Recover Files After System Restore in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11

Can I recover files after system restore in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11?

What is System Restore?

System Restore is one handy tool that can help us fix errors on Windows PC. When computer goes wrong after installing updates, drivers or applications, we can perform a System Restore to restore Windows to a previous date - a good working condition before the problem occurred.

Will System Restore delete personal files?

System Restore only takes images of system files, installed programs, Windows Registry, and system settings, so it will only recover system-related changes and your personal files such as documents, photos, videos, songs will not be affected. However, sometimes there are cases of data loss after System Restore.

Can you recover files after System Restore?

The answer is Yes! There are practical ways that can help you recover files after System Restore in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11. If you don't have backups and don't want to undo System Restore, then you can let data recovery tool help you find the lost files.

3 Ways to recover files after System Restore in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 

When you lost files after System Restore, you can try one of the following methods to get them back.

Way 1 . Recover files after System Restore from the backup

If you have enabled File History on your computer, then there should be a copy of your personal files. Go to Control Panel > System and Security > File History to see if you have that feature enabled. If it is enabled, you can choose Restore personal files option to find the deleted files from the backup package.

Then you can select the files you need and click Restore button to get them back.

Way 2. Recover files after System Restore via data recovery tool

If there is no backup available or you can’t find files you need from the backup package, then you can use a third-party data recovery tool to help you scan the drive to find the lost data.

When files are deleted, they don't really disappear from the hard drive. The system will mark the space previously occupied by the data as free space, waiting to be overwritten by new data. Deleted files can be recovered via data recovery tool as long as no new data is written to that location.

There are many data recovery tool in the market, if you prefer an easy-to-use one, then MyRecover is the one for you. It is one ideal tool for those who don't know much about computers. With just one click, it will automatically scan the computer and find all the lost data.

You can click the download button to get the tool and follow the steps below to recover files after System Restore in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11.

Step 1. Launch MyRecover > Choose the partition where you have lost the files > Click Start Scan option.

Step 2. It will automatically scan your drive to find all deleted data or other lost files. Just wait for the scanning.

Step 3. When the scanning is complete, you can find the files you need and click the Recover button to restore them.

If you see the data you need before the scan is finished, then you can select them and recover them immediately without waiting for the scan to complete.

Way 3. Undo System Restore to recover lost files

You can also choose to undo System Restore to recover lost files. However, the whole process can take a long time and there is no guarantee that the lost data will be recovered.

Undo System Restore in Windows 7

• Click Start menu and type system restore in the search box.
• Click System Restore to open it.
• Choose Undo my last restoration and click the Next button.
• Hit the Finish button to start.

Undo System Restore in Windows 8, 10

• Go to Settings > Update & Security > Under Advanced startup, choose Restart now.
• Click Troubleshoot > Choose Advanced options and then choose System Restore.
• Log in to the administrator account with your password > Click Continue.
• Click Next on the following window.
• Select the point that you want to undo (make sure that Undo is visible in the Type column).
• Click Finish to continue.
• Click Yes and then Restart to undo System Restore.

Undo System Restore in Windows 11

• Go to Control Panel.
• Type recovery and choose the first result.
• Click Open System Restore.
• One the Restore system files and settings window, select Next.
• Choose the restore point you want to undo.
• Click Next > Finish to start.

Final words

That’s all about how to recover files after System Restore in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11. First, you can go and check if you can find lost files from Windows backup. If there is no available backup, then you can try data recovery tool. If you still can't find the missing data, then you can try to undo System Restore.

PS: The best and cheapest way to prevent data loss is to back up the data regularly. As long as you have a backup, you can easily recover lost data. You can enable File History to backup all files and folders or you can let AOMEI Backupper backup selected files daily/weekly/monthly to save time and storage space.