How to Reset your PC using Recovery in Windows 10

Windows 10 is good at recovering from issues that may prevent it from working correctly. But sometimes, it may need manual intervention to recover from unexpected behavior. So, you can use Recovery options to reset your Windows 10 PC in such situations.

Incompatible drivers and software may cause system crashes and unexpected behavior. A system crash may also lead to an inoperable state of your PC. So, in such situations, you can use the System Restore utility if you have the restore points already available. But if you don’t have any restore points, then the only option you can use is to reset your PC using the Recovery options in Windows 10.

SEE ALSO: Snipping Tool not Working in Windows 11 or 10? Here is the Fix.

Reset your Windows 10 PC using Recovery Options

So, this tutorial shows how to use the ‘Reset this PC’ option in Recovery Settings in Windows 10. This process also works with Windows 8/8.1. So, let’s start:

Step 1: Open Update & Security Settings

Open the Settings app by clicking on the Start button and selecting Settings.

Click On Start And Select Settings
Click on Start and select Settings

Next, click Update & Security to open Windows Update and Security settings.

In Settings Click On Update And Security
Click On Update & Security

Step 2: Click ‘Get Started’ under Reset this PC

In the Update & Security window, click on Recovery on the left pane. Here, you will see Reset this PC and Advanced Startup options on the right pane. You may also see another third option Go Back to Windows 8.1/Windows 7 if you have upgraded to Windows 10 within 30 days. Click on the Get Started button under Reset this PC on the right side.

Click On Recovery On Left Pane And Then Click On Get Started Under Reset This Pc
Click on Get Started under Reset This PC

SEE ALSO: Recovery Partition Blocking the C Drive Extension? Here is the Fix.

Step 3: Select the option to Keep or Remove Files

Now, you will have two options, Keep my files and Remove everything. So, if you want to keep your files, you can select the first option. And if you want to clean everything on the C drive and reinstall Windows 10, select the second option.

Select Options To Keep Files Or Remove Everything
Select the option to Keep Files or Remove Everything

SEE ALSO: How to Uninstall Programs using Command Prompt in Windows 10?


Step 4: Click Reset after selecting Keep or Remove files

Depending upon the option you select, you will see choices for keeping or removing your data.

  • Keep my files:
    If you select this option, Windows will not delete your files but it will remove installed programs. Additionally, the setup will reinstall Windows and reset all settings to default. You can also view the apps that the setup will remove.
Reset This Pc Keep My Files
Reset This PC – Keep My Files
  • Remove everything:
    If you select the second option to remove everything, the setup will delete all your programs and files from C (Windows drive). However, you will have the option to Change settings. Now, click Next to continue to the next step.
Reset This Pc Remove Everything Step 1
Reset This PC – Remove Everything Step 1

Finally, you will see a summary of the actions. So, simply click on the Reset button to reset your PC using the Recovery options in Windows 10.

Reset This Pc Remove Everything Click Reset
Reset This PC – Remove Everything > Click Reset

Step 5: Reset your PC in Progress

Now, you are ready to reset your PC using the Recovery options. So, after verifying what you want to keep or remove, click on the Reset button to start the process. Windows 10 will start preparing to reset your PC.

Preparing To Reset
Preparing to Reset

After that, your PC will restart. After restarting your PC, Windows 10 setup will clean the drive and reinstall Windows.

Resetting this PC
Resetting this PC

SEE ALSO: How to Factory Reset Chromebook (4 Methods explained)?


Step 6: Recovery Successful

After successful recovery and reinstallation of Windows 10, depending upon your selection in STEP 4, you will either see the login screen or the initial Windows 10 setup screen.

  • If you have selected Keep my files in STEP 4, all your files will remain intact. But all your Apps and Programs will be removed and Windows 10 will be reinstalled. So, you will have to reinstall them.
  • If you have selected Remove Everything in STEP 4, all your files, apps, and programs will be removed. And Windows 10 will be reinstalled from scratch. So, you will have to set up your user account again and reinstall all your apps and programs.
Windows 10 login screen lock screen
Recovery Successful

ALTERNATIVE: Use ‘Fresh Start’ to Reset your Windows 10 PC

Fresh Start removes all programs and clean-installs Windows 10 from scratch. But, after the Windows 10 2004 update, Microsoft removed Fresh Start from Recovery options and merged it with Reset your PC. However, you can still access it using a command.

Just run systemreset -cleanpc command from RUN, Command Prompt, or PowerShell and it will launch Fresh Start in Windows 10.

Go To Run Type Systemreset Cleanpc And Press Enter
Launch the RUN utility, type systemreset -cleanpc and press Enter

Fresh Start utility of Windows 10 start, click Next to continue. After that, follow the on-screen instructions to refresh your PC.

Click Next To Begin Fresh Start In Windows 10
Click Next to begin Fresh Start in Windows 10

SEE ALSO: How to Recover the Deleted Files in Windows 10 and 11 using WinfrGUI Utility?

Recover Windows 10 using Recovery Options

The above tutorial explained, how you can reset your PC using Recovery options in Windows 10. If the recovery is successful, your PC will run like a new one. So, go ahead and reinstall your apps and programs. If the recovery was not successful then you can always install a clean copy of Windows 10 from scratch.

Hope you liked this tutorial. Feel free to share your queries and suggestions in the comment section below. If you are willing to upgrade to Windows 11, try this tutorial.

Editorial Staff

Hi there, we are the editorial staff at WINDOSPC (former HELLPC). We are a team of funny and technical people. Feel free to get in touch with us via Contact-Us page.

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