If you're having issues with your computer that are hard to troubleshoot or track down, you may want to consider resetting or refreshing your system. If it's slow and you've already tried to clean it out, or if it's crashing and reinstalling all your drivers hasn't fixed it. Maybe you keep having issues downloading Windows updates. Even if you try many different solutions, sometimes you're not able to 100% fix a problem. Whatever the issue is, if it's software-related, resetting or refreshing will probably help.
Resetting your computer will reinstall your operating system and take the computer back to factory settings. All user data and information will be removed and all programs will be removed unless they were pre-loaded by the manufacturer. If you want to start over with a clean slate, a reset is what you want.
- If you have forgotten your password or PIN for the computer, Windows 11 provides a way to access the recovery environment from the login screen which will give you the option to reset your computer. Check out our guide for that here: How to Reset/Refresh Windows 11 from the Login Screen
Resetting the system is also a good option if you're planning to sell or give away the computer and want to make sure it's wiped clean beforehand.
Refreshing your computer will reinstall your operating system and remove programs but preserve your user data, account, and settings on the system. Like with resetting, apps that were pre-loaded by the manufacturer will stay, but all programs you installed will be removed.
Disclaimer: If you have data you need to keep, we always recommend backing up your system. Even if you just want to refresh, no matter how slim the chances there is always the potential for something to go wrong and leave your system in a state where it's inaccessible.
With that being said, let's get to how to reset/refresh your system:
1. Click on the Windows Icon, then click Settings
2. Click on System and then Recovery
3. Click on Reset PC
Here you will be presented with two options to proceed:
Refreshing Windows: This option is the safest of the two as it doesn’t remove your documents or pictures. This allows Windows to attempt a reinstall the core system files which has been known to correct a variety of corruption issues, from Windows updates to installing programs, anything that can touch a system file can cause corruption. This will remove programs like Office, games, and other programs that were installed after setting up Windows.
Resetting Windows: This option is used when a completely clean slate is needed. This removes all files and programs, and once complete will take you through the initial setup of a primary account on the computer. This is best when all other software steps have been tried and is generally the last resort before checking/changing the hardware in the system.
Refresh Option Steps:
1. Click Keep my files
2. It will ask you if you want to reinstall windows with a Cloud download or a Local reinstall. If you are looking to just clean up unwanted programs you can choose Local reinstall. If you are troubleshooting your PC and want to rule out windows as the issue, you will want to choose Cloud download.
3, Click Next after confirming the settings.
4. Click Reset to start the process.
Reset Option Steps
1. Click on Remove everything. This will delete all of your information on the PC and return it to a fresh install of windows 11. If you have any important data, make sure you have a back up before doing this.
2. It will ask you if you want to reinstall windows with a Cloud download or a Local reinstall. If you are looking to just get a fresh start of windows 11 you can choose Local reinstall. If you are troubleshooting your PC and want to rule out windows as the issue, you will want to choose Cloud download.
3. Click Next after confirming the settings.
4. Click Reset to start the process.
Once you click Reset the computer will restart and begin to remove any programs on the computer. If you choose the refresh (keep my files) method, you will be greeted by your normal login screen. If you choose the reset (remove everything) method, you will be taken through the first-time setup and account creation process.