This article describes two effective methods on how to recover from Windows.old folder and the data in it step by step. Scroll down to explore more.
The Windows.old folder temporarily stores all files from previous Windows installations including the “Windows”, “Program Files” and “Users” folder. So you can use it to recover files from Windows.old folder manually or to roll back to the previous system.
The Window.old folder can be deleted manually or with the Disk Cleanup utility. Users who have a system image backup or don't want to downgrade will choose to delete it after upgrading successfully. Even if not, Windows will automatically delete it after 28 days.
β οΈ How to remove Windows.old folder manually:
Right-click on the local disk C drive and select Properties > Disk Cleanup. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to delete Windows update files in Windows 10.
So how to restore from Windows.old? Here are two common situations in the following:
If you find some files missing after upgrading, you can choose to recover from Windows.old folder. Here's how:
Step 1. Press “Win + E” to open Windows File Explorer.
Step 2. Go to Windows .old folder in C:\Windows.old\Users\UserName.
Step 3. Find the files you want to recover, copy and paste them to another folder, not inside the Windows.old folder.
If you can't find the files in the Windows.old folder or it is deleted, try top-rated data recovery software for Windows.
MyRecover is a highly-praised data recovery software in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, and server computers. It integrates with a user-friendly interface & easy-to-follow guide, breathtaking recovery capacities, more flexible recovery options, and more.
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β It has a free edition that recovers over 500MB data.
β Uphold multiple data types, such as documents (e.g. recover lost Word documents), images, audios, videos,etc., over 1000 formats.
β Integrates top algorithms - Quick Scan & Deep Scan to automatically search all recoverable files.
β Search or filter files quickly through the filename, extension, data type, etc
β Recover specific files or folders instead of all.
β Preview and recover files while scanning. Or wait to find all deleted and lost files on your computers.
β Support NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS file systems.
β Recover data in any disaster, such as accidental deletion, formatted or damaged drive, virus infection, lost partition, system crashes, etc.
To get started, please download MyRecover on your computers.
Step 1. After launching MyRecover, hover the mouse over your local disk C drive and click Scan.
Step 2. You can quickly locate Windows.old folder by typing its name in the search box, or specify the "Documents" data type in the Filter feature first. Once found, MyRecover will display the folder and data in it in the following window.
Step 3. You can also go to C:\Windows.old\Users\UserName to find the desired files. Once found, select them and click the “Recover x files” button. Please pick a new location to save the Windows.old folder or the data in it to prevent data overwriting.
It is not limited to recovering data from Windows.old folder, but also from hard drives, SSDs, external disks, USB drives, memory cards, etc., in the following scenarios:
If you need to downgrade the Windows operating system, you still can restore from Windows.old in Settings.
Step 1. Press “Win + I” to open Windows Settings and go to Update & Security.
Step 2. Then, click “Recovery” on the left.
Step 3. Scroll down to the "Go back to Windows 8.1" section and click the "Get started" button. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to finish all necessary steps.
You can also go through the Advanced Recovery Options.
Since the Windows.old folder will be deleted automatically, it's necessary to backup Window.old folder in case you need to restore files from it or downgrade later.
You can use professional backup software for Windows - AOMEI Backupper, which is good at backing up files, folders, partitions, disks, or systems.
To backup Windows.old folder, follow the steps below:
Step 1. After launching AOMEI Backupper on your Windows PC, select “File Backup” under the Backup tab.
Step 2. Click “Add Folder/Add File” to add the Windows.old folder in the C: drive.
Step 3. Locate a saved path to store the Windows.old folders. Then, click the “Start Backup” button.
After the backup process, click “Finish” to exit the window.
You can then restore Windows.old folder from backup when needed. Under the Restore tab, click the “Select Task” button. Then, select file backup and then Windows.old folder, tick “Restore to a new location” and click the “Start Restore” button.
Whether you want to recover lost files or downgrade, there is a stepwise guide to recover from Windows.old folder. If you delete the Windows.old folder but find some files missing later, it's suggested to attempt reliable data recovery software to scan and recover deleted Windows.old folder.
MyRecover is a good choice. It integrates strong algorithms to find as many files as possible, up to 1000+ formats, from documents to images, audios, videos, etc. It also offers users some flexible features, such as search & filter, preview, sidebar directories, selective restore, etc.