How to Recover Lost Files After Windows 11 Update [5 Ways]

On this page, you will know how to recover lost files after Windows 11 update in different ways. Choose the most suitable method in this post after reading.

By @Zoey Last Updated October 9, 2024

How do I restore files after Windows 11 update?

Windows 11 is the latest version of the Windows operating system, which is released in October 2021. As a new version, Windows 11 provides a nice interface and stable security management. Many users want to upgrade their computers to such a new operating system, but they notice a question: will upgrading to Windows 11 deleted my files?

The risk of data losses in the Windows 11 update exactly remains. But do not worry, we have prepared 5 useful solutions to help you recover lost files after Windows 11 update. You can get detailed operation steps after reading.

5 ways to recover lost files after Windows 11 update

Just like users worry about how to recover lost files after Windows 10 update, recovering lost files after Windows 11 update has become a heated discussion. For this, we will introduce 5 different methods for you if your files get lost, unfortunately.

Method 1. Find lost files using Search

Method 2. Recover lost files from Windows backups

Method 3. Enable a Windows administrator account

Method 4. Recover lost files from previous updates

Method 5. Recover lost files with a data recovery tool

Method 1. Find lost files using Search

When you think your files are lost, the first thing you should do is search for your files on the computer. If you did not see your files after inputting the filename in the search box, you need to check if your files are hidden.

Follow the clear guideline here to find your lost files.

1. Press the Windows key and E key to open the File Explorer window.

2. Choose the View tab on the top. Next, click on the Options button under View.

3. In the Folder Options section, click on the View tab. Under Advanced settings, check the “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” option.

4. After the above, press Apply and OK, and try to search for your lost files again.

Method 2. Recover lost files from Windows backups

If you cannot find your lost files after letting hidden files show on the computer, it is possible that you lost files after Windows update.

you can consider restoring files from backup. Once you enabled Backup and Restore and create backups on your computer, you can recover files from backups. Follow the stepwise guideline to find your lost files.

1. On your computer, go to Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

2. On this page, click on Select another backup to restore files from.

3. Select the backup that includes your lost files, then click on the Next button.

4. Here, you can press the Browse for files or the Browse for folders button to find your lost files in the Windows 11 update. And then you can choose a new location to save your lost files.

Method 3. Enable a Windows administrator account

If you have created a new Microsoft account in the previous Windows upgrade, your lost files may exist in a disabled administrator account. To find them, you need to enable a Windows administrator account, then log into it again to find your lost files.

Now, here are clear steps to enable a Windows administrator account.

1. Search for Computer Management, and run it.

2. Double-click on Local Users and Groups > Users. Locate and right-click on the Administrator account option, and then click on Properties in the pop-up window.

3. Press the General tab, and uncheck the Account is a disabled option. Choose Apply and OK.

Method 4. Recover lost files from previous updates

How to recover files after Windows update? Maybe you can roll back to previous Windows updates to find your deleted files on Windows 10.

Follow the easy steps here to recover your lost files from previous updates.

1. Open the Windows Settings page and go to the Update & Security part.

2. Click on Windows Update on the left side, then tap View update history.

3. Click on the Uninstall updates link.

4. Now, you can select the Windows update that caused your file loss accident to uninstall.

After the above, please reboot your Windows computer to see if your lost files come back.

Method 5. Recover lost files with a data recovery tool

If you want to recover lost files after Windows 11 update quickly and effectively, we highly recommend you a professional data recovery tool - MyRecover.

MyRecover is experienced file recovery software that can help you recover files from all kinds of situations and accidents, such as system updates, deletion, formation, system crashed, and so on.

MyRecover
Powerful Data Recovery Software
  • Recover files from all storage devices. You can recover deleted files from SSD, HDD, USB, SD cards, and more.
  • Work perfectly in any version of Windows operating system, including Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, XP, and Windows Server.
  • MyRecover supports to recovery of more than 200 kinds of files: recover deleted texts, pictures, videos, audio, emails, and more.
  • The operation steps and user interface are both user-friendly and simple.

If you want to have a try, follow the simple steps here to recover lost files after Windows 11 upgrade via MyRecover.

Please download and set up the MyRecover desktop client on your computer first.

Download Software Windows 11/10/8/7/Server
Secure Download

1. Now, hover the mouse over the location where your lost files were saved before. And click Scan to scan this location.

2. Then you can see your deleted files and other missing files during the Quick Scan and Deep Scan automatically. When you see your lost files here, you do not need to wait for the scanning process to finish.

🌟Tips: You can try different features in MyRecover to locate your files faster.
  • Search: Type the file name or extension in the search box to locate deleted files quickly.
  • Filter: Set the file type (e.g.: image), date modified, and size to narrow down the search range.
  • Preview: Doubel-click to preview deleted files, such as jpg, png,bmp, jpeg, tif, svg, gif, ico, etc.

3. Then, tick the boxes in front of your lost files here. Then click on the Recover x files button at the bottom to restore your lost files right now.

To sum up

Now, you know 5 efficient ways to recover lost files after Windows 11 update. The mos direct and efficient method is to use the professional data recovery service MyRecover, which can help you recover deleted files in Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, and more with ease.

Download Software Windows 11/10/8/7/Server

 

Secure Download

FAQs

1.Why did all my files disappear in Windows 11?
 
Some files may be hidden. In the taskbar search box, type File Explorer Options, and then select the View tab. Under Hidden files and folders, select the Show hidden files, folders, and drives option. Then, try searching for the files again.
2.Why did Windows 11 update delete my files?
 
When you enable Storage Sense, Windows 11/10 will automatically delete unused files when your computer is running low on disk space. Therefore, you can disable Storage Sense to prevent Windows 11 from automatically deleting files.
3.Can lost files be recovered?
Go to the Windows search bar and type "Restore files with File History". Locate the file you want to recover. There may be multiple versions! Click on the file version and click Restore.