> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://documentation.2pintsoftware.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://documentation.2pintsoftware.com/deployr/reference/step-definitions/capture-user-state-with-usmt.md).

# Capture user state with USMT

{% hint style="info" %}
Applies to: DeployR 1.4 and later.
{% endhint %}

The **Capture user state with USMT** step uses the User State Migration Tool (USMT) `ScanState` command to capture user accounts, documents, and settings from the current device. The data is saved to a hardlink state store at `C:\_2P\StateCapture`, so the files themselves are not copied. Capturing is fast and does not need much extra disk space.

This step has no options. Run it in the existing full OS, before rebooting into Windows PE. Pair it with the [Restore user state with USMT](/deployr/reference/step-definitions/restore-user-state-with-usmt.md) step, which restores the data once the new OS is installed. The [Windows refresh](/deployr/task-sequences/task-sequence-templates/windows-refresh.md) template shows the complete process.

### Details

* The USMT files come from the built-in **DeployR USMT files for x64** or **DeployR USMT files for arm64** content item, depending on the device architecture. You do not need to install the Windows ADK on the device.
* `ScanState` runs with the standard `MigDocs.xml` and `MigApp.xml` migration rules, with `/hardlink /nocompress /efs:hardlink /o /c`.
* The current computer name is saved in the `ComputerName` task sequence variable, so the new OS gets the same name.
* Logs are written to `C:\_2P\logs\ScanState.log` and `C:\_2P\logs\ScanStateProgress.log`.
* Exit code 3 (success with non-fatal errors) is treated as success. Any other non-zero exit code fails the step.

{% hint style="warning" %}
A hardlink store only survives if the volume is not reformatted. In the Windows PE phase, use the [Clean drive](/deployr/reference/step-definitions/clean-drive.md) step instead of **Format disk**.
{% endhint %}


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