Reset this PC: reinstall Windows safely

Reset this PC reinstalls Windows. It is the reliable last step when repairs have failed, and the right thing to do before selling a computer.

Before you reset: a gentler option

On Windows 11, try Settings › System › Recovery › Fix problems using Windows Update › Reinstall now first. It reinstalls the current version of Windows and keeps your apps, files and settings. If that cures the problem, no reset is needed.

The two choices

Either way, installed programs are removed. Windows leaves a list of them in a file on the desktop afterwards.

Prepare

1. Back up your files to another drive or the cloud, even with "Keep my files". A reset that fails halfway is rare but not unknown. See back up first.
2. Note what you will need to reinstall: programs, printer, licence keys for paid software. Sign out of or deactivate software with a limited number of activations.
3. Know your Microsoft account password, and your Wi-Fi password.
4. Save the BitLocker recovery key if the drive is encrypted: account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey.
5. Plug in the charger and allow one to three hours.
6. Browser bookmarks and saved passwords return only if they are synced to an account; check before you start.

Start the reset

From Windows: Settings › System › Recovery › Reset this PC › Reset PC. (Windows 10: Settings › Update & Security › Recovery › Get started.)

When Windows will not start: reach the recovery screen (let the start fail three times, or Shift + Restart at the sign-in screen) and choose Troubleshoot › Reset this PC.

Then answer the questions:

1. Keep my files or Remove everything.
2. Cloud download or Local reinstall. - *Cloud download* fetches a fresh copy of Windows, about 4 GB or more of data. Choose it if the present Windows is damaged, which is usually why you are resetting. - *Local reinstall* rebuilds from the files already on the PC. Quicker, needs no internet, but can fail if those files are damaged.
3. Change settings (optional). With "Remove everything" there is a Clean data switch: it overwrites the drive so that files cannot be recovered. Turn it on when selling or giving away the computer; it adds an hour or more.
4. Read the summary and click Reset.

The computer restarts several times. Do not switch it off.

After the reset

1. Go through the set-up screens and sign in.
2. Settings › Windows Update › Check for updates, repeatedly, until none remain. Include Optional updates for drivers.
3. Install drivers and the maker's support app from the manufacturer's site if anything is missing (check Device Manager for yellow marks).
4. Reinstall your programs from their official sources, a few at a time. If the old problem returns after one of them, you have found the cause.
5. Copy your files back, and set up backup.

If the reset fails

• "There was a problem resetting your PC. No changes were made": run sfc /scannow and DISM (see repair commands), then try again with Cloud download.
• From the recovery screen's Command Prompt, chkdsk C: /f can clear disk errors that block the reset.
• If it still fails, install Windows from a USB stick made with Microsoft's Media Creation Tool or Installation Assistant, from microsoft.com/software-download. Windows activates by itself afterwards on a computer that was activated before, because the licence is tied to the hardware.

Before selling or giving away

Use Remove everything with Clean data on. Sign out of your Microsoft account on the device list at account.microsoft.com/devices afterwards and remove the device. For a Windows 11 PC, the new owner will set it up with their own account.

For Windows 11 and Windows 10. Written in November 2026. Menus move between updates; use the search box in Settings if a name differs. Back up important files before any step that resets, repairs a disk or opens the computer. This is an independent guide, not connected with Microsoft.