MyRecover
How to Recover Missing & Deleted Folder in Windows 10, 11
Learn how to recover missing folder in Windows 10/11 with five methods. Whether it’s a hidden folder or a deleted/lost folder, you’ll find targeted solutions.
By Penny / Updated on October 18, 2024
Users create files in various formats, including images, videos, documents, page files, compressed files, etc. With a huge amount of files stored on their devices, creating folders to categorize and keep those files is necessary.
With folders, the files will be organized, and users can easily access them in batch. But sometimes you may encounter the folder disappeared or deleted issue and it's not a rare case. So many users are now in need of finding & recovering missing folders in Windows 10 or 11. If you are one of them, this article will be worth reading.
The issue: folder disappeared Windows 10
“Hi! I have 4 partitions in my 2TB HDD, and I’ve saved some files and folders named movies in one partition. However, two days ago, the movie folder disappeared which is about 540 GB. In the properties, it shows the space used, and there is 28 GB for files. Is there any way to recover deleted folder in Windows 10?” – Tenforums
Possible reasons for folder disappeared in Windows 10 or 11
It's necessary to ge the possible reasons for folder disappeared in Windows 10 or 11. You may get some clues about recovery and prevention measures.
- Accidental deletion. Deletion is the biggest reason for file & folder loss. What’s more, many users have formed the habit to empty the Recycle Bin regularly, which adds more difficulty for them to recover deleted folders.
- Windows upgrade. Upgrades sometimes bring errors and bugs as well. Some users have complained about issues like folders and files missing after Windows 10/11 update.
- Hidden folders. Viruses deliberately hind/delete/move/modify/encrypt your data. After infection, your folders might be hidden by viruses.
- Incorrect account. You may have logged into another account. Your wanted folders might be in another directory under the correct account.
- Incorrect indexing options. The target folder might not have been indexed yet.
7 methods to recover a missing folder in Windows 10 or 11
Corresponding methods are gathered in the following part. Keep reading and learn how to find & recover missing folder in Windows 10 or 11.
| ⭕All situations | Use data recovery software like MyRecover or restore from backup |
| 🕳 Hidden files or folder | Show hidden files or folder in File Explorer |
| ❌Inccorrect account | Switch to the correct account |
| ♐Windows Update | Check the temperary folder |
| 💤Indexing issue | Change the indexing location |
| 🔙Overwritten files | Try the Previous Versions feature |
Method 1. Recover deleted/lost folder in Windows 10/11 – apply to all situations
When facing data loss due to deletion, disk formatting, Recycle Bin emptying, system crashes, viruses, etc., many users are at sea and don’t know how to get their precious data back. Some prudent users who have formed the habit of backing up data will be calmer and more relaxed – they can restore from the backups.
However, file & folder loss disasters come without any clues. For those who don’t have backups, how to recover deleted and missing folders in Windows 10? Supported by advanced technology, MyRecover facilitates you to recover deleted and lost folders within three steps.
- Compatible with different devices: Recover deleted or lost folders from hard drives, SSDs, or external storage devices, such as USB drives, etc. It can be NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS drive.
- Recover multiple file types, such as documents, images, videos, compressed files, etc.
- Recover 200+ file types, such as pg/png/gif/mp4/avi/mov/doc/xlsx/ppt/pdf/html/zip, etc. So you can use it to recover Word documents or other files in a missing folder.
- Keep the recovered files with the original path, name, format, and quality. For specific files, you can filter them from type, date modified, and size.
- Support Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and Windows Server.
- Notes:✎...
- The combined scanning method of Quick Scan and Deep Scan could detect all the deleted files and other lost files.
- MyRecover currently offers a free version find missing files, up to 30 MB. For unlimited data recovery, please upgrade MyRecover and subscribe to Monthly/Yearly/Lifetime version.
Steps to recover missing folder in any scenario:
- Type: It will contain all the file types, such as images, videos, documents, mails, webpage, compressed files, etc. To recover deleted files from a specific folder, filter it through type.
- Data Modified: It supports today, yesterday, last 7 days, last 30 days, and custom.
- Size: It allows you to filter file size from less than 128KB to 128KB ~1MB to 1MB ~ 512MB and above, or custom.
This app applies to comprehensive situations: accidental/intentional deletion, disk formatting, system crashes, and other data loss scenarios. For instance, you can also use it to recover formatted files from USB.
Method 2. Recover deleted folder via Backup and Restore
Microsoft has released backup utility - Backup and Restore. This Windows feature made its debut in Win7 and then included in Windows 10 or 11.
Step 1. Press “Windows” to start, then click “Control Panel” > “System and Security” “Backup and Restore (Windows 7).”
Step 2. Click “Restore my files”.
Step 3. Select the “Browse for folders” option to locate your missing folder.
Step 4. You can store your retrieved folders in your destination path or keep them in the original location.
Method 3. Show hidden files and folders in Windows 10
Sometimes you cannot access files or folders because the hidden file attribute makes them invisible to you. Please refer to the following steps to show hidden folders.
🔹Windows 10:
Step 1. Press “Windows + E” to open “Windows File Explorer”.
Step 2. Click “View” > “Options”.
Step 3. At the View tab, tick the “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” option. Then click “Apply” > “OK”.
🔹Windows 11:
Step 1. Open File Explorer from the taskbar. Click the View option and select Show and Hidden items.
Step 2. The missing folder will now become visible in File Explorer. You can check if there are any one you want.
If you’re familiar with the attrib command, you can enter “attrib -h -r -s /s /d G:\*.*” in the CMD window and hit “Enter” to change the file attribute of the folder. However, if the attrib command cannot work for you, it implies your missing folder could be a deleted folder.
Method 4. Switch to the correct account
Since folders and files are stored under different accounts, it is worth trying to check if you have logged into a temporary account or another user’s account.
>> Click the Start menu > click the Profile icon > Sign out or directly choose the correct account listed below > sign in using your password.
Method 5. Check the Temp folder
After the Windows update, Windows might move your files/folders to another location like the temporary folder or temporary directory. It is a directory to hold temporary files in computing. You can go to C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Temp and try to find your missing folder in it.
Method 6. Change the indexing options
If you are sure that the folders haven’t been deleted or moved to another place but stay where it was, the indexing might be the case. Try to change the indexing options to make the folders indexed.
Step 1. Start File Explorer > type anything in the search box to launch the search process > Advanced options > Change indexed locations.
Step 2. Click Advanced.
Step 3. Click the Select new button to add the folder location into the indexing locations. Then, restart File Explorer and see if the folder disappeared in Windows 10 or11 is visible now.
Method 7. Recover a previous version of deleted folder
If your folders were lost due to deletion/viruses/system crashes, etc., try the Previous Versions feature to get them back quickly. But with requirements: you have already enabled File History, clicking “Control Panel” > “System and Security” > “File History”, or restore points have been created. Windows 8 and above released by Microsoft include this Windows feature.
Step 1. Launch “Windows File Explorer” on your PC, and locate the folder that includes the missing folder you want to retrieve.
Step 2. Right-click on it > “Properties” > “Previous Versions”. After seeing a list of file versions, select a version you want to “Restore”.
Wrapping up
How to recover missing folder in Windows 10/11? This tutorial lists 7 efficient methods to help you recover the missing, hidden, or deleted folders in Windows.
Both Windows File Explorer and the attrib command can get your hidden folders back. You can also check your temp folder to have a try.
Also, Checking if you have logged into the wrong account and if the indexing options are right are also worth trying.
Otherwise, you’re supposed to make good use of Windows features to recover deleted folder in Windows 10 from backups. It’s easy to see that the most efficient and handiest way is to use a professional data recovery tool like MyRecover.
Moreover, you’d better develop a good habit of making backups in time using Windows features or reliable backup software like AOMEI Backupper. It's the best practice to prevent data loss at any scenario.
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