Recover EFS files after mvoing from windows 11 to windows 10

Question

I've got some files that are encrypted and I'd like to recover my files by recovering my EFS certificate as I've forgotten to back this up. I've found the following link which shows me a path to try to do this but I'm not sure how to start with the final mention in method 4. I've managed to find the extensionless files and convert them using cipher but I have no idea if I'm doing it right. Is there still a way to recover my files? I have found that my certifications are in: "C:\Windows.old\Users\WouterPC\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\My\Certificates" which gives me a list of a few "files".

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/efs-in-windows-10-after-reinstall/c1cc7116-7ef3-4ad1-906d-2cbca1ac8680

Answer 1

Hi Swearinbag,

Thank you for posting your query. My name is Clarence and I'll be more than happy to assist with your concern.

To resolve your query, you can export the certificate from the source computer by doing the steps below.

1. The end user who owns the certificate must log on to the source computer.
2. Open Microsoft Management Console (MMC) by typing mmc in the Run dialog box.
3. In the File menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in.
4. In the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box, click Add.
5. Select Certificates from the list, click Add, and then select My user account.
6. Click Finish, click Close, and then click OK.
7. Browse to Certificates - Current user\Personal\Certificates.
8. Right-click the certificate that you want to migrate.
9. Click All Tasks and then click Export.
10. The Certificate Export Wizard will help you store the certificate somewhere that is accessible from the destination computer (for example a floppy disk, or shared folder). When prompted, indicate that you want to export the private key along with the certificate. Upon completion, you will receive a message that the export was successful.
11. The administrator can now collect the user state using the /efs:copyraw option on the Scanstate command line. For example: scanstate \fileserver\migration\mystore /efs:copyraw /i:migapp.xml /i:migsys.xml /i:miguser.xml /v:13 /targetxp
12. Next, the administrator should install Windows XP and applications as needed on the destination computer and then restore the user state to the destination computer using LoadState.

To import the certificate onto the destination computer. export the certificate from the source computer

1. The end user who owns the certificate must log on to the destination computer.
2. Open MMC by typing mmc in the Run dialog box.
3. In the File menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in.
4. In the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box, click Add.
5. Select Certificates from the list, click Add, and then select My user account.
6. Click Finish, click Close, and then click OK.
7. Browse to Certificates - Current user\Personal.
8. Right-click Personal.
9. Click All Tasks, and then click Import.
10. Use the Certificate Import Wizard to locate the certificate that you exported. When browsing for the certificate, you should select Personal Information Exchange (*.pfx; *.p12) from the Files of type dropdown list box. You will need to enter the password you supplied when you exported the certificate from the destination computer.
11. Upon completion, you will receive a message that the import was successful.

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