7 Options to Fix Files Missing After Windows 10 Update [2022]

Why are all my files gone after Windows Update?

Most of the users might want to know why their files missing after Windows 10/11 Update. As the Windows update consists of a lot of changes, therefore, the location of some folders and files stored in Documents, Downloads, and others might get changed, or worse, you might lose the data on the hard disk following the update.

How to fix files missing after Windows 10 Update 2022 [7 options]

If unfortunately, you found you’ve lost your files after Windows 10/11 Update, don’t panic. We can help you get them back with the following 7 options.

Option 1. Check if you’re signed in with a temporary profile

The very first thing you need to do when you find your files missing after Windows 10 Update 2022 is to check whether you are logged into a temporary user profile.

Go to Start > Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings. If it says: You are logged on with a temporary profile. Roaming options are currently unavailable, this means you’re in a temporary profile.

You need to restart your PC and sign in again. This should remove the temporary account and your files should be available again.

Option 2. Look for the missing files using Search

Select the search box on the taskbar and search for your files. If you don’t see them and you’re not signed in with a temporary profile, some files might be hidden from view.

Step 1. Please press Win + E to open Windows File Explorer.

Step 2. Click View on the toolbar, then tap Options to open Folder Options.

Step 3. At the View tab, check the checkbox before the Show hidden files, folders, and drives at the Advanced settings, click Apply, and OK.

Step 4. Then try searching for your files again.

Option 3. Enable a Windows Administrator account

Your files may be in a disabled administrator account if you upgraded from a previous version of Windows and created a new Microsoft account. You must enable this account and sign in again to see your files.

Step 1. In the search box, type "computer management" and then select Computer Management.

Step 2. In the left pane, select Local Users and Groups, and then select Users. Right-click the Administrator account, choose Properties.

Step 3. At the General tab, uncheck Account is disabled option, click Apply and OK.

Option 4. Go back to Windows 10 previous update

To get back your missing files after Windows 10/11 updates, you can roll back to the previous update.

Step 1. Go to Settings > Update & Security.

Step 2. Click Windows Update and then click View Update History.

Step 3. Click Uninstall updates.

Step 4. You will get a window, select a Windows update after which you noticed that you lost your files.

Step 5. Now restart your PC and check whether your missing files come back.

Option 5. Restore files using Backup and Restore utility

If you’ve created a backup using the Backup and Restore utility on your device, you can use it to restore your missing files.

Step 1. Go to Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2. Click Select another backup to restore files from.

Step 3. Select the backup and then click Next.

Step 4. Search for your missing files by using the Browse for files or Browse for folders option.

Step 5. Choose a location to save the backup, select your files and click Restore to recover them.

Option 6. Restore missing files from the previous file versions

Sometimes you can also recover a file if you have turned on File History to back up your files.

Step 1. Right-click the new file, select Properties.

Step 2. Select the Previous Versions tab, select the previous version according to the time, and then click Restore.

Option 7. Retrieve missing files via the free data recovery tool

The final and also the most effective way to retrieve missing files after Windows 10/11 Update is to use the free yet professional MyRecover. It can help you easily get back all your missing files including images, texts, videos, audios, emails, compressed files, etc.

Step 1. Download, install and launch MyRecover on your computer.  

Step 2. Hover the mouse over the drive saved deleted files before, and click Scan to scan.

Step 3. Then the scanning process will start automatically. You don’t need to wait for the process to complete if you find the files you want to recover.

Step 4. Choose the files that you want to recover. Click Recover xx files and choose a destination path to save the restored files.

Bonus tip: Prevention measure against files missing after Windows 10 Update 2022

In case of your files missing again after the Windows Update in the future, you are recommended to backup your data on regular basis. AOMEI Backupper is a free but professional backup software that assists you in backing up  Windows OS, cloning an entire hard drive, or syncing specific folders. Of course, you can easily restore your backups whenever you want. Let’s see how to use it.

Step 1. Download, install and launch AOMEI Backupper for Windows on your computer. 

Step 2. Under the Backup tab, select the File Backup.

Step 3. Edit the task name for distinguishing. Click Add Folder or Add File > This PC > Devices and drives to add files.

Step 4. Select the destination path to store the backup files. Network path and cloud drive are supported.

Step 5. Click Start Backup to carry out disk backup and wait until the operation is complete. Click Finish to exit the interface.

Conclusion

This post shows you 7 ways to fix missing files after Windows 10 update 2022, as well as a preventative measure for missing files. After reading this post, you will realize that restoring your missing files after a Windows 10 update is not difficult. However, it is critical to developing the habit of regularly backing up your files in order to avoid unnecessary problems in the future.