How to Recover Files After Factory Reset on Windows 11/10 PC

A Specific Case of Losing Files After Factory Reset

How to restore data after factory reset. My laptop was stuck on system updates. When my kid restarted my computer, it was mistakenly factory reset by removing everything. I understand it's hard to really clean a mechanical hard drive. Is there any opportunity for me can restore my data?answers.microsoft.com

Part 1. Can You Recover Files After Factory Reset Windows PC/Laptop

Yes, files can sometimes be recovered after a factory reset on a Windows PC or laptop. However, the recovery possibility depends on how the reset was performed and what happened after the reset.

Several factors determine whether your files can be recovered:

• Data overwriting: If new files are saved or new programs are installed after the reset, they may overwrite the deleted data and make recovery impossible.
• Storage type: Files on HDDs are usually more recoverable after deletion, while SSD recovery can be more difficult due to features like TRIM.
• TRIM status (SSD only): When TRIM is enabled, the SSD may permanently erase deleted data blocks, making file recovery impossible.

What Should You Do After Losing Files Due to Factory Reset

To maximize the chance of recovering files after a factory reset, do the following things:

• Stop using the computer immediately.
• Do not install software or save new files to the system drive.
• Use data recovery software to scan the system drive for recoverable files as soon as possible.
• During data recovery, save recovered files to another storage device to prevent overwriting.

Part 2. How to Recover Files After Factory Reset

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a secure data recovery tool designed for Windows operating systems, including Windows 11/10/8.1/8.

It can help recover documents, photos, videos, audio files, and other types of data after a factory reset, accidental deletion, disk errors, system crashes, and other data loss situations.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Here are the major steps to recover files after factory reset with MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

Step 1. Launch the installed MiniTool file restore tool to enter its home page where 2 independent data recovery modules are displayed: Logical Drives & Devices.

• Logical Drives: Under this tab, all your computer hard drive partitions are displayed, including the lost partitions and unallocated space. You need to select the drive where the files you want to recover should exist and click Scan.
• Devices: Under this module, all disks on the computer are listed. You can scan an entire disk for lost files.

It may take some time to deeply scan your hard drive for lost/deleted/existing files. To guarantee the scanning effect, it is recommended to wait until the full scan is completed.

Step 2. After scanning, several features included in this tool can help you find the needed files faster.

• Path: This is where all the found files are displayed by default. You can stay at this tab and expand each folder to locate the desired files.
• Type: Under this tab, all found items are classified by file type and file format. You can focus on a specific file type to narrow down the file list.

• Filter: Click the Filter button on the top menu bar, then you will have the option to specify file filtering rules, including file type, file date modified, file size, and file category.
• Search: If you still remember some keywords of the needed files, you can type them in the search box and press Enter to search for certain files.

Moreover, this tool also allows you to preview the files before saving them to enjoy accurate and secure data recovery. You can double-click on a file to preview it.

Step 3. Check the checkboxes next to all the needed files, then click Save. After that, you will be prompted to select a directory to store the recovered files. Just do as it told. However, it is recommended to save all recovered files to an external disk to prevent overwriting the lost files on your computer.

Before Factory Reset: Tips to Prevent Data Loss

Before resetting your Windows PC or laptop, follow these tips to avoid losing important files:

• Back up important files to an external drive or cloud storage.
• Make sure you know which accounts, applications, and settings will be removed.
• Create a system image backup if you may need to restore the computer later.
• Choose “Keep my files” if you want to reinstall Windows without removing personal files.

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Part 3. Conclusion

Do you want to factory reset your laptop when your OS is running slow or caught a virus? If yes, please back up all needed data in advance. Otherwise, your data will be lost.

If you only realize the importance of backup after the factory reset is done, you just want to restore data after factory reset computer without backup. On this occasion, you should not ask questions like can you recover files after restoring to factory settings; instead, you should try MiniTool Power Data Recovery because it offers excellent performance as well as simple operations.

If you need any help when using MiniTool products, please contact the support team at [email protected].

Part 4. File Recovery After Factory Reset FAQ