Accidentally Deleted My Documents Folder - Recover It Now!

Help! My Documents folder is missing

The My Documents folder is a user profile component that serves as a unified location for storing personal data. When you save documents to the My Documents folder, actually, these files are saved on a network location that the administrator can backup.

However, many potential risks could lead to “My Documents folder missing” such as accidental deletion (User Account deletion), disk formatting, system issues, or location shift issue like the above user. If it happens to be your case, please get feasible solutions to recover My Documents folder Windows 10/11.

Part 1. How to find my Documents folder

Let’s figure out the location of the My Documents folder first.

As mentioned above, the My Documents folder is a default folder that comes with each user profile. You can press the “Win + E” keys to open Windows File Explorer and go to the default storage: C:\Users\Username\Documents to locate it.

Or press “Win + R” and enter “%userprofile%\Documents” in the Run command window. Then hit “Enter” or click “OK” to find My Documents folder.

Part 2. How to restore my Documents folder in Windows 10/11

After figuring out the location of my Documents folder, you can refer to the following four solutions to recover the accidentally deleted My Documents folder. Please note the premises for each method.

▶ Way 1. Recover the accidentally deleted My Documents folder Windows 10/11 through Previous Versions

This method needs you to activate File History and the System Restore Point manually. Otherwise, Previous Versions is useless for you to recover the accidentally deleted My Documents folder. Please go to Control Panel and click System and Security > File History.

Compared with File History, this feature allows Win8 and above users to browse and select different versions of files and folders. Furthermore, this Windows feature allows you to recover the missing folder.

Step 1. Navigate to the folder that used to contain the file or folder.

Open Windows File Explorer by pressing the “Win + E” keys. Then find the folder that includes the files you want to retrieve.

Step 2. Right-click the Properties.

Right-click on your selected folder, and click the “Properties” button.

Step 3. Click Previous Versions.

After clicking the “Previous Versions” button, you can select a folder version from the list of varied versions. Then click the “Restore” button.

▶ Way 2. Recover the accidentally deleted My Documents folder Windows 10/11 from the Recycle Bin

How to restore My Documents folder in Windows 10/11? In general, your Recycle Bin can save the deleted files before permanently deleting them. Only two steps assist you in recovering the deleted files from your Recycle Bin. But the Recycle Bin cannot store too large files.

Step 1. Open the Recycle Bin on your PC and locate your needed folder.

Step 2. Right-click on it and click “Restore” to get it back to the original location.

▶ Way 3. Create a new Documents folder in the registry

“My Documents folder missing and I want to create a new Documents folder.” If you want to create a new folder and update the path address in the registry, you need to handle it with care because registry errors could damage your operating system. Let’s perform how to restore My Documents folder in Windows 10/11.

Step 1. Go to the default folder storage C:\Users\Username to create a new Documents folder.

Step 2. Press “Win + R” and type “regedit” in the window to open the registry.

Step 3. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders.

Step 4. Open the Value Name-Personal. In the Value data field, type the path to the new Documents folder. Then click the “OK” button.

▶ Way 4. Recover My Documents folder Windows 10/11 with MyRecover

How to restore my Documents folder in Windows 10/11? A data recovery solution could be the most efficient plan because it can save you a lot of time and energy. Here comes a leading tool, MyRecover. With it, you can recover deleted/lost files from HDD, SSD, USB, and other storage devices.

After data loss, you’re expected not to add new data to your computer and try MyRecover as soon as possible for a higher data recovery rate. 

Step 1. Locate the C drive.

Locate the C drive that includes the My Documents folder and click Scan.

Step 2. Search for the Document folder.

You’ll see all the deleted files and folders after Quick Scan and Deep Scan.

Step 3. Recover files.

Select the Documents folder and click the “Recover x files” button to recover deleted files.

Q&A about Mac Documents folder missing & data loss prevention

How to fix: I can’t find Documents folder on Mac?

Obviously, the above methods aim to recover the accidentally deleted My Documents folder in Windows. But “how do I get my Documents folder in my Mac?”

At the moment, open the Finder on your Mac. Then click “Preferences” > “Sidebar” > “Documents.” After that, the disappearing Documents folder will show up.

How do I move My Documents folder to another drive?

Go to the default storage path and right-click on the My Documents folder. Then click the “Properties” button. Under the Location tab, you can set a new path.

What is the best way to prevent data loss on the computer?

The best way for data loss prevention is to make backups and update them regularly with the Windows features or backup software for Windows.

After learning more about the Previous Versions, you can try to create backups using it. If you prefer a more convenient method, consider utilizing this free data loss prevention software-AOMEI Backupper.