How to Recover from Windows.old?

What is Windows.old folder in Windows?

The Windows.old folder saves all of the files from your previous Windows installation for the time being. You can use it to recover files manually or to roll back your Windows installation. Windows.old can be deleted manually or with the Disk Cleanup utility. After about a month, Windows will also remove it automatically.

Please press “Win + E” to open Windows File Explorer. Then go to C:\Windows.old\Users\UserName to locate your Windows .old folder.

How to recover Windows.old folder?

So how to restore from Windows.old? If you need to downgrade Windows operating system, you can press “Win + I” to open Windows Settings and go to Update & Security. Then click “Recovery” on the left. Scroll down to the "Go back to Windows 8.1" section and click the "Get started" button.

Recover Windows.old folder via data recovery software

However, if you only want to recover files from your Windows.old folder rather than downgrade the Windows operating system. Using professional data recovery software could be your second-to-none choice.

If you have no idea about how to select a top-rated data recovery software for Windows, perhaps you can refer to the following practical criteria.

Let’s check whether highly-praised MyRecover can meet the above needs or not.   

★Tips:

Recover the deleted/lost Word, Excel, PPT, PDF, Photos, Videos, Audio, folders, compressed files, and other 200+ types of data from HDD, USB, SD cards, etc.   

Get the original path, filename, and format for the deleted files.   

During scanning, you can search your desired files by typing their filenames in the search bar or wait to find all the deleted and other lost files on your computers after Quick Scan and Deep Scan.   

Support NTFS, exFAT, FAT32, and ReFS file systems.

Download MyRecover on your Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, or Windows Server computers to recover files from Windows.old folder!

Step 1. After launching MyRecover, hover the mouse over your local disk C drive and click Scan.

Step 2. You can quickly locate your desired temp files by Name, Path, Date, or Type. You can also wait to view all the deleted & lost files after the scanning process.

Step 3. Go to the Deleted Files/Recycle Bin/Other Missing Files folder and select the temp files you want to restore. Then click the “Recover x files” button.

After the Windows data recovery process, you’re supposed to save these restored files in another location on your PC.

Further reading: Backup Windows.old folder before upgrade to prevent data loss

As you can see, only regular backups are the best hedge against data loss. If you’re worried about downgrading your Windows operating system can lose the existing files, you can make a File Backup to protect your files.

Professional backup software for Windows, AOMEI Backupper is good at backing up files, folders, partitions, disks, or systems. Let’s take File Backups as an example. 

Part 1. Make a File Backup

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 files/folders you want to back up.

Step 3. Locate a saved path to store your backup files/folders. Then click the “Start Backup” button.

Step 4. After the backup process, click “Finish” to exit the window.

Part 2. Restore files from backups

Step 1. Under the Restore tab, click the “Select Task” button.

Step 2. Select your File Backup and click the “Next” button.

Step 3. Select the specific files/folders you want to restore. Then click the “Next” button.

Step 4. Select “Restore to original location” or “Restore to a new location” as you need. Then click “Start Restore” to begin the restoration process.

Wrapping up

How to downgrade Windows OS? How to recover files from Windows.old? Or how to restore from Windows .old? Please get corresponding solutions from the above parts.

If you want to remove Windows.old folder manually, you can use the Disk Cleanup tool because this utility is designed to free up the disk space of computers’ hard drives.

Right-click on your local disk C drive and select Properties > Disk Cleanup.

You can follow the on-screen instructions to delete Windows update files in Windows 10/11 if you need it.

It’s necessary for you to create regular backups using AOMEI Backupper to prevent data loss at the source.

Please think twice before deletion. If possible, customize the space of your Recycle Bin, and don’t empty this temporary storage device from time to time.