AOMEI FastRecovery
How to Recover Files After Factory Reset on Windows 7
This article describes 4 proven methods on how to recover files after factory reset on Windows 7 easily and quickly.
By Ivy / Updated on March 5, 2025
Can data be recovered after a factory reset?
You may encounter a variety of difficult problems while using your computer, such as software updates, system errors, file system corruption, etc., After trying various solutions, you end up having to perform a factory reset, but don't save data on Windows 7. Here's a real user case:
“I had to factory reset my Windows 7 computer because of a software glitch. It was the last option. I lost all my data. After doing a lot of research and consulting experienced users on the forums, I installed an application that can recover my files. But it failed again. Even after I installed the data recovery tool, I could not get my files. Is there any way to recover files after factory reset in Windows 7? ”
✅ Yes, but it depends on the method of factory reset and options.
| Reset Methods | Description |
|---|---|
| Factory Reset |
It has two options -"Keep my files" and "Remove everything".
|
| Windows Fresh Start | It allows you to reinstall the operating system while keeping some personal files and settings, essentially offering a less drastic "clean slate" compared to a full fresh install. |
| System Restore | It helps to restore system files and settings to the previous date. It does not affect any of your personal data. |
How to recover files after factory reset in Windows 7
Here we will include x useful methods to recover lost files after factory reset. Select one based on your situation.
Solution 1. Recover files after factory reset in Windows 7 with software
AOMEI FastRecovery is a reliable and effective Windows data recovery software that can recover deleted or lost files in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, and Windows Server. With two advanced scanning technologies, it can scan files buried deeper in the file system and recover data in any scenario including factory reset.
AOMEI FastRecovery- It can recover 500MB of free data.
- Perform Quick Scan to scan and recover files easily and quickly, and integrate Deep Scan for a thorough search.
- Recover any type of files like photos, videos, audios, documents (e.g. Recover Word documents), emails, etc.
- Search or filter files quickly through the file name, extension, etc.
- Preview files before recovering.
- Recover data while scanning, saving your precious time.
- Highly compatible with SSDs, HDDs, USB drives, SD cards, etc., as well as NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS file systems.
100% SecureLet’s see how to recover files after factory reset in Windows 7 without any effort:
1. Select the drive to scan
Download and install AOMEI FastRecovery on your Windows 7 computer. Hover the mouse over the system partition and click Scan to let it be scanned.
2. Find lost data after factory reset
It will automatically start Quick Scan to find lost files after factory reset in Windows 7. You can type the file name or extension in the search box or use the Filter feature to locate your important files quickly.
- Type: include all file types, such as images, videos, documents, mails, webpage, compressed files, etc.
- Size: filter file size from less than 128KB to 128KB ~1MB to 1MB ~ 512MB and above, or custom.
If you are not sure, you can 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., to confirm.
3. Recover files after factory reset in Windows 7
Select lost files after factory reset and click the Recover button to recover files in Windows 7. You need to select a new location to store your recovered files to prevent data overwriting.
Solution 2. Check the Windows.old folder
As mentioned earlier, there is also a Windows.old folder on C: drive after factory reset. You can go to C:\Windows.old\Users\UserName and check if there are any lost data on Windows 7. Then, copy and past it to another location as this folder will be deleted after 28 days.
Solution 3. Recover lost data using Windows Backup
Also, you can check Backup and Restore to see if there are any backups available. It can create backups of files and folders, even system images. So you can consider using this tool to recover files from backups after factory reset.
1. Go to Control Panel on your Windows 7 computer. Then, choose Backup and Restore here.
2. Press the Restore my files button on the page.
3. Click Search, Browse for files, or Browse for folders to find missing files or folders. After that, click on Next to continue.
4. Select the original location or another location to save the recovered files. Finally, click on Restore.
Solution 4. Download lost data from OneDrive
In addition, you can check OneDrive or any other cloud storage after a factory reset to see if there are lost data and download it to your computer.
Step 1. Log in with your OneDrive account.
Step 2. Search for files or folders, select them, and click Download. Then, select a new location to save them.
Alternatively, you can check the Recycle Bin or other categories to find files.
Bonus tip: Backup files after factory reset to protect them better
Reading here, you may notice the importance of backups. Creating backups of your files can protect them in a better way. You should choose a professional backup tool like AOMEI Backupper Standard.
Here is an easy guideline to use AOMEI Backupper to backup your files for free:
1. Download and install the AOMEI Backupper Standard on your computer. Go to the Backup tab and choose File Backup.
3. You can add any file you want to backup by clicking Add File or Add Folder, and then choose a location to save your files.
4. After that, click on Start Backup to backup your files.
- Options: You can enable email notification to get info in time, change compression level to higher, etc.
- Schedule: You can set up an auto backup task, from daily to monthly, to automatically backup files at a certain frequency.
- Scheme: By default, it uses the incremental backup in the scheduled task. You can change it to full or differential backup (available in the advanced edition).
Written in the end
To recover files after factory reset in Windows 7, we have prepared 4 useful methods. You can choose one from them, either using easy file recovery software, or from Windows Backup, Windows.old folder, and OneDrive.
If you don't have copies of your files, please use the professional file recovery tool AOMEI FastRecovery directly. With top algorithms, it can help you get your files back easily with a few clicks.
Free download it to have a try now!
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