize further use of the laptop, since recovery may require a data-recovery specialist.

Answer 2

A reset does not always delete personal files, but it depends on which reset path happened.

• Keep my files reinstalls Windows, removes apps and settings, and keeps personal files.
• Remove everything removes personal files, apps, and settings.
• If Windows was reinstalled instead of reset, files, apps, and settings are usually removed.

Try these recovery checks first:

1. Search the PC for the missing files
   • Open File Explorer.
   • Select This PC.
   • In the search box at the top right, search for the missing file name.
   • If needed, run the Search troubleshooter from Control Panel > Indexing options > Advanced > Troubleshoot search and indexing.
2. Check whether the files are just hidden
   • Open Settings.
   • Go to the File Explorer hidden/system files setting and turn on showing hidden files.
3. Look for a Windows.old folder on C:
   • Open File Explorer > C:.
   • If Windows.old exists, open it and check Users for the old Desktop, Documents, and other personal folders.
   • If the files are there, move them out immediately because Windows.old can be deleted automatically.
4. Check whether Windows signed in with a temporary profile
   • If files seem missing but disk space is still used, this can happen when Windows signs in with a temporary profile.
   • Check C:\Users<old user name> for the original files and copy them to external storage first.
5. If OneDrive was being used
   • Files stored in OneDrive are not lost by resetting the device as long as they were properly synced.

Important:

• Before doing anything else, back up any files that are still accessible.
• If another reset or reinstall is being considered, back up first and make sure the BitLocker recovery key is available if the device is encrypted.
• A recovery drive does not include personal files.

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References:

• Recovery options in Windows
• Reset your PC
• Find lost files after upgrading Windows
• How can I recover files after Windows reset/reinstall? - Microsoft Q&A
• Upon every restart of Windows 11, all settings and AppData are lost. - Microsoft Q&A
• Does a factory reset of Windows delete OneDrive files synced from this boot drive? - Microsoft Q&A
• Backup, restore, and recovery in Windows