The Just Remove My Files option takes about five minutes on a PC with a small hard drive. Tap or click the Just Remove My Files option or the Remove Files and Clean the Drive option, depending on your intended disposition of the PC.On the hard drive, in practice, it'll be very difficult (but not impossible!) to retrieve anything.PCs with solid-state drives will be handled correctly, in accordance with your instructions. Although, in theory, the NSA may be able to reconstruct what's The Fully Clean the Drive option writes random data on every sector of the hard drive.

The Just Remove My Files option reformats the hard drive, but as you no doubt know, data can be recovered from a reformatted hard drive.

Reset asks whether you want to merely delete your old files or whether you want to positively nuke them. Windows asks if you want to keep your files, or obliterate everything.

Under the heading Reset This PC, tap or click Get Started.

Click or tap the Start icon, the Settings icon, and Update & Security.

Also make sure that you have your 25-character Windows installation key.

Make very, very sure you understand that your PC will turn out like aīrand-new PC, fresh off the store shelves.

With that as a preamble, here's how to nuke, er, Reset your PC with Remove Everything: You're nuking everything on your PC, although you get your factory drivers back,Īlong with all the factory-installed crud. Reset with RemoveĮverything is very much like a clean install. With Keep My Files, and they haven't solved the problem. Only attempt Reset with Remove Everything when you've run two or more Resets

Service, Reset with Remove Everything is a good idea.

If you're selling your PC, giving it away, or even sending it off to a recycling Microsoft won't sell anything that's sullied.) Store, it won't have any crapware - that's the promise behind Signature Edition You're running one of the (many) Windows 10 PCs that ship with crapware preinstalled,Īll of it will suddenly reappear. In addition, when you're done, you'll have a factory fresh copy of Windows 10. Your Microsoft account settings remain intact,Īs does any data you've stored in the cloud (for example, in OneDrive or in Dropbox). YouĮven have to enter new account names and passwords, and re-install everything, Your PC wipes out everything and forces you to start all over from scratch. Reset with the Remove Everything option is very similar to running Reset with Save My Files except.

Reset pc to factory settings windows 10