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%Start How to Factory Reset Windows 10 GA
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He's written for publications such as Digital Trends, KitGuru, and ITProPortal. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on November 8, 2021 Reviewed by Jon Fisher Reviewed by
Jon Fisher Wichita Technical Institute Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Windows The Ultimate Laptop Buying Guide
What to know
Make sure to back up any important information before factory resetting Windows 10.Go to: Windows Settings > Update and Security.
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In the Recovery section, select Get Started and follow the on-screen instructions. This article will cover how to safely factory reset Windows 10 while ensuring all of your most important information is protected.
Before You Reset Windows 10
Before you perform any major factory reset or format of your PC, it's essential to back up your most important information.
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Some reset functions save certain documents, and that can make restoring your data quicker. Still, it's not worth risking losing everything because you selected the wrong option or didn't put your data in the correct folder.
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To make sure your most important information is safe, be sure to back up all of it to an external drive or cloud storage service before you reset Windows 10.
How to Factory Reset a Computer in Windows 10
Factory resetting Windows 10 can take a while to complete, depending on the speed of your processor, memory, and storage drive, but the process of starting it is quick and easy.
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Just follow these steps: Open the Windows 10 Settings Menu by pressing Windows Key+I. Alternatively, search for Settings in the Windows 10 search bar and select the corresponding result.
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Select Update and Security at the bottom of the menu. Select Recovery in the left-hand menu. Under the heading Reset this PC, select the Get Started button.
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You'll get two options. Keep my files only removes all installed programs and settings but will maintain all personal files.
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If you have many private files and want them around after the reset, select this option. The second option, Remove Everything, will clear the drive completely before reinstalling Windows. Only choose this option if you don't have anything on the drive you want to save or are happy to restore it yourself after a clean install.
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If you are resetting the computer to recycle, sell, or giveaway your laptop or computer, it's crucial to select the second option, which ensures that a third party can't recover any of your data. Select whether you want to use a local ISO of Windows 10 to reinstall the operating system or whether you want to download it from the cloud.
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A cloud download will require an additional 4GB of storage space. If happy with your choice, select Next. Review all of your choices so far, and if everything seems in order, select Reset to begin the factory reset.
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Your PC will then restart and start removing data and reinstalling Windows 10 from scratch. The entire process can take up to an hour, so be prepared to wait. Once it's finished, you'll be able to log back into Windows, where you'll find a single or group of HTML files on your desktop, which will detail everything the factory reset process deleted.
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That may make it easier to remember what you need to reinstall yourself later.
What Can a Factory Reset Fix
There are many ways you can reset windows to a previous state, from a system restore to a clean format, but a factory reset is a practical option because it's faster and more hands-off than other methods. If your PC has pernicious bugs or errors which you can't seem to clear up, or you're dealing with a particularly nasty malware infection, a factory reset can be a great way to clean house and start from scratch.
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A factory reset is also a great way to speed up your computer again if it's become slow after many years of use. It's always worth giving it a go before deciding to upgrade, as you can save yourself a lot of money by rejuvenating your old system instead of immediately replacing it.
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Have an Acer laptop? Here's how to factory reset an Acer laptop.
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We also have complete instructions about resetting a Lenovo laptop and resetting a Toshiba laptop. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know!
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