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How to perform a factory reset on a Windows 11 desktop
A factory reset may be necessary when a device has performance issues or is set to go to a new user. IT can execute this process in Windows 11 while avoiding unwanted data loss.
Various circumstances may prompt Windows professionals to perform a factory reset on one or more Windows 11 desktops or laptops.
By definition, a factory reset restores the target PC to the same condition it was in when it first left the factory. This action removes any settings, preferences and other customizations users made after the device arrived. Likewise, any applications installed will no longer be present.
A factory reset is helpful when IT needs to revert a device to its original state. An IT administrator can do this quickly in a Windows 11 environment. Typical situations that call for a factory reset include the following:
- Prepping a device for reuse, sale or donation.
- Attempting to restore the PC to operation when less drastic repairs don't work (e.g., in-place upgrade repair installs or various Deployment Image Servicing and Management repairs).
- Recovering from malware and viruses to restore the PC to a known, good working -- and clean -- state.
- Providing a fresh start for PCs with persistent software problems or performance issues.
Admins should understand that restoring a PC to factory settings essentially provides a clean slate. It allows them to start over and rebuild a problem PC or pass it outside the organization for resale or reuse.
Precautions to take before performing a factory reset
Not every device is ready for a factory reset, and there are a few things to do before performing this action. First, make an image-based backup, and then make sure you have the tools necessary to restore such a backup. This provides a fallback in case the factory reset fails to complete correctly and leaves the PC in a nonworking state.
Consider backup tools such as Macrium Reflect X or EaseUS Todo Backup. These create bootable rescue media, typically stored on a USB flash or solid-state drive (SSD). If anything goes wrong with the factory reset, you can boot to this media and restore the PC to its pre-reset state using the backup image you made beforehand.
Preserving what's on the primary hard drive before initiating a factory reset is essential. The most convenient way to do that is via image backup. However, you can also use the built-in OneDrive-based Windows Backup, which is a more time- and labor-intensive process than using an image backup.
Everything should turn out well if you can return things to where they were before you started the factory reset operation. Most image backup tools will force you to save that image to another drive -- which is vital if you need to restore a Windows boot/system drive -- and provide tools to re-image the primary Windows drive from bootable media. Prudence dictates that you save image backups to an external drive, such as a USB-attached SSD or hard disk, to restore the image to a different PC if the source machine quits working entirely.
Why perform a factory reset?
A factory reset is usually needed in one of two typical situations. The first is when a PC is decommissioned for sale or transferred to another user. The factory reset removes all changes since the PC left the factory, leaving it in a clean state for sale or handoff. Make sure to apply pending updates to the OS to make the PC current and secure. The reset returns to when it left the factory, which may be one or more feature upgrades behind current production levels.
The second scenario is when a PC exhibits noticeable performance, stability or behavioral problems. There's little that an in-place upgrade repair install can't fix in Windows 11, but sometimes even that maneuver doesn't restore a PC to regular operation. When that happens, a clean install or a factory reset is a potential next step toward Windows recovery. Thus, the factory reset can take the PC back to its earliest Windows state, possibly fixing whatever the root issue is.
How to factory reset a Windows 11 PC
To start the factory reset process in Windows 11, click Start > Settings > System > Recovery (Figure 1). Then, select Reset PC.
You can also start the Reset PC operation from the sign-in screen or use a recovery drive or installation media to enter recovery mode during boot-up. Press the shift key while selecting Restart to boot into local recovery mode.
From there, the screen will show two options (Figure 2). The option you choose depends on how you plan to use the PC after resetting it. If it's a last-ditch repair operation, it's easiest to select Keep my files (this preserves files from your primary hard drive, especially those for user accounts Documents, Downloads, Music and other default folders). If you're prepping for sale or handoff, choose Remove everything.
After clicking the desired option, you can choose how to reinstall Windows (Figure 3).
Choosing Cloud download will download the Windows install file from Windows servers in the cloud. This option is safest if you think your local installation is corrupt or damaged.
Choosing Local reinstall will download the Windows install file from the current Windows files on your PC. This option is faster but not immune to local issues. Unless the local Windows drive is compromised, however, it should work. For best results, choose the Cloud download.
After choosing either reinstall option, the screen will show Additional settings. To continue the process without changing settings, click Next.
If you want to make changes, click Change settings. From there, you can clean the drive completely by toggling Yes under Clean data? or download Windows from the cloud by toggling No under Download Windows? (Figure 4).
Once you confirm your choices, a final confirmation screen will appear. After you select Reset, the process will begin (Figure 5). This is your final chance to cancel the reset. If you allow this step to proceed and don't click Cancel at any point, you can no longer reverse the reset process. You'll have to let it complete and then restore a backup to return to where you started.
Finally, the PC reboots and runs the Windows install that drives the chosen reset operation.
Once the OS is in place, the installer will run through several prompts to complete the installation. These include prompts for country or region, language, keyboard layout and privacy settings. Logging in to a Microsoft account completes the process. Once the out-of-box experience finishes, the Windows 11 desktop will be in the same state as when it left the factory. If you plan to sell or hand off the PC to someone else, it's ready to go. If you plan to return it to its original user, substantial work remains to restore the user's preferences and customizations.
Editor's note: This article was updated to improve the reader experience.
Ed Tittel is a 30-plus year IT veteran who has worked as a developer, networking consultant, technical trainer and writer.
