If your Windows 10 machine isn’t working as well as it should be, or you want to wipe it and use it as a spare, it might be time to restore the computer to its out-of-the-box settings. Here’s how to factory reset your PC.
- Click the Start Menu and select the gear icon in the lower-left to open up the Settings window. You can also select the Settings app from the app list. Under Settings, click Update & Security to continue.
- Click the Recovery tab and select Get started under Reset this PC.
If you choose Keep my files, apps and settings will default to what they were when the PC was brand new. This setting can be turned off by clicking the Change settings link and switching it off. If you choose Remove everything, there's also a way to remove your personal files while saving apps and settings. Click the Change settings link and toggle the Data erasure option to on.
- Once you decide what should be removed from the computer, hit Next and Windows will tell you what will be deleted before you make a final decision. If you selected Keep my files, you can look at a list of apps that will be removed with the reset.
- Finally, click Reset to actually commit. Your computer will restart, and after several minutes, it will boot back up again. When you return to Windows 10, you'll see that whatever you selected to be removed has been wiped from the machine. If you backed up your files, they can now be restored to the machine.