Windows 10 Files disappeared from desktop

  • Thread starter Thread starter {BA}
  • Start date Start date
B

{BA}

My problem appears to possibly be unique, so I'm starting a new thread. Windows 10 user, have had it since the main release date (bought the computer with 8.0, so I welcomed the update!)


I am missing a couple of files that I saved to desktop. One is an .xls file (fusion.xls) that I've been adding data about every three weeks for two years, and the other is an .ods file (coffee fund.ods) that replaced one I lost earlier this year, that I've been adding a small amount of data to for a few months. I use OpenOffice 4.1.2.


I have now moved all data off of the desktop so nothing else disappears!


I've run easeus and recuva. Recuva found two versions of the fusion.xls file, but they showed to have not been accessed since over a year ago and were overwritten. Ran lots of different iterations of searches in File Explorer. Ran a Microsoft Safety Scanner full scan and found nothing. Followed all these suggestions from windowsreport.com (except the ones pertaining to updating to Win10 and the one disabling Fast Start) (sorry for the length of post, just wanted to cover all bases):

Disappearing Files And Folders On Windows 10 Solution 1 – Check the Users folder

After Windows 10 upgrade, certain files might be missing from your computer, however, in most cases they are just moved to a different folder. Users report that most of their missing files and folders can be found at This PC > Local Disk (C) > Users > User Name > Documents or This PC > Local Disk (C) > Users > Public.

Solution 2 – Show hidden files and folders
If your files and folders disappeared, maybe you should check for hidden files and folders. Sometimes, files and folders might appear missing, but they are actually hidden. To show hidden files and folders, do the following:

  1. Press Windows Key + S and type File Explorer. Choose File Explorer Options from the list.
  2. When File Explorer Options window opens, go to View tab. Locate Hidden files and folders option and select Show hidden files, folders, and drives.
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  3. Click Apply and OK to save changes.

After you’ve changed this option, try searching for the missing files and folders on your computer. In most cases, the files should be in the same folder where you left them.

Solution 3 – Switch to your old user account
In some cases, files and folders might disappear when you upgrade to Windows 10 and that’s because Windows 10 creates a new account for you by default. Your old account is still present, but it’s not set as the default account, so you have to switch to it. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Start Button and click your username at the top.
  2. You should see another account available on the list. Click it in order to switch to it.
  3. After you switch to it, all your files and folders should be available to you.
Solution 4 – Search different hard drive partitions for your files
After you upgrade to Windows 10, your hard drive letters might get changed for some reason. For example, if you used to store files on your C drive, they might be moved to D:\Users\Your_username folder on any other hard drive partition. In order to locate your missing files and folder, make sure to check all hard drive partitions thoroughly.

Solution 5 – Turn off Fast Startup
Users reported that Fast Startup can sometimes be responsible for disappearing files and folders on Windows 10. In order to fix this issue, some users suggest disabling Fast Startup by following these steps:

  1. Press Windows Key + S and type Power Options. Select Power Options from the list of results.
  2. Click on Choose what the power button does.
  3. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable and scroll down to Shutdown settings.
  4. Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended) and click Save changes.
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Solution 6 – Change Indexing options
If random files and folders are disappearing on Windows 10, you might want to change Indexing Options. To do that, follow these steps:


  1. Press Windows Key + S and type Indexing Options. Select Indexing Options from the list of results.
  2. When Indexing Options window opens, click on Advanced.
  3. Go to Index Settings tab, and in Troubleshooting section click the Rebuild button.
Solution 7 – Set the folder temporarily to hidden and read-only
When files and folders disappear from a certain folder, sometimes setting that folder to hidden and read-only can fix the issue. Before you set your folder to hidden, you need to make sure you can view hidden files and folders. In order to see hidden files and folders, check Solution 2 for detailed instructions.

To set a specific folder to hidden and read-only, do the following:

  1. Find the folder with missing files and right click it. Choose Properties from the menu.
  2. In General tab go to Attributes section and check Read-only and Hidden.
  3. Click Apply and OK.
  4. Right click the same folder again, and uncheck Read-only and Hidden options.
  5. Click Apply and OK to save changes.
  6. Enter the folder and the missing files should appear.
Solution 8 – Check the AppData\Temp folder
Sometimes, files that disappear might get moved to AppData\Temp folder. In order to recover the missing files and folders, go to the C:\Users\AppData\Local\Temp\ folder. Users reported that missing files were located in jbtempx-7895.ixx folder, but they will probably be located in a different folder on your computer, so you might have to do some manual searching. We have to mention that you’ll have to reveal hidden files and folders in order to access AppData folder. For detailed instructions check Solution 2.

Solution 9 – Check your hard drive
In some cases, files and folders can disappear if the drive index gets corrupted. In order to fix this, it’s advised that you check your hard drive. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Open This PC and locate your hard drive. Right click it and choose Properties.
  2. Go to Tools tab and click Check Now button. Your hard drive will be scanned for errors. After the scan is completed, hidden files and folders should be restored.

Disappearing files and folders can cause a lot of problems, and if you have experienced similar issues, feel free to try some of our solutions.

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