Recover Deleted Windows.old Folder in Windows 11/10

Jean updated on Oct 29, 2024 to File Recovery | How-to Articles

If you see "We are very sorry, but you can not go back" message when you try to roll back Windows 10 to Windows 8.1 or Windows 7, it means that you have lost or deleted the Windows. old folder files. Then, how to Recover Deleted Windows.old Folder? Use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to help you recover the deleted or lost Windows. old file recovery and then go back to the previous version.

How to recover deleted Windows. old folder in Windows 11/10/8/7? Go through the steps quickly.

  1. 1. Install and run EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. Scan for deleted Windows. old folder.
  2. 2. Wait for the scanning process to be done. Find and preview the Windows.old folder.
  3. 3. Recover the deleted Windows. old folder with files.

What Is Windows.old Folder? I Can't Go back Without it

"We're sorry, but you can't go back." This is the Windows 10 downgrading trouble that I've met, and I’ve tried so many times but failed. I checked on forums and was told that I might have lost or deleted the data and files in Windows. old folder. What is that? Is Windows.old file recovery possible? It seems that I can't downgrade Windows 10 to Windows 8.1 now that I haven't backed up the system before upgrading."

What is Windows.old folder? It's a file folder that houses the data and files of your previous Windows system. Users who have a system backup or those that don't expect a system rollback can delete it after a successful Windows 10 upgrade to free disk space. Besides, the Windows.old folder also can be deleted automatically after ten days since you upgraded.

But usually reverting to the old system requires the Windows.old files to be intact. Therefore, if you neither have a backup nor the Windows. old folder has been removed, going back to the old Windows version may become a little troublesome unless.

How to Recover Deleted Windows.old Folder in Windows 11/10/8/7

In this article, we will show you how to recover deleted Windows.old folder in Windows 11/10/8/7 after it is deleted or lost. 

Method 1. Recover Deleted Windows.old Folder in Windows 11/10 with Software

To recover deleted Windows.old folder and roll it back to the previous version, all your need is EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, which enables you to restore Windows.old folder in Windows 10 due to deletion, formatting, virus attack, OS crash, etc. What's more, this program provides full recovery of files and folder structure. So have a try with the detailed guides below.

Step 1. Select a folder to scan for lost files

Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. Double click "Select Folder" to browse the the location where you lost the folder and click "OK" to scan the lost folder. 

Step 2. Find and preview found files in the lost folder

If you remember the folder name, type the folder name in search box to quickly find the lost files. Then, open the found folder and double-click to preview scanned files. Or you can use the Filter feature to find a certain type of files. 

Step 3. Recover and save the lost folder 

Last, select the folder and files you need, click "Recover" and choose a new & secure location on your PC or cloud storage like OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox to keep the recovered data. 

Important
Now you have restored Windows.old folder with the help of the professional data recovery program. To keep your OS and files safe, you should get into the habit of making backups. If you don't want to bother with manual backups, you can resort to a  Windows schedule backup software for automatic backup. 

Method 2. Run System Restore or a Backup

If you have turned on System Restore, you have a backup image of Windows OS, configuration, and settings. It can restore Windows OS to an earlier date when the restore point was created. To recover Windows.old with System Restore, you'll just have to follow the steps below:

Step 1. Open Start.

Step 2. Type Restore and click on the top result.

Step 3. Select System Restore.

Step 4. Choose your Restore Point.

Step 5. Click "Next" and "Finish" to revert your PC to the previous restore point.

Method 3. Retrieve Files from the Windows.old Folder

It's the easiest way to restore all of your files manually. The only condition is that you deleted the Windows.old folder within 28 days. Your personal files are temporarily saved to the Windows.old folder for 28 days. Here are the steps to retrieve files manually.

Step 1. Do double-click "This PC" or "My Computer".

Step 2. Go to C drive and open the Windows.old folder.

Step 3. Double-click the Users folder.

Step 4. Double-tap or double-click your user name.

Step 5. Open the folders that contain the files you want to retrieve.

Step 6. Copy and paste the files that you want from each folder to another.

Conclusion

Even if you can't find the Windows.old folder, you can get numerous ways to get back files in the Windows.old folder. It's pretty easy to move files from the Windows.old folder to keep them permanently if you have read this post.

Recover Deleted Windows.old Folder FAQS

1. How do I restore a Windows old folder?

In addition to using EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to restore a deleted Windows.old folder, you can also manually perform Windows. old Restore (Easy Steps).

Step 1. Open up the Computer panel and go to the system partition.

Step 2. Double-tap or double-click the "Windows. old folder > Users folder > your username".

Step 3. Copy and paste the files that you want from each folder to a folder in Windows 10.

2. What happens if Windows old folder deleted?

Windows old folder contains all the files and data from your previous Windows installation. You can use it to restore your system to the old version of Windows. However, Windows will automatically delete the Windows. old folder to free up space after a month if you don't use it. But don't worry, even though the Windows old folder is lost, you can use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to recover deleted Windows.old folder.

3. Where can I find old Windows files?

This should just be a matter of opening the File Explorer window, accessing the Windows.old folder at C:\Windows.old, and browsing your file system. Your personal files will be located under C:\Windows.old\Users\your_name.

4. How do I restore a deleted file in Windows?

There are three ways for you to recover a deleted file in Windows:

Method 1. Recover a deleted file from Recycle Bin

Method 2. Restore deleted files from the previous version

Method 3. Recover deleted files with deleted file recovery software

5. How do I recover permanently deleted folders on my computer?

To recover permanently deleted folders on your computer, you can restore from previous versions, Windows backup, or using professional file recovery software. The former two methods require you to create a backup before, or they won't be helpful. So, the most effective way to recover permanently deleted folders on Windows 10/8/7 is by applying a file/folder recovery tool.

6. How do I recover a deleted file from years ago?

No matter how long your files have been deleted, a month, a year, or a few years, as long as the files are not overwritten with new data, you have a chance to use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to recover deleted files.