Will My Files Get Deleted When I Upgrade to Windows 11?

Windows 11 is an operating system that Microsoft released in 2021 to help users be more productive. It has a cleaner interface and provides a superior gaming experience for users. While many users are longing to update to Windows 11, they are also worried about whether Windows 11 updates delete files.

The fact is that updating to Windows 11 from Windows 10, 8.1, or 7 does not always result in file loss. Under normal circumstances, files will not be deleted in the process of Windows 11 update.  However, if there is a problem during the Windows 11 installation and you are forced a rollback of the update, it may result in lost files.

If the Windows 11 update was successful, but you find that the Windows update wiped my computer in 2021, it could be caused by the following reasons:

☛Files were moved to different locations on the computer.

☛Files were accidentally deleted in the update.

☛You are logged in with a temporary account.

How Do I Recover Files When Windows 11 Update Deleted Files?

If, unfortunately, you're in a situation where Windows update deleted everything in 2021, here are several ways you can recover your lost files.

Way 1. Look for files with Windows Search Box

If you find that only some of your files have disappeared, it is possible that the Windows 11 update has caused some of your files to be moved to other folders. You can locate these missing files directly by typing indexing or the name of the files in the Windows search bar.

If you are unable to find these files, they may be hidden by Windows. You can type File Explorer in the search bar, select View, and click on Show Hidden Documents under the Hidden records and folders column. And then, check if there are the files you are looking for.

Way 2. Remove Temporary Account

If all the important files on the computer updated to Windows 11 have disappeared, you should have a check on if you are trying a temporary account login.

1. Click Start to select Settings.

2. Click on Account and then Sync your settings.

If a message says "You are signed in with a temporary profile. Roaming options are presently unavailable" is displayed here, you can log out of it and reboot your computer. Afterward, restart the device and log in with another account to see if these Windows 11 update deleted files get back.

Way 3. Enable Administration Account Creator

There is another possibility that the previous account has been disabled on Windows, resulting in the loss of files. In this case, you can enable an administrator account to find these missing files.

1. Search for “Computer Management” in the hunt box on the taskbar and click on it.

2. Tap on the Local Users and Groups button and double-click the Users position.

3. Then, right-click on the Administrator column to click on Properties. Then, deselect the box next to Account is disabled and confirm it.

4. Sign in with your administrator account and check if your Windows 11 recover deleted files.

Way 4. Restore Files from Backups

Of course, the easiest way to find lost files is to restore files from a backup. If you make a backup of your files before Windows 11 update, you can restore your lost files with no trouble. Below is how to recover lost files after Windows 10 update:

1. Navigate to the Update and Security tab on Windows Settings, click Backup, and select Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

2. Click the Restore my files button and choose the files you want to restore.  

However, restoring a backup requires you to have backed-up files in advance. If you didn't back up your files, there is no possibility of restoring them.

Easiest Way to Backup Windows 11 Files for Free

As mentioned above, files need to be backed up before doing restorations. Therefore, we reiterate that file backups are very important. Although Windows 11 has its inbuilt backup tools, the tools have some problems such as slow backup speed and incomplete data backup. Here we recommend a professional and free PC backup software, CBackup, which works well in Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, and XP.

It can backup individual files or folders, as well as your whole computer to Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox. It also provides its own storage space - CBackup Cloud, with 5GB of free space. If you are in the habit of backing up computer files regularly, you can create automatic backups for your files on a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule with the CBackup automatic backup feature.

Its file filtering feature lets you easily exclude files in a folder that you don't want to back up or include certain files to back them up. Try this cloud backup software and create free backups of your Windows 11 files before they get lost.

1. Run the CBackup app on your Windows 11 PC. Create an account for CBackup and log in to the app.

2. Go to Backup, click on Backup PC to CBackup Cloud.

3. Select files you want to get backed up. Click Start Backup to get your Window 11 files backed up simply.

Final Thoughts

This passage lists several ways to recover files when you encounter Windows 11 update deleted files, and we also conclude that file backups are very important. To avoid losing your important files again, we offer you a free way to set up Windows 11 auto backup effortlessly. You can use CBackup to do regular backups of your computer files, and you will never experience file loss.