Fixed: Folder Disappeared in Windows 11 | 8 Ways

Folder suddenly disappeared in Windows 10 or 11 can be frustrating. However, there's no need to panic. We are here to help you and provides 8 effective methods to get back your missing folder and files below.

Why My Folder Disappeared in Windows 11?

Various reasons can cause files or folder disappeared in Windows 11. Here we collect 5 common reasons below:

• Accidental deletion. This is a major reason for a missing folder. It will be much more difficult if you empty the Recycle Bin folder.
• Hidden files or folders. Sometimes your files are hidden and invisible unless you show hidden files or folders in File Explorer.
• Windows update issue. After upgrading, Windows may create a new default user account and store your files there. It may also simply not be in the original folder but to the Documents or App Data folder.
• Corrupted disk indexing. If your disk index is corrupted, it will not be able to show files or folder. Thus, you may think your folder suddenly disappeared in Windows 11.
• Virus infection. Your folder may be infected by virus and deleted by your anti-virus software.

Solution 1: Show Hidden files and Folders

Showing hidden files and folder will be a great start if your folder suddenly disappeared in Windows 11. Sometimes they are actually hidden instead of missing.

1. Open "This PC" from File Explorer. Click on the "File" tab and select "Change folder and search options".

2. In the "View" tab, check "Show hidden files, folders, and drives". Click "Apply" > “OK” to make your files or folder visible.

Solution 2: Recover Deleted Files or Folder in Windows 11  

If your files or folders are not hidden, it may be accidentally deleted. Restoring files from backup will be the most effective method. However, most users are not in the habit of creating backups. Thus, if you don’t have a backup either, try professional data recovery software like MyRecover.

Thanks to its two advanced scanning methods and high success rate, you can easily and quickly find out and recover all the deleted or lost files or folders in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, etc as well as Windows Server.

• Recover Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, photos, audio, videos, emails, webpages, and compressed files and 200+ file types.
• Filter and recover files from a specific folder, internal or external disk, flash drive, SD card, etc.
• Keep the recovered files with their original path, filename, format, and quality.
• Deal with all-inclusive data loss scenarios, such as accidental deletion, virus infection, corrupted disk, formatted disk, etc.

1. Install and launch professional Windows data recovery software - MyRecover. Hover the mouse over the disk containing missing files or folders and click Scan.

2. It will run two advanced scanning methods - Quick Scan & Deep Scan automatically and display all the found files or folder on the selected disk. You can filter and preview files in the disk. Here are two methods:

• Click Filter and select a file type, such as Documents. Then, type file name or file extension in the Search for files or folders box.
• Expand the Deleted Files, Recycle Bin, or Other Missing Files tab and check the deleted or lost files on the unknown uninitialized disk.

3. Select all the deleted or lost files on the disk and click the Recover x files button. You will then be asked to select a location. Please select a new location instead of the original location.

Notes:  

• The restore button will display the number of selected files and their full size. You can use it to determine the integrity of the recovered files.
• Saving the recovered files to original location may cause data corruption or further data loss.
• You can recover deleted folder in Windows 11 for free, up to 500MB in total. Try advanced editions if you want to recover all files.

This method applies to all the users folder disappeared in Windows 11, such as windows 11 documents folder missing, download folder disappeared in Window 11, desktop folder disappeared in Windows 11 and picture folder disappeared in Windows 11.

Solution 3: Switch to Old User Account

It is likely that Windows created a new user account and set it as the default after upgrading to Windows 11. Please check the new user account and get your files or folder back.  

1. Click on the "Start" button, then select the user icon and "Sign out".

2. On the sign-in window, type the required information about your old account. Once switched your accounts, your files or folder should appear in Windows 11.

Solution 4: Check the Users Folder

Except for user accounts, your files or folder may be moved to another location, such as Documents folder or Public folder. You can follow the steps below to check your users folder.

1. Open "This PC" from File Explorer. Then, go to the following path.

• C:\Users\UserName\Documents
• C:\Users\Public

2. Check if the files or folder disappeared in Windows 11 are there. You can copy and paste them to their original location.

Solution 5: Check the Temp folder

The temp folder is used to store launch configurations and cached data for installed applications. You can also check this folder for missing files or folders.  

1. Navigate to "C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Temp" and access the temp folder.

2. Most of the time, the missing files or folders are found here. It requires some manual steps to retrieve your data.

Solution 6: Check the Disk Index 

If your hard drive index is corrupted, it may prevent files from appearing in folders. To exclude this possibility, you need to check the disk index.

1. Open "This PC" in File Explore. Locate your hard drive, right-click it, and select "Properties".

2. In the "Tools" tab, go to the Error checking section and click on the "Check" button.

3. Click "Scan drive" to search for possible errors. It will fix any found errors and restore the hidden files and folders.

Solution 7: Modify the Indexing Options

If your files are still not showing in Windows 11, you can choose to modify the Indexing Options with the following steps.

1. Press the "Win + S" keys to open the search bar. Type "Indexing options" and select it.

2. In the Indexing options window, click on the "Advanced" option.

3. Navigate to the “Index Settings” tab, and click on the "Rebuild" button under Troubleshooting.

Solution 8: Set Antivirus Configuration

If the folder disappeared in Windows 11 issue still exists, it may be deleted by antivirus software. Here are two things you need to do: one is to recover deleted files in Windows 11 while the other is to add items to exclude from antivirus scan. Try data recovery software like MyRecover and then follow the steps below to set antivirus configuration.

1. Type “Windows Security” in the search box and select it. Then, click “Virus & threat protection”.

2. Click “Manage settings”.

3. Go to the Exclusions section, and click "Add or remove exclusions".

4. Click on the “Add an exclusion” button. You can select from files, folders, file types, or processes. A folder exclusion will apply to all subfolders within the folder as well.

Conclusion

In conclusion, with the aforementioned solutions, you can easily fix files or folder disappeared folders in Windows 11. They may be hidden, deleted or moved to another location after upgrading the operating system.

If you haven't upgraded yet, it is advisable to back up all your data in case of missing any files or folders. AOMEI Backupper Standard, one of the best free backup software for Windows, will do you a big favor. Not only back up files, but also keep track of changes made in the future.