In this post, I will show you how to restore and get back Edge Favorites after resetting Windows 11/10. Recently after noticing that my Windows computer was performing unusually slow, I decided to Reset my PC and Start fresh. While resetting, I opted for the ‘Keep my files’ mode, since it is similar to reinstalling Windows without any applications but maintaining user data at the same time. After the reset, all my data and settings were safe; but when I opened the Edge browser, my Favorites were gone!
While I was looking around for a solution, I got to know that Edge has a built-in favorites export/import feature that can back up favorites and keep them safe. But in my case, that was not possible because I had already lost them. Then I found that I could restore my lost Edge Favorites using the Windows.old folder.
The Windows.old folder is a directory that’s created automatically when you upgrade your Windows version or reinstall Windows using the ‘Reset this PC’ feature while keeping your existing data. This folder contains a backup of your previous Windows installation and can be used to recover system files, installed programs, and user data if the upgrade or reinstallation encounters issues.
Restore & get back Edge Favorites after Resetting Windows 11/10
Edge stores Favorites in the AppData folder under your user directory. If you had no backups or syncing set up before resetting your PC, you may lose your Favorites data stored locally in the Edge profile. To recover lost or deleted Favorites in Microsoft Edge after resetting your Windows PC, follow these steps:
Open File Explore and navigate to the following directory:
C:\Windows.old\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Profile X
Here, ‘X’ represents the number that is assigned to individual profiles when you create multiple profiles in Edge (e.g., Profile 4, Profile 9, etc.). To restore data, make sure you open the correct profile that stores your desired Favorites.
If you do not see the AppData folder, it might be hidden on your PC. To view hidden items, click the View menu in the File Explorer toolbar and select Show > hidden items.
Next, locate the file named ‘Bookmark’ inside the Profile folder. Select the file and click the Copy icon in the toolbar on top. This will copy the file to your system’s clipboard. Close the Edge browser if it running.
Now navigate to the following path in the File Explorer window:
C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Profile X
This is your current installation folder for the Edge browser. Here, search for the Bookmark file, right-click on it, and select Rename (or Show more options > Rename). Rename the files as ‘Bookmarks.old’.
Now paste the Bookmarks file that you copied from Windows.old into this folder.
Relaunch Edge. You will be surprised to see all your favorites back in place as you left them.
This was how I got back my Edge favorites after resetting Windows 10. You may follow the same process for Windows 11 as well. If you face any problems in the entire process, feel free to comment down below.
Recently we covered a small utility called StorURL, a free cross-browser bookmarks manager. You can use it to import bookmarks from all browsers including Google Chrome and Firefox. The tool can be used to take bookmark backups and manage them efficiently.
I hope this helps.
How do I restore Microsoft Edge in Windows 11?
If you have recently upgraded or reset Windows and the ‘Windows.old’ folder is available, you might be able to restore Edge settings and data from it. If Edge issues started after recent changes and you have System Restore points enabled, you can revert your system to an earlier state to restore Edge in Windows 11.
Does resetting Edge remove favorites?
If you reset Edge Settings to their default values, your favorites remain intact, while temporary data like cookies and site data are cleared. If you Repair Edge through Windows Settings, your Favorites and other personal data are preserved. If you Reset Edge through Settings, Windows reinstalls Edge and might remove all user data, including Favorites, unless they are synced with your Microsoft account.
Read Next: Where are Favorites stored in Edge browser.
