How to Factory Reset Windows 11 PC [Two Easy Ways]

Photo of author

Resetting a device is usually done when you might want to sell a device, simply start fresh, or maybe get rid of a problem that was plaguing the user experience. It could also be that you might be experiencing slow performance of your otherwise relatively quick system. With Windows, you will be able to easily factory reset your system. With Windows 11, Microsoft has made these options easy and accessible to the end-user right away. Here is a guide on how to reset Windows 11.

With everyone running the developer preview of Windows 11, you will have to perform a clean install of Windows 11 when it launches out later this year. There are a few ways that you can use to perform a factory reset on your system running Windows 11. You have options to choose between keeping your data or not. There are a few people that would like to perform a factory reset after installing a new major update. Whatever the reason is, you can read along to know more about how to factory reset Windows 11 PC.

How to Reset Windows 11 from Settings

Before you begin to start the factory reset of your system, make sure to have your files and data backed up on other portable storage or even use cloud storage to back your data up. Also, you might want to have your system connected to an uninterrupted power supply. In case of any power cuts, while factory resetting your PC, you might have some new issues that might creep up in the event the PC loses power. With everything ready and perfect, let’s dig into how you can perform a factory reset on your Windows 11 PC.

  1. First things first you will want to open the Settings app. You can do this by simply opening the Start Menu by clicking on the Windows icon on the taskbar or by pressing the Windows Key on your keyboard.
  2. You will find the Settings app icon in the Start Menu itself. Simply click once to open it.
  3. With the System option selected, scroll the right panel till you find the Recovery option.
    how to reset windows 11
  4. You will now see a list of different opinions. Simply click on the Reset PC button.
    how to reset windows 11
  5. Windows will now provide you to choose between two options. Keep my files or remove everything. Select the option that is best for you.
    how to reset windows 11
  6. It will now ask you to choose how you would like to install Windows 11. Select Cloud Download if you do not have the Windows 11 setup file with you. If you have it Select Local Install.
    how to reset windows 11
  7. When you choose local Install, you will need to have your Windows 11 Bootable drive ready that can be created by using Rufus.
  8. You will now see the additional settings screen. Here is where it will tell you that it restores apps that were installed on your system and it can use more than 4GB of data to download the installation. Click Next.
    how to reset windows 11
  9. Depending on the option you selected for installing Windows 11 it will begin to download the setup or it will ask you to have the Windows 11 USB drive ready. Simply click on the Reset button to begin the process.
  10. The system will now begin the reset. Your system might restart a few times and could take a few hours to factory reset itself. Well, the time depends on the type of storage drive you have whether an HDD or an SSD.
    how to reset windows 11
  11. You will then be greeted with the new out-of-the-box experience setup menu. Simply fill in the details required, adjust a few settings, manage your privacy settings, and then you should be good to go.

How to Factory Reset Windows 11 with CMD

Alternatively, you can use CMD as another method to reset Windows 11 without having to open the Settings app.

  1. Open up the Start Menu and simply type in Command Prompt.
  2. Right-click it and select the Run as Administrator option.
    how to reset windows 11
  3. Enter the text systemreset to completely reset the whole system.
    how to reset windows 11
  4. Type in systemreset -factoryreset to factory reset the settings on your Windows 11 PC.
  5. This will bring up the reset option screen where you can then select how you wish to install and whether you would want to keep the data or not.

Conclusion

And that is how you can reset a Windows 11 PC. The process is simple and well the duration taken is based on how fast your storage drives are. When you perform a reset, the system will feel like new, a fresh system, and some of the files and data left, depending on whether you opted to save files or not. Also, when you perform reset in Windows 11, it should help in clearing out most of the minor bugs or any major issues that might be hampering the regular functioning of the system.

You May Also Like – Best Windows 11 Themes for Desktop

If you’ve any queries, then leave a comment in the comment box. Also, share this article with your friends.

More Related Articles:

Explore Stories

AUTHOR.

Photo of author

Joshua D'souza

Enjoy games, 90's hip-hop, and tech. Loves exploring the infinite world of laptops and food. Every ready to provide assistance in anything that rocks his boat. Will gladly enjoy capturing memories through various lenses. Worked previously at PiunikaWeb as an author and researcher.

Leave a Comment

Share to...