Accidentally Deleted My Documents Folder - Recover It Now!

Accidentally deleted My Documents folder! Use four feasible methods to recover My Documents folder Windows 10 and other tips about Mac and data loss prevention.

Ivy

By Ivy / Updated on February 10, 2025

Share this: instagram reddit

my-documents-folder

My Documents folder is a user profile component, one of the most popular personal data storage locations. It's easy to access and convenient. However, many potential risks can lead to “My Documents folder missing” such as accidental deletion (User Account deletion), disk formatting, system issues, or location shift issues.

If you happen in this case, keep reading to recover My Documents folder on Windows 10/11. We will introduce you to several solutions in the following.

Recovery Methods How-to Guide
Attempt using data recovery software 

Locate the C drive to scan. Select the C drive that includes the My Documents folder ... Learn More >>

Restore from Recycle Bin 

Open the Recycle Bin on your PC and locate your needed folder ... Learn More >>

Restore from a previous version 

Navigate to the Users folder. Open Windows File Explorer by pressing the “Win + E” keys. Then, navigate to C:\Users\Username\ ... Learn More >>

Re-create My Documents folder

Go to the default folder storage C:\Users\Username to create a new Documents folder ... Learn More >>

Help! My Documents folder is missing

“Hi! I have an SSD (with Windows installed) and a hard drive. I moved My Documents folder to my hard drive to save space on my SSD. This worked fine. But my hard drive is showing problems, thus, I wanted to move My Documents folder back. The problem is that I can’t find My Documents folder (I do have all the subfolders without the main folder). So is there a way to create a new Documents folder and have it as the default folder?” 

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.

c-users-username-documents

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

userprofile-documents-ok

In addition, if the location is changed, you check the following registry key in the Registry Editor to find the new location. 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\Personal

How to restore my Documents folder in Windows 10

If you can't find My Documents folder on Windows, refer to the following solutions to recover accidentally deleted My Documents folder. Note that certain methods come with prerequisites.

⚠️Note: After data loss, you’re expected not to add new data to your computer and try feasible methods as soon as possible to improve data recovery rate.

▶ Way 1. Recover deleted or missing My Documents folder using software

Using reliable data recovery software like MyRecover will be the most efficient method to recover deleted or missing My Documents folder, which helps you save a lot of time and energy. With it, you can recover deleted/lost files from HDD, SSD, USB, and other storage devices.

MyRecover
Why Choose MyRecover?
  • Combine Quick Scan & Deep Scan technologies to thoroughly scan the disk for deleted and lost files on your computer.
  • Recover documents (i.e. Recover Word documents, Excel files, PPTs), pictures, videos, compressed files, etc., in over 1000 formats,
  • Search or filter data quickly through file name, extension, data type, etc.
  • Preview and recover files while scanning.
  • Recover specific files or folders instead of all.
  • Compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, etc., and Windows Servers as well as NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS file systems.
  • Deal with deletion, disk formatting, system crashes, and other data loss scenarios.

Step 1. Locate the C drive to scan.

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

select-location-to-scan

Step 2. Search for the Document folder

It will automatically run Quick Scan and Deep Scan to find all recoverable data. You can search, filter, preview the Document folder. 

  • Filter: Specify the Type/Date modified/Size to target your search.
  • Search: Type the file name (i.e. My Documents) or extension in the search box to locate deleted files or folders precisely.
  • Preview: Preview files in a clear thumbnail, such as wav,ico, jpg, png, bmp, jpeg, tif, svg, gif, ico, mp4, mp3, txt, xlsx, pdf, ini, docx, etc.

scanning-drive

Step 3. Recover My Documents folder and files 

Select the Documents folder and all the displayed files and click the “Recover x files” button. Please select a new location to save the deleted or missing My Documents folder as restoring to original location may cause data overwritting. 

select-deleted-excel-files-click-recover

⚠️Note: The Recover button displays the number and size of selected files. You can only recover accidentally deleted or missing My Documents folder over 500MB on the free edition. To recover unlimited files within it, please upgrade to MyRecover Pro or Technician. 

▶ Way 2. Recover My Documents folder from Recycle Bin

On Windows, Recycle Bin will save deleted files before you permanently delete 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.

locate-deleted-folder

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

▶ Way 3. Recover My Documents folder through Previous Versions

This method needs you to activate File History or System Restore 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 Windows 8 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 Users folder 

Open Windows File Explorer by pressing the “Win + E” keys. Then, navigate to C:\Users\Username\ which contains the My Documents folder previously. 

Users Folder

Step 2. Open the Properties window

Right-click on your user folder containing My Document folder, and click the “Properties” option.

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.

previous-version-restore

▶ Way 4. 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 learn how to restore My Documents folder in Windows 10.

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.

regedit-ok

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

registry-editor-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.

registry-editor-personal-value-data

Conclusion

Accidentally deleted My Documents folder? You need to check if it's in the default location. If not, try the 4 proven methods above to recover deleted or lost files in My Documents folder. Among them, the most effective method is using powerful data recovery software like MyRecover to retrieve data directly.

Download SoftwareWin 11/10/8/7/Server
Secure Download

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

I can’t find the Documents folder on Mac, how to fix?
 
Obviously, the above methods aim to recover the accidentally deleted My Documents folder in Windows. Toget my Documents folder back on Mac,open the Finder. 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 Windows features such as File History or System Restore. For more convenient methods, consider utilizing this free or backup software for Windows - AOMEI Backupper Standard.
Ivy
Ivy · Editor
Ivy is an editor of AOMEI Technology, she covers backup & restore,hard disk & partitions management and cloud files transfer and so on for AOMEI. She is an outgoing girl and enjoys helping people find solutions to their problems. She loves traveling, eating, reading and so on. She usually hangs out with friends at her leisure time.