How to Retrieve files from the Windows.old folder & Recover Deleted Windows.old Folder

After a time-consuming, major Windows update, you may notice some of your personal files are missing. Often, recovering these files is simple—go to the Windows.old folder (created during major updates) on your C: drive and copy your data from there. However, if you chose to keep nothing during the update prompt, Windows automatically deletes the Windows.old folder after 10 days. The sections below will show you how to retrieve your files from the Windows.old folder—even if you can’t locate it in the C: drive.

What is Windows.old?

Windows.old folder is automatically created every time you switch to a new version of Windows. It will contain all files you had on the previous OS, such as system files, account settings, and installed programs. With it, you can easily restore a previous version of Windows if something goes wrong or you don’t like it.

How to Restore Files from the Windows.old Folder

If it’s been less than 10 days since you updated Windows, you can locate and restore your files from the Windows.old folder using Windows Explorer.

Here’s how:

1. Open Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E), and click on This PC in the sidebar.
2. Navigate to C:\Windows.old\Users. You can simply copy and paste the folder path in the File Explorer address bar at the top.
3. Look for your files, select and copy them to some other folder.

Ways to Recover Deleted Windows.old Folder

Option A: Recovery Software

Restore Deleted Windows.old Folder via Disk Drill

Here is how you can use Disk Drill to restore deleted Windows.old files.

1. Download and install Disk Drill. Ideally, install Disk Drill to an external USB drive or something similar.
2. Open Disk Drill, select your PC’s internal drive (the one which contains the C: partition), and click on Search for lost data.
3. Click Review found items to view all recoverable files. Only wish to recover a certain file type? Click on the relevant file type tile instead (Pictures, Videos, Audio, Documents, Archives, and Other).
4. Expand the Deleted or lost and Reconstructed sections.
5. Find and expand the Windows.old folder. Select the files you wish to recover. Disk Drill displays a preview of the currently selected file, but you can manually preview any file by clicking the eye icon next to its filename. Click on Recover once you’ve confirmed your selection.
6. Choose a recovery destination for the files and click Next.
7. Disk Drill will recover the selected files from the Windows.old folder.

Recover Deleted Windows.old Files via EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

To retrieve Windows.old with EaseUS just:

1. Download and install EaseUS Data Recovery.
2. Open EaseUS Data Recovery, select the C: drive, and click Search for Lost Data.
3. Navigate to the Windows.old folder in the scan results screen. Use the sidebar to expand and locate it. If you only wish to see certain file types, click the Type option in the sidebar and select the required file type.
4. Select the files you wish to recover. While you can’t see a full-quality preview in the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard’s free version, you can switch the display options to Icons (thumbnails), instead of Details (list). Click Recover once you’ve confirmed your selection.
5. Browse for a recovery destination and click Select Folder.
6. EaseUS Data Recovery will recovery the selected files.

Recover Windows.old Folder with Windows File Recovery

1. Download Windows File Recovery from Microsoft Store.
2. Run Terminal. This is a command-line program that will run Windows File Recovery. Right-click on the Start menu and select Terminal (Admin).
3. Choose Scanning Method. Windows Powershell lets you choose between 3 types: Segment, Default, and Signature. The Default mode is similar to a quick scan, while Segment mode lets you scan the drive thoroughly. With Signature mode, you can scan by different file types, such as MP3, JPEG, PNG, and so on. We will be focusing on the first two.
   • Regular Mode. This is the standard recovery option for non-corrupted NTFS drives. Simply write the following line in the command interface: winfr C: E: /regular /n \Windows.old\Users\%Username%
     • C stands for the drive that contains Windows.old folder
     • E is for the drive where you wish to restore the files (could also be D:, F:, etc.)
     • n lets you filter your search by providing a file path
     • /regular activates standard recovery

     Next, click enter and accept the command by typing y, which will initiate the scan.

     After the scan is done, recovered files will be available on the drive that you previously chose.

4. Segment Mode. Segment mode is a more thorough method, but the process is nearly identical. You’ll  just need to make a small change to the line in the Powershell, so that it looks like this: winfr C: E: /segment /u /n \Windows.old\Users\%Username%
   • /u will restore undeleted files from a location such as Recycle Bin
   • /segment is a recovery option that uses file record segments

   

Option B: System Restore

Alternatively, you can use a backup feature that creates “snapshots” of the current state of your PC. These are called restoration points. You can create them manually, or automatically.

To recover Windows.old with System Restore, you’ll just have to.

1. Open Start.
2. Type “Restore” and click on the top result.
3. Select System Restore.
4. Choose your Restore Point. A wizard will throw in a recommendation, but you can also select other backups if available. Just make sure that they are within the first 30 days. On the next screen, you can Scan for affected programs to see which apps will be removed if you proceed.
5. Click Next and Finish to revert your PC to the previous restore point.

Where to Put Files from the Windows.old Folder

For better file management, put the copied files from the Windows.old folder to the respective user library folders (Pictures, Documents, etc.) located in C:\Users\<username>. Use an external storage drive if the file sizes are huge, and you wish to free up that space on your C: drive.

Try to only copy important standalone files like photos, documents, videos, and music. It’s futile to copy any programs and system files from the Windows.old folder, as they won’t work with the new installation.

If you wish to recover stuff like save games and temporary files, first familiarize yourself with where the respective files are stored by default. For example, many video games store save games in the C:\Users\AppData… directory. Use the internet or the developer’s website to find out where the relevant files are stored, find the corresponding files within Windows.old, and copy the files to the correct folder in your current Windows installation.

Often, files and folders from the Windows.old folder has separate permissions. To access and modify these files, adjust the permission settings accordingly.

FAQ

Parting Words

As you can see, it’s fairly easy to move files from the Windows.old folder to keep them permanently. Even if there is no Windows.old folder, there are numerous methods you can use to solve this problem. You’ll just have to act quickly to get the highest chance of recovery.