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Lost files after Windows 11 update - How did you recover yours?
Quote from AlexR on January 26, 2026, 2:58 pmHey everyone. Attention! Achtung! SOS! Help!
I have an ASUS Vivobook 17 X1704VA-AU665 with a 512 GB SSD. Yesterday I started a Windows 11 update and didn’t really pay attention to the process. I just run it and went to do other things. In the evening, I turned the laptop back on and noticed my desktop is completely empty. Literally nothing there, only the Recycle Bin but before the update, my desktop was full of files and folders. At first I thought the files might be hidden so checked how to show hidden files in Windows 11 and enabled hidden items in File Explorer, but that didn’t change anything.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who ran into this issue. If anyone has experienced something similar or knows how to recover files after windows update, please share any advice. ANY help is appreciated.
Hey everyone. Attention! Achtung! SOS! Help!
I have an ASUS Vivobook 17 X1704VA-AU665 with a 512 GB SSD. Yesterday I started a Windows 11 update and didn’t really pay attention to the process. I just run it and went to do other things. In the evening, I turned the laptop back on and noticed my desktop is completely empty. Literally nothing there, only the Recycle Bin but before the update, my desktop was full of files and folders. At first I thought the files might be hidden so checked how to show hidden files in Windows 11 and enabled hidden items in File Explorer, but that didn’t change anything.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who ran into this issue. If anyone has experienced something similar or knows how to recover files after windows update, please share any advice. ANY help is appreciated.
Quote from bryan on January 26, 2026, 4:48 pmhey, poor soul 😅
it sucks that you didn’t watch the update, but what’s done is done. Before anything else, I need to know what's with your disk usage Check how much space is used on your SSD now compared to before the update.
- if disk usage is unchanged, don’t panic yet. That usually means the files are still on the drive just not where you expects them. In that case, there are plenty of ways to get everything back, and most of them are super easy
- if disk usage changed, you can panic a bit. That usually means the files were actually deleted and with an SSD, that’s not great news at all.
I really hope you posted this thread as soon as you noticed the files were missing. Either way do NOT install anything on that laptop right now. If the files were deleted, any new writes to the disk can finish them off for good. Waiting for your reply.
hey, poor soul 😅
it sucks that you didn’t watch the update, but what’s done is done. Before anything else, I need to know what's with your disk usage Check how much space is used on your SSD now compared to before the update.
- if disk usage is unchanged, don’t panic yet. That usually means the files are still on the drive just not where you expects them. In that case, there are plenty of ways to get everything back, and most of them are super easy
- if disk usage changed, you can panic a bit. That usually means the files were actually deleted and with an SSD, that’s not great news at all.
I really hope you posted this thread as soon as you noticed the files were missing. Either way do NOT install anything on that laptop right now. If the files were deleted, any new writes to the disk can finish them off for good. Waiting for your reply.
Quote from chris_89 on January 27, 2026, 12:37 pmoh yeah, had this too. when i upgraded from win10 to 11, some windows update bug kicked in and i ended up with C:\Users folder missing files.
i kinda came up w my own way to check what actually happened to the files and to do it in one go. the idea was ro figure out if the files are still on the disk or if they’re actually deleted. for that i used a file recovery software with a normal GUI (i used Disk Drill). the useful part is that during a scan it shows not only deleted files, but also existing ones. so the logic was: if i see my stuff under existing files > check the path, then just copy them back to where they should be, if they’re not there > check the deleted section and try to restore. in my case it was the second option.
that said, my machine had an HDD. no idea if you can actually recover files after Windows update from an SSD if they were really deleted. TRIM usually wins that fight pretty fast. so fingers crossed your case is just misplaced files and not actual deletion.
oh yeah, had this too. when i upgraded from win10 to 11, some windows update bug kicked in and i ended up with C:\Users folder missing files.
i kinda came up w my own way to check what actually happened to the files and to do it in one go. the idea was ro figure out if the files are still on the disk or if they’re actually deleted. for that i used a file recovery software with a normal GUI (i used Disk Drill). the useful part is that during a scan it shows not only deleted files, but also existing ones. so the logic was: if i see my stuff under existing files > check the path, then just copy them back to where they should be, if they’re not there > check the deleted section and try to restore. in my case it was the second option.
that said, my machine had an HDD. no idea if you can actually recover files after Windows update from an SSD if they were really deleted. TRIM usually wins that fight pretty fast. so fingers crossed your case is just misplaced files and not actual deletion.
Quote from chris_89 on January 27, 2026, 12:38 pmQuote from AlexR on January 26, 2026, 2:58 pmHey everyone. Attention! Achtung! SOS! Help! I have an ASUS Vivobook 17 X1704VA-AU665 with a 512 GB SSD. Yesterday I started a Windows 11 update and didn’t really pay attention to the process. I just run it and went to do other things. In the evening, I turned the laptop back on and noticed my desktop is completely empty. Literally nothing there, only the Recycle Bin but before the update, my desktop was full of files and folders. At first I thought the files might be hidden so checked how to show hidden files in Windows 11 and enabled hidden items in File Explorer, but that didn’t change anything.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who ran into this issue. If anyone has experienced something similar or knows how to recover files after windows update, please share any advice. ANY help is appreciated.oh yeah, had this too. when i upgraded from win10 to 11, some windows update bug kicked in and i ended up with C:\Users folder missing files.
i kinda came up w my own way to check what actually happened to the files and to do it in one go. the idea was ro figure out if the files are still on the disk or if they’re actually deleted. for that i used a file recovery software with a normal GUI (i used Disk Drill). the useful part is that during a scan it shows not only deleted files, but also existing ones. so the logic was: if i see my stuff under existing files > check the path, then just copy them back to where they should be, if they’re not there > check the deleted section and try to restore. in my case it was the second option.
that said, my machine had an HDD. no idea if you can actually recover files after Windows update from an SSD if they were really deleted. TRIM usually wins that fight pretty fast. so fingers crossed your case is just misplaced files and not actual deletion.
Quote from AlexR on January 26, 2026, 2:58 pmHey everyone. Attention! Achtung! SOS! Help! I have an ASUS Vivobook 17 X1704VA-AU665 with a 512 GB SSD. Yesterday I started a Windows 11 update and didn’t really pay attention to the process. I just run it and went to do other things. In the evening, I turned the laptop back on and noticed my desktop is completely empty. Literally nothing there, only the Recycle Bin but before the update, my desktop was full of files and folders. At first I thought the files might be hidden so checked how to show hidden files in Windows 11 and enabled hidden items in File Explorer, but that didn’t change anything.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who ran into this issue. If anyone has experienced something similar or knows how to recover files after windows update, please share any advice. ANY help is appreciated.
oh yeah, had this too. when i upgraded from win10 to 11, some windows update bug kicked in and i ended up with C:\Users folder missing files.
i kinda came up w my own way to check what actually happened to the files and to do it in one go. the idea was ro figure out if the files are still on the disk or if they’re actually deleted. for that i used a file recovery software with a normal GUI (i used Disk Drill). the useful part is that during a scan it shows not only deleted files, but also existing ones. so the logic was: if i see my stuff under existing files > check the path, then just copy them back to where they should be, if they’re not there > check the deleted section and try to restore. in my case it was the second option.
that said, my machine had an HDD. no idea if you can actually recover files after Windows update from an SSD if they were really deleted. TRIM usually wins that fight pretty fast. so fingers crossed your case is just misplaced files and not actual deletion.
Quote from DataRecoverExpert on January 27, 2026, 1:06 pmHi @alexr, moderator 7 Data Recovery Expert on the line.
If it turns out that the files from your desktop were actually deleted, we have a detailed guide on how to recover lost files after a Windows update - it covers multiple scenarios, including recovery from backups as well as using third-party recovery software when no backup is available.
Since you mentioned that your internal storage is an SSD, I’d strongly recommend also checking our guide on SSD data recovery - It explains the SSD-specific limitations and includes steps related to TRIM behavior.
We really hope this situation works out for you and that you’re able to get your files back. Good luck and feel free to update the thread if you need more guidance!💚
Hi @alexr, moderator 7 Data Recovery Expert on the line.
If it turns out that the files from your desktop were actually deleted, we have a detailed guide on how to recover lost files after a Windows update - it covers multiple scenarios, including recovery from backups as well as using third-party recovery software when no backup is available.
Since you mentioned that your internal storage is an SSD, I’d strongly recommend also checking our guide on SSD data recovery - It explains the SSD-specific limitations and includes steps related to TRIM behavior.
We really hope this situation works out for you and that you’re able to get your files back. Good luck and feel free to update the thread if you need more guidance!💚
Quote from AlexR on January 27, 2026, 1:28 pm@bryan
I checked the storage usage and disk usage hasn’t changed at all compared to before the update. So if I understand this correctly, that means the files still exist somewhere on the drive and weren’t actually deleted, right?
@bryan
I checked the storage usage and disk usage hasn’t changed at all compared to before the update. So if I understand this correctly, that means the files still exist somewhere on the drive and weren’t actually deleted, right?
Quote from bryan on January 27, 2026, 1:30 pmQuote from AlexR on January 27, 2026, 1:28 pm@bryan
I checked the storage usage and disk usage hasn’t changed at all compared to before the update. So if I understand this correctly, that means the files still exist somewhere on the drive and weren’t actually deleted, right?That’s great news 👍
Try rebuilding the search index. After a Windows update the search index can break or go out of sync. It means Windows may finish the update but the indexing service still points to old paths or an outdated user profile. When that happens, files don’t show up in search, even though they’re physically still on the drive, which is similar to your case. So search index rebuilding can really help and files 🧚🏻♀️suddenly🧚🏻♀️ reappear in search after this. Microsoft has an official step-by-step.
Quote from AlexR on January 27, 2026, 1:28 pm@bryan
I checked the storage usage and disk usage hasn’t changed at all compared to before the update. So if I understand this correctly, that means the files still exist somewhere on the drive and weren’t actually deleted, right?
That’s great news 👍
Try rebuilding the search index. After a Windows update the search index can break or go out of sync. It means Windows may finish the update but the indexing service still points to old paths or an outdated user profile. When that happens, files don’t show up in search, even though they’re physically still on the drive, which is similar to your case. So search index rebuilding can really help and files 🧚🏻♀️suddenly🧚🏻♀️ reappear in search after this. Microsoft has an official step-by-step.
Quote from DataNerd on January 27, 2026, 1:59 pmIf it hasn’t been more than 10 days since the update, check the Windows.old folder if it’s there. @alexr
If it hasn’t been more than 10 days since the update, check the Windows.old folder if it’s there. @alexr
Quote from JohnMiller on January 27, 2026, 6:19 pmAre you sure you actually signed into your own profile and not a temporary profile on Windows 11? After an update, the main account can turn into a corrupted user profile, and Windows may load a temporary one instead. It’s better to restore your previous user profile, and this recover lost files after the Windows 11 update automatically. This page can help you https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4197462/logged-on-with-a-temporary-profile-how-do-i-get-my
Are you sure you actually signed into your own profile and not a temporary profile on Windows 11? After an update, the main account can turn into a corrupted user profile, and Windows may load a temporary one instead. It’s better to restore your previous user profile, and this recover lost files after the Windows 11 update automatically. This page can help you https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4197462/logged-on-with-a-temporary-profile-how-do-i-get-my
Quote from em_on_pc on January 27, 2026, 6:26 pmWhen i had to recover lost files after a failed Windows 11 update caused by a power failure during the update I thought the Windows File Recovery tool would save me (like, Windows messed up my files so Windows should be able to bring them back, right?) Big mistake! Absolute nightmare!! That tool is command-line only, super picky, and you basically need to type 1001 commands just to get one scan going. I wasted a lot of time and got nothing useful out of it. If you end up needing actual recovery, do yourself a favor and look for a deep scan recovery program with a normal interface (something you can click through, see what’s found, and decide what to recover and not fight the console for hours.
When i had to recover lost files after a failed Windows 11 update caused by a power failure during the update I thought the Windows File Recovery tool would save me (like, Windows messed up my files so Windows should be able to bring them back, right?) Big mistake! Absolute nightmare!! That tool is command-line only, super picky, and you basically need to type 1001 commands just to get one scan going. I wasted a lot of time and got nothing useful out of it. If you end up needing actual recovery, do yourself a favor and look for a deep scan recovery program with a normal interface (something you can click through, see what’s found, and decide what to recover and not fight the console for hours.
Quote from AlexR on January 28, 2026, 12:29 pm@bryan That didn’t work for me so I’m going to try some of the other suggestions people shared here and see if any of them help.
@bryan That didn’t work for me so I’m going to try some of the other suggestions people shared here and see if any of them help.
Quote from phillyjohn on January 28, 2026, 12:30 pmHey guys. Why are we overcomplicating this so much? If there’s a backup via File History and the user is logged into the main account (not a temp one), you can just restore previous versions of the Desktop folder. Isn’t that the easiest option to try first?
Hey guys. Why are we overcomplicating this so much? If there’s a backup via File History and the user is logged into the main account (not a temp one), you can just restore previous versions of the Desktop folder. Isn’t that the easiest option to try first?
Quote from bryan on January 28, 2026, 12:41 pmQuote from phillyjohn on January 28, 2026, 12:30 pmHey guys. Why are we overcomplicating this so much? If there’s a backup via File History and the user is logged into the main account (not a temp one), you can just restore previous versions of the Desktop folder. Isn’t that the easiest option to try first?
Good suggestion, if File History was enabled, restoring previous versions is definitely the easiest fix but in many real-world cases, there’s simply no backup to restore from, which is why people end up needing the other options🤷♀️
Quote from phillyjohn on January 28, 2026, 12:30 pmHey guys. Why are we overcomplicating this so much? If there’s a backup via File History and the user is logged into the main account (not a temp one), you can just restore previous versions of the Desktop folder. Isn’t that the easiest option to try first?
Good suggestion, if File History was enabled, restoring previous versions is definitely the easiest fix but in many real-world cases, there’s simply no backup to restore from, which is why people end up needing the other options🤷♀️
Quote from AlexR on January 28, 2026, 12:55 pmIn my case, it really looks like the issue was account sync issues and Windows ended up loading a temporary profile. All the other options mentioned here are valuable and could definitely help others who run into the same problem.
Thanksbeveryone <3
In my case, it really looks like the issue was account sync issues and Windows ended up loading a temporary profile. All the other options mentioned here are valuable and could definitely help others who run into the same problem.
Thanksbeveryone <3