How to factory reset Windows 10?

If you’re preparing to sell or give your Windows 10 PC to someone else, or if it’s having technical issues, it may be time to factory reset your computer. And here's a quick guide if you are wondering how to factory reset Windows 10.

Factory resetting your Windows PC will bring the machine back to the way it was when you first took it out of the box.

How to factory reset Windows 10 - Here are easy steps

To start a factory reset, first of all, log into your Windows 10 computer. And when you are ready to perform a factory reset, the following is what you should do next. Let’s take a look!

Step 1 - Open the Recovery tool

There are several ways to get to the tool.

The quickest method is to press the Windows Key on your keyboard to bring up the Windows search box, type "Reset," then choose "Reset this PC."

Another way is to press Windows Key + X on your keyboard, then from the menu appearing on the left side of the screen, choose Settings. In the new window, select Update & Security, then choose the "Recovery" option on the left navigation bar.

Step 2 - Click "Get Started"

Click the "Get Started" button under "Reset this PC.”

Step 3 - Choose if you’d like to keep your files or remove everything

Right after you select "Get Started", a new window will appear that asks you whether you’d like to "Remove everything" or "Keep my files" (like in the following image).

As you can see, the former option - "Keep my files" will only remove downloaded apps and changes to the settings. Your personal files will be all preserved.

And the later option - "Remove everything" will completely wipe the drive by deleting all the downloaded apps, settings, as well as your personal files.

After you’ve picked an option, Windows will prepare the reset.

If you choose to remove everything, then Windows will prompt you with an additional options screen. Here, you will be given the choice of whether you’d like to wipe the drive completely or just remove files from your machine.

Step 4 - Choose how to reinstall Windows 10

It’s now time to determine how to reinstall Windows on your PC (before you can finally set the system). There are 2 options - Local reinstall and Cloud reinstall.

Step 5 - Approve the settings, then click "Next."

If you want to change anything, click "Change settings."

Step 6 - Click "Reset"

Review all the information displayed on your screen, and when you are ready, click on the "Reset" button one last time to confirm.
Note: Keep in mind that this is the point of no return. So, before confirming the reset, please make sure that you are 100% certain about the type of reset and additional settings you have opted for.

Right after that, the computer will begin to reset. Let’s wait a bit for the process to be fully completed.

RELATED: How To Factory Reset A Macbook Air: A Step-By-Step Guide

Conclusions

That’s how to factory reset Windows 10. As you can see, it’s quite easy and doesn’t take much time and effort, right?

And that’s all for this post. Geeks Nation hopes you find it helpful.