Windows 10 Gets a New “Refresh Windows” Tool

Microsoft released a Refresh Windows Tool few days back that makes clean installation easier. This tool installs a clean copy of the most recent version of Windows, and removes apps (both pre-installed and the ones installed by user) on the PC. As of now this tool works only in insider build 14342 and higher.

Jason[MSFT] posted this at Microsoft Answers forum Now Available: Start fresh with a clean install of Windows 10!

We are happy to announce a new tool that lets you start fresh with a clean installation of Windows. Use this tool to install a clean copy of the most recent version of Windows, and remove apps that came pre-installed or that you installed on your PC.

This tool is currently only available to Windows Insiders, and will only work on recent Windows 10 Insider Preview released builds (build 14342 or later).

The Refresh Windows Tool provides the following choices:

  • Keep personal files only

  • Nothing

Refresh Windows Tool

The Refresh Windows Tool brings nothing new to Windows 10, as Windows 10 already includes the Reset feature in Recovery Options. What’s special about this tool is that it downloads the complete image file from Microsoft instead of using the source in your hard disk. This tool is a nice alternative if the built-in Reset options fail to work for some reason.



Notes

This tool is currently only available to Windows Insiders, and will only work on recent Windows 10 Insider Preview released builds (build 14342 or later).

Before you begin, please make sure you have the following:

  • An internet connection to download the tool and the Windows image. Note that the image is about 3GB and Internet service provider fees may apply.

  • Sufficient data storage available on your PC.

  • Your PC is currently on the Windows 10 Insider Preview Home or Pro edition. (32-bit or 64-bit processor (CPU)) For the latest system requirements, check out the Windows 10 Specifications page.

  • Reminder – like your current Windows Insider Preview installation, trying out an early build (and an early new tool) like this can be risky. That’s why we recommend that you don’t install the preview on your primary home or business PC. Unexpected PC crashes could damage or even delete your files, so you should back up everything. See the Windows Insider Preview FAQ for more details.

Ready to start fresh with a clean installation of Windows? Download Refresh Windows tool

More information available at Now Available: Start fresh with a clean install of Windows 10! – Microsoft Community


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Ramesh Srinivasan is passionate about Microsoft technologies and he has been a consecutive ten-time recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award in the Windows Shell/Desktop Experience category, from 2003 to 2012. He loves to troubleshoot and write about Windows. Ramesh founded Winhelponline.com in 2005.

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