Forum Discussion
Felixxxx
Mar 31, 2026Copper Contributor
EFS Certificate Lost After Format – Files Cannot Be Decrypted
Windows installation. I formatted Windows and copied the encrypted files to an external hard drive before formatting. After reinstalling Windows and signing in with the same Microsoft account ...
quexstre
Sep 25, 2026Copper Contributor
Please help me!!! Same problem. I formatted Windows. Afterward, I checked the photos on my D: drive and found they were all locked. I hadn't even set up encryption. I have 300 GB of photos and videos sitting there, encrypted. My spouse and I are in shock—all our photos are there; isn't there anyone who can help? I'm using an SSD and tried file recovery, but I didn't get any results. Please help us #microsoft