{"id":10651,"date":"2019-08-09T11:07:47","date_gmt":"2019-08-09T05:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=10651"},"modified":"2024-04-28T14:02:22","modified_gmt":"2024-04-28T08:32:22","slug":"clean-install-windows-10-using-reset-this-pc-option","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/clean-install-windows-10-using-reset-this-pc-option\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use “Reset this PC” to Clean Install Windows 10 or 11"},"content":{"rendered":"

Windows 10 and 11 have multiple recovery options<\/a> to revert or roll back to an old configuration. The built-in recovery options include System Restore<\/a>, driver rollback<\/a>, in-place upgrade (a.k.a repair install), Reset This PC, Recovery disk, and Go back to the previous version of Windows.
\n<\/p>\n

The Reset this PC<\/strong> option cleanly reinstalls Windows 10\/11, but it also lets you choose whether to keep your files or remove them. In this article, we’ll see how to use the Reset This PC feature to reinstall Windows cleanly, with or without preserving your personal files.<\/p>\n

Before using any of the reset or recovery methods, it’s advisable to back up your files. Backing up is recommended even though the Reset this PC<\/strong> (Keep my files<\/strong>) feature keeps your data intact.<\/em><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Reset Windows 10 or 11 via Windows RE<\/a><\/div>\n

Reset Windows 10 or 11 using the “Reset this PC” option in Settings<\/h2>\n

To reset your Windows 10 or 11 computer:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Open Settings, Update & Security.<\/li>\n
  2. Select Recovery.<\/li>\n
  3. Click the Get Started<\/strong> button under Reset this PC.<\/li>\n
  4. Please select one of the two options: Keep my files<\/strong> or Remove everything<\/strong>. The next paragraph provides more information about each option.
    \n\"reset<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n
    To launch the above dialog directly, run the command systemreset.exe<\/code> or SystemSettingsAdminFlows.exe FeaturedResetPC<\/code> via the Run dialog.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  5. Choose Cloud download or Local reinstall.
    \n\"cloud<\/p>\n
    The Local reinstall<\/strong> option utilizes the files from the Component Store C:\\Windows\\WinSxS<\/code> as the source to rebuild the OS without requiring a recovery image or the ISO.<\/em><\/div>\n
    The Cloud download<\/strong> option fetches the setup image from the Microsoft servers, instead of reusing the existing Windows files to construct a fresh copy. The Cloud download option is a more reliable way to reinstall Windows and, depending on internet speed, can be faster.<\/em><\/div>\n

    (Check out the Microsoft blog Optimize Windows 10 PC reset using the cloud<\/a> to learn more about the cloud download option.)<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n

    What if Windows does not boot?<\/h4>\n

    Note:<\/strong> If Windows doesn’t start, you can access the Reset this PC<\/strong> option by booting into the Windows Recovery Environment using “Method 6” in the article How to access Windows Recovery Environment<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

    After you enter the Recovery Options, on the Choose an option<\/strong> screen, select Troubleshoot<\/strong> \u2192 Reset this PC<\/strong>, and then choose one of the options.\"reset<\/p>\n

    For more information, check out the article How to Reset Windows 10 or 11 via Windows RE<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Keep my files<\/h3>\n

    Selecting the Keep my files<\/strong> (previously, this feature was known as “Refresh your PC”) will do the following:<\/p>\n