Did your PC catch a contagious malware infection that you can’t remove, or whether you’re planning to sell your trusty old Windows machine? Whatever the case is a system reset is the most convenient option that you can opt for.
That said, to make things easier for you we have come up with a step-by-step guide that explains everything there is to know about resetting your PC:
Step 1: Accessing System Reset
The first step in resetting your Windows 11 PC would be to access system reset in Settings or by using the advanced reboot option as detailed in the steps below:
- Go to Start and click on the Settings button that can be found at the bottom.
- Inside Settings head to System.
- Now under system look for an option that says Recovery and click on it.
- Inside Recovery, look for the option that says Reset this PC and click on the Reset PC button beside it.
Alternatively, you can commence system reset by holding down the Shift key while you restart your PC/laptop to boot into Advance Startup options, then going to Troubleshoot > Reset This PC.
Step 2: Starting System Reset
Now that you have clicked on System Reset, let’s see what you need to do after it:
- If you’ve accessed System Reset from Settings, you will see a “Reset this PC” window on the screen. In this window, choose one of the following two options:
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- Keep My Files: This option only deletes your apps and settings but keeps your files untouched.
- Remove Everything: This option, as the name suggests, wipes everything, including your apps, settings, and even personal files. This option might come in handy when selling or giving away your device.
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- Once you’ve made your choice regarding the type of reset, a new “How Would You Like to Reinstall Windows?” window will appear on your screen along with two options:
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- Cloud Download: This option will download and reinstall Windows 11 from the cloud, i.e. from Microsoft’s server.
- Local Reinstall: This option allows you to use the OS installation media that you might have available on an external HDD or a flash drive.
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- Now that you’ve made your choices, a new window will ask you to confirm your selected reset options. Once approved, click on Reset. Your PC will now reboot to commence the System reset.
That’s pretty much how you can factory reset any of your Windows machines starting from Windows 7 to 11.
