Windows Update Wiped my Data and App Settings

Martti D 0 Reputation points
2026-10-03T02:02:41.09+00:00

After turning on my laptop this morning, I noticed it has the Windows setup screen for Edge, then my usual logins to my favorite sites were gone. I tried opening some of my apps, it's the same, all the saved logins are gone. Then worse when I noticed all my data (files and folders) in my Downloads and Documents folders are all gone. I noticed there is a TEMP. folder in my C/Users directory. Anyone had this issue before? I tried opening system restore but it shows today as the restore point so nothing can be restored.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Windows update
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  1. AI answer

    2026-10-03T02:03:05.4566667+00:00

    This usually means Windows signed in with a temporary profile instead of the normal user profile. That matches the TEMP folder under C:\Users and the loss of app data, saved sign-ins, Desktop, Downloads, and Documents visibility.

    Do this first:

    1. Check whether Windows shows a temporary profile message
      Go to Start > Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings.
      If there is a message like You are logged on with a temporary profile. Roaming options are currently unavailable or We can't sign into your account, restart the laptop and sign in again.
    2. Restart more than once if needed
      The documented guidance is that it can take more than one restart before the normal profile loads again.
    3. Back up anything created in the temporary profile before signing out
      Important: anything created while signed into the temporary account can be deleted when signing out. Copy any new work to an external drive first.
    4. Check whether the original files still exist under the old user profile
      Open File Explorer and browse to C:\Users<original account name>.
      Check Documents, Downloads, and Desktop there. If the files are present, copy them to an external drive immediately.
    5. If the normal profile does not return, create a new administrator account and move files from the old profile
      Microsoft’s recovery guidance for a corrupted profile is:
      • Add a new user account and make it an administrator.
      • Sign in with that new account.
      • Open File Explorer > This PC > C: > Users.
      • Copy files from C:\Users<Old_Username> to C:\Users<New_Username>.
      • Restart and sign in with the new account.
    6. Do not rely on System Restore for this specific symptom
      A restore point from today will not help recover the earlier profile state, and there is also a documented Windows 10 issue where restoring after updates can fail with a stop error.
    7. If a reset becomes necessary, choose carefully
      In Windows recovery options, Reset this PC can either keep or remove personal files.
      Keep my files preserves user accounts and most personal files, but apps and settings are removed. Some app data stored in AppData is not preserved in that process.

    What this means for the current situation:

    • The data may not be deleted; it may be hidden because Windows loaded a temporary profile.
    • Saved logins and app settings are commonly affected because temporary profiles do not use the normal profile data.
    • The safest immediate action is to check C:\Users\<original account> and back up those files before making bigger changes.
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. EmilyS726 270.5K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-03T02:50:24.9933333+00:00

    Hello

    A temp user profile means your user profile wasn't healthy prior to the update, it could be due to clutter, profile corruption, etc, and when the update goes in, issue can get worse and Windows cannot boot into your regular user profile, so it creates this temp one , which looks default.

    Your data is still safe. So the MOST IMPORTANT first step you want to do in situation like this is to back up your data. EXTREMELY IMPORTANT - DO NOT move your data to your current temp user profile. Everything will be wiped / reset on this temp user profile. That is a common mistake users often made in this situation.

    Go to C:\users\your username folder, back them up to an external drive is your best bet.

    ==========

    Once the back up is done, you can try to fix the profile issue.

    Type regedit in the search on the taskbar to launch Registry Editor.

    Go to:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

    Expand the folders beginning with:

    S-1-5-21-

    Click through them and look at "ProfileImagePath" on the right. Find the one that points to your normal profile folder, such as

    C:\Users\your username

    If you see two similar SID entries and one ends in .bak, Windows may have renamed your original profile.

    In that case, go through these steps:

    Rename the SID without .bak and add .tmp to the end.

    Rename the SID ending in .bak and remove .bak.

    Select that restored SID.

    • Double-click "State" and set the value to 0.

    If RefCount exists, set that to 0 as well.

    Restart the computer.

    DO NOT delete any profile folders or registry entries.

    If there is no .bak entry, or the .bak entry does not point to your original C:\Users\username folder, stop there, because it may be a different profile issue. Let me know in this case and we can switch gears.

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