Delete all data from your computer and restore it to factory settings by resetting Windows 11.
When your PC starts to be sluggish, the operating system that drives it is often the main culprit. Over the months and the installation of applications of all kinds, Windows 11 finds itself polluted by a whole host of services and tasks which, running silently in the background, cannibalize the resources of your machine.
Often, a simple clean reinstallation of the system is enough to get everything back to normal. And you don’t need to have any special computer knowledge to reset a PC. If the most seasoned users prefer to do a manual reinstallation of Windows 11 by downloading the disc image in ISO format, it is quite possible to reset the Microsoft operating system using the wizard integrated into Windows 11.
And if resetting your PC proves to be effective in restarting on a clean system, the manipulation can also be useful in deleting the personal data stored on the machine before reselling it. Be careful however, before any manipulation, be sure to save all your files (documents, photos, music, films, etc.) on an external storage device or on the Cloud.
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1. Open Settings
Open Windows 11 Settings using the keyboard shortcut Windows + i. In the Settings sidebar, select System, then enter the Recovery menu.
2. Enter Reset
On the Recovery settings page, click the Reset PC button.
3. Choose your preferences
A new blue Reset this PC window should then open. Windows offers two options.
The first, Keep my files, allows you to reset Windows by deleting all the applications installed on it and returning the various system settings to their default values, while keeping all of your personal files (documents, photos, videos , music, etc).
The second, Delete everything, wipes the slate clean and deletes all system data to return it to its factory configuration.
Prefer as much as possible the second option, Delete all. Make sure, however, that you have backed up all your files, in the Cloud, or on an external storage device for example.
4. Select the type of reinstallation
The next step, identical regardless of the choice made previously, offers two reinstallation options. The first, Cloud Download, takes care of downloading the most recent Windows installation image to install on your machine.
The second, Local reinstallation, proceeds as its name suggests with a local reinstallation, from the Windows files already present on your PC.
If you have a fast enough internet connection, always prefer the Cloud Download option.
5. Customize options
The next screen, Additional Settings, displays a summary of the procedure you are about to perform. Click Change Settings to see additional options.
By default, the Windows Reset Wizard simply deletes your files without overwriting any data over them. If the operation is faster to reinstall Windows, it is however less secure. If you plan to dispose of your computer to resell or give it away, select Yes for the Wipe data option.
If the Windows reinstallation procedure is longer, it will also be much more secure since Windows will clean your PC’s hard drive and rewrite data over the old ones, thus making any attempt to recover your data much more difficult. . Then click Confirm, then Next.
6. Initiate Reset
The Windows Reset Wizard now displays a summary of the operations it is about to perform on your computer.
Click Reset to start resetting your PC. Be patient, the process can take several tens of minutes, during which your machine will restart several times.