How do I factory reset Windows 11?

Open Settings → System → Recovery → Reset PC. Choose 'Keep my files' (apps removed, files kept) or 'Remove everything' (full wipe). Then choose 'Cloud download' (4GB+ download, fresh OS image) or 'Local reinstall' (uses existing system files, faster but inherits any corruption). The whole process takes 30-90 minutes depending on disk speed and download path.

Should I choose cloud download or local reinstall?

Cloud download for almost everyone. It downloads a fresh Windows 11 image (~4GB) directly from Microsoft, which guarantees a clean install even if your existing system files are corrupted. Local reinstall is faster on slow internet but reuses local files — if those files are why you're resetting, it inherits the problem. On any uncapped fibre line, choose cloud.

What is the difference between 'Keep my files' and 'Remove everything'?

Keep my files: apps and settings are wiped, but documents, photos and videos in your user folders survive. Remove everything: full wipe of all user data, apps and settings — essentially a fresh PC. Use 'Keep my files' for fixing OS problems while preserving data; use 'Remove everything' before selling, gifting, or if a malware infection is severe enough that you don't trust your user files either.

What about the 30-day rollback after Reset This PC?

Reset This PC creates a Windows.old folder containing your previous installation, which lets you roll back within 30 days via Settings → System → Recovery → Go back. Reality: the rollback works for in-place feature updates but is fragile after a full reset. Treat it as a safety net, not a plan. If you reset and don't intend to roll back, delete Windows.old via Disk Cleanup after a few days to reclaim 15-30GB.

How do I do a clean install with Media Creation Tool?

Download Media Creation Tool from microsoft.com/software-download/windows11. Run it on any working PC to write an 8GB+ USB drive. Boot the target PC from that USB (F12 or F8 at boot for boot menu), delete all partitions during setup, install fresh. This is the gold standard — guarantees no leftover registry rot, no inherited corruption, no Windows.old. Takes 25-40 minutes after USB boot. You'll lose all data on the system drive; back up first.

Do I need my BitLocker recovery key before resetting?

Yes — critical. If BitLocker is enabled (default on most Windows 11 Home and Pro installs on TPM-equipped PCs since 24H2), the recovery key may be needed during or after reset. Find it now at account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey (signed in with the Microsoft account tied to the PC) and either screenshot or print it. If you reset without the key and the system asks for it, you'll be locked out.

What should I back up before resetting?

Documents, Desktop and Pictures folders (often missed because they sit inside the user profile). Browser bookmarks and passwords (export from Chrome/Edge/Firefox or sign into a sync account). Microsoft 365 / Office product key or sign-in. Game saves not in Steam Cloud (Witcher 3, older Bethesda games, indie titles). 2FA authenticator app codes — re-add accounts to a fresh install of Authy or Microsoft Authenticator. License keys for paid apps (Adobe, JetBrains, etc.).

What if Reset This PC doesn't fix the problem?

Two possibilities: corruption survived the reset (do a fresh install via Media Creation Tool instead), or the fault is hardware. Symptoms after a fresh reset that suggest hardware: blue screens, random reboots, frozen mouse cursor for seconds at a time, very slow boot. Run a memory test (Windows Memory Diagnostic from Start), check SMART status on the SSD (CrystalDiskInfo), and watch CPU/GPU temps under load (HWiNFO64). If hardware is suspected, bring it in for diagnostics rather than reinstalling Windows a third time.

Windows 11 Factory Reset

How to factory reset your PC. — Cloud download. Forty minutes. Fresh again.

Windows 11 has two paths: Reset This PC (built-in, comfortable) and Media Creation Tool (a true clean slate). Most users only need the first. Here's how to choose, and what to back up before you press the button.

9 min read
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by Evetech Hardware Team

By the end of this guide, you'll know which reset path fits your problem, the BitLocker step almost everyone forgets, and how to tell when reinstalling Windows won't fix what you have.

total time: 30-90 min
cloud download: ~4 GB
rollback window: 30 days

Factory reset Windows 11 — A clean slate, done safely.

Back up before you press the button

Even "Keep my files" can fail mid-reset and leave a half-broken Windows that needs a fresh install anyway. Treat every reset as if it might wipe everything, because occasionally one does.

The non-obvious things to back up:

Documents, Desktop and Pictures folders — they live inside your user profile and are easy to forget. Copy to an external drive or OneDrive.
Browser bookmarks and saved passwords — export from Chrome/Edge/Firefox, or sign into the browser's sync account before resetting.
Game saves not in Steam Cloud — Witcher 3, older Bethesda games, GOG titles, many indies. Locations vary (search "C:\Users\YourName\Documents\My Games" or the game's AppData folder).
2FA authenticator codes — back up Authy or Microsoft Authenticator before reset, otherwise you'll lock yourself out of every account you secured with TOTP.
License keys for paid software — Adobe Creative Cloud signs in fine, but standalone apps like older Office, JetBrains, Affinity, perpetual licenses all want keys re-entered.
BitLocker recovery key (see dedicated section below).

Reset This PC — step by step

Reset This PC steps — Reset, step by step.

Reset This PC is Windows 11's built-in reinstaller. It reuses your current Windows installation as a starting point and reverts it to a fresh state.

Open Settings (Win + I).
Go to System → Recovery.
Under "Recovery options", click Reset PC.
Choose Keep my files or Remove everything (see next section).
Choose Cloud download or Local reinstall.
Review the summary, confirm, and let it run. 30-90 minutes depending on disk speed and cloud download size.
The PC will reboot several times. Don't interrupt it — even if it seems stuck for 20+ minutes, leave it alone unless 2 hours have passed with no disk activity.

You'll come back to the Windows out-of-box experience — same as a brand new laptop. Sign in with your Microsoft account, install drivers, reinstall apps, restore files.

Keep vs Remove · Cloud vs Local

Four combinations, but the right one is usually obvious.

Scenario	Pick	Why
Slow PC, weird errors, want to fix	Keep files + Cloud	Wipes apps and reg rot, preserves data, fresh OS image
Severe malware suspected	Remove all + Cloud	Don't trust your user files either
Selling, gifting, returning the PC	Remove all + Cloud	Full wipe with secure data option
Slow internet, simple OS bug	Keep files + Local	Faster, no download — accepts some risk

Cloud download pulls a fresh ~4GB Windows 11 image from Microsoft. It guarantees clean files even if your existing system files are damaged. On uncapped fibre this is invisible; on capped or shaped connections it might burn data, so check your package.

Local reinstall uses your existing Windows files as the source. Faster (no download), but if file corruption is part of what you're fixing, it inherits the problem and the reset may finish "clean" while still showing the original symptom. Default to cloud unless internet cost matters.

The 30-day rollback reality

After Reset This PC, Windows keeps your previous installation in a folder called C:\Windows.old. For 30 days you can go to Settings → System → Recovery → Go back and roll back.

In practice the rollback is fragile. It works reliably for in-place feature updates (Win11 23H2 to 24H2 etc.) but is much less reliable after a full reset — drivers, profiles, encryption state and updates all complicate the rollback. Treat it as an emergency parachute, not a planned escape route.

If you're happy after a few days, delete Windows.old via Settings → System → Storage → Cleanup recommendations or via the classic Disk Cleanup tool. This reclaims 15-30GB.

Media Creation Tool — true clean install

Reset This PC is convenient. A USB-based fresh install is properly clean. Use this when you need the strongest reset possible.

When you need it

Reset This PC failed mid-process and the OS is now broken.
Symptoms keep returning after Reset This PC — likely deeper file corruption.
You want zero Windows.old residue and no inherited registry state.
Migrating between editions (Home → Pro) or between language versions.
Selling and want the next owner to see a true OOBE.

Step by step

On any working PC, visit microsoft.com/software-download/windows11 and download Media Creation Tool.
Insert a USB drive of 8GB or larger (it'll be wiped).
Run the tool, accept the license, choose Create installation media (USB flash drive), pick your language and edition, select the USB. Let it write.
Plug the USB into the target PC. Boot to the boot menu — usually F12, F8 or Esc at power-on (depends on motherboard). Select the USB.
When Windows Setup loads, click Install → Custom install → at the partition page, delete every partition on the system drive → select the unallocated space → Next.
25-40 minutes later you're at OOBE. Sign in, install drivers from your motherboard/laptop vendor's site.

BitLocker — the precaution everyone skips

BitLocker recovery key — Find your key first.

Since Windows 11 24H2, BitLocker is enabled by default on most Microsoft-account installations on PCs with a TPM. Many users don't realise their drive is encrypted until a reset prompts for the recovery key — at which point, if they don't have it, the data is unrecoverable.

Find your BitLocker key now

On the device you're about to reset, open Command Prompt as Administrator and run manage-bde -status. Look at Protection Status: "Protection On" means BitLocker is active.
If it's active, visit account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey on any device, sign in with the Microsoft account tied to the PC, and screenshot or print every key shown.
For domain-joined PCs (work laptops), the key may be in Azure AD or Active Directory — check with IT before you reset.
For local-account installs, the key may only exist on a printout you generated at setup time. If you don't have it and BitLocker is on, decrypt the drive (Settings → Privacy & security → Device encryption → off) before resetting.

When a reset doesn't fix it — it's hardware

A fresh Windows install with current drivers should be fast, stable and quiet. If symptoms persist after a true clean install via Media Creation Tool, the fault is hardware.

Hardware suspects by symptom:

Symptom after fresh install	Likely hardware cause	Test
Random reboots, blue screens	Faulty RAM or PSU	Windows Memory Diagnostic, swap PSU
Very slow boot, sluggish app loads	Failing SSD	CrystalDiskInfo SMART check
Frozen mouse for seconds, stuttering	Disk I/O storms, failing SSD	Task Manager disk activity, SMART
Crashes under load only	Overheating CPU or GPU	HWiNFO64 temp monitoring during stress
USB devices disconnect randomly	USB controller or PSU rail	Try different ports, swap PSU

Driver and software setup after reset

After any reset, Windows 11 will pull most drivers via Windows Update — but not all, and not always the latest. For best performance:

Custom desktop: visit your motherboard manufacturer's support page (ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock), download the chipset driver, audio driver, LAN driver, and BIOS updates for your specific board model. Install in that order. Then GPU driver: NVIDIA app or AMD Adrenalin.

Laptop: visit the laptop vendor's support page (HP, Dell, Lenovo, ASUS, Acer, etc.) and download the model-specific driver bundle. These include hotkey drivers, fingerprint readers, fan controllers and other things Windows Update will miss.

Prebuilt desktop: the system builder's support page (Evetech, Wootware, MWave, etc.) has the per-build driver bundle. Use this rather than chasing each component vendor separately.

Key takeaways

Settings → System → Recovery → Reset This PC is the entry point. Keep files + Cloud for most fixes.
Always grab your BitLocker recovery key from account.microsoft.com first — locked drives won't unlock without it.
Cloud download (~4GB) beats local reinstall for cleanliness. Local only if you're data-constrained.
The 30-day rollback is fragile after full reset — treat it as a parachute, not a plan.
If symptoms survive a Media Creation Tool fresh install, it's hardware — stop reinstalling and test.

Frequently asked questions

How do I factory reset Windows 11?
Settings → System → Recovery → Reset PC. Pick Keep my files or Remove everything, then Cloud download or Local reinstall. 30-90 minutes start to finish.
Should I choose cloud download or local reinstall?
Cloud for almost everyone — a fresh ~4GB image from Microsoft. Local reuses your existing files, which is faster but may inherit corruption you're trying to fix.
What's the difference between Keep my files and Remove everything?
Keep my files wipes apps and settings but preserves documents and photos. Remove everything wipes the lot — use it before selling or for severe malware.
What about the 30-day rollback?
Reset This PC creates a Windows.old folder for rollback within 30 days, but the rollback is fragile after full reset. Treat it as a safety net only.
How do I do a clean install with Media Creation Tool?
Download Media Creation Tool from Microsoft, write an 8GB+ USB, boot the target PC from the USB, delete all partitions during setup, install fresh. 25-40 minutes after USB boot.
Do I need my BitLocker recovery key before resetting?
Yes. Get it from account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey before resetting. If the system asks for the key and you don't have it, you're locked out permanently.
What should I back up before resetting?
Documents, Desktop, Pictures, browser bookmarks and passwords, 2FA authenticator codes, game saves outside Steam Cloud, license keys for paid software.
What if Reset This PC doesn't fix the problem?
Try a Media Creation Tool clean install. If symptoms persist after that, the fault is hardware — failing RAM, SSD, PSU or overheating CPU. Run diagnostics.