Windows 10: ALL my Documents, Downloads, Pictures Disappeared

I turned on my laptop and it began a download of Microsoft Edge, which I didn't agree to, nor do I want.

If that isn't bad enough, ALL my Documents, Downloads, and Pictures are gone. I've spent 2 hours searching, and they are nowhere. I can't even restore to an earlier date because the Edge download wiped out all of the restore dates, even when I went back to an earlier version of Windows.

I NEED MY DOCUMENTS, DOWNLOADS, AND PICTURES! Can someone tell me how I can restore them -- ASAP???

:)

 

Downloaded files disappear


When you download a file through any browser, there's an option somewhere to 'Open Containing Folder.'

In Windows, to find a file you have downloaded...

1. Open your personal folder by clicking the Start button and then clicking your user name at the top of the Start menu's right pane.
   
2. Double-click one of the following folders:
   
   • Downloads
     
   • Documents
     
   • Pictures
     
   • Videos
     
   • Music

If you do not see the file you are looking for, but know its file name, you can search for it by following these steps:
To search for a file you have downloaded...

1. Click the Start button
   
2. Type all or part of the file name into the Search box.
   The file you are looking for will appear in the list of results.

 

Quick Access not searching Pictures folder

Summary, that last suggestion didn't work.

• I moved the pictures to another folder temporarily.

• Then I tried to remove the Pictures folder with option one at Add or Remove Folders from This PC in Windows 10 | Windows 10 Tutorials. Even after rebooting, the Pictures folder remained.
• So I tried using option two. Same thing: reboot >> Pictures folder still there.

• Since there were no troubleshooting steps for this scenario, just for the heck of it, I ran through the restore steps. Copied some pictures into the Pictures folder, ran a Quick Access search and initial problem remains: Searching all of QA doesn't find any files in Pictures folder, running search on just the Pictures folder does. I want to run a global search and find matching files in any/all of the Documents, Music, Videos, and Pictures folders.

That article dates from 2015 and I'm guessing is out of date. I hope it didn't create potential future problems in my registry.

Bottom line: I'm still looking for a fix.

 

Downloads folder is the Documents folder

Hi Chris,

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community.

I suggest you to Restore to Default the folders and document settings and see if it helps.

Step 1:

Please follow below steps and check if it helps.

• Go to Download folder.
• Right click on the Download Folder and go to Properties.
• In Properties go to Location tab.
• In location Tab Click on Restore Default.

Step 2:

Please follow below steps and check if it helps.

• Go to Documents folder.
• Right click on the Document folder and go to Properties.
• In Properties go to Location tab.
• In location Tab Click on Restore Default.

After performing above steps change the settings as you required and check if it helps.

Hope these information helps, please get back to us for future support, we’ll be glad to assist you further.

Thank you.