How To Reset Windows 10 [Premium]
Here's a quick guide on how to reset Windows 10 to it's out-of-the-box factory state. You can either choose to do a "reinstall", where it won't touch any personal files on the drive, or a "clean install", where Windows will mark the drive as empty and you'll be starting from scratch.
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Navigate to Reset Options
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In the Start Menu, single left-click on the gear icon, or Settings.
Here's a close up of that. You can see the Start Menu at the bottom left, and the gear icon for Settings above that.
In Settings, go to "Update and Security".
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Here's a closer look. Click on "Update and Security" in Settings. It should be the last option at the bottom.
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Next up, go to "Recovery" on the left, then hit the "get started" button under "Reset This PC".
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Here's a closer look. On the left, click on "Recovery" under "Troubleshoot".
Keep Files or Remove Everything
You will be given two options: "Keep My Files", or "Remove Everything".
As mentioned, "Keep My Files" will reinstall Windows 10 itself without touching any of your personal files, such as "Documents", "Pictures", etc.
That being said, PLEASE create current backups of your files, because nothing in life is guaranteed.
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Here's a closer look. You can see "Keep My Files" at the top, and "Remove Everything" below that.
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The second option is Remove Everything, which will do EXACTLY THAT, so definitely have a current backup of your data if you do that. That said, I find that option to be the most reliable.
Cloud Download or Local Reinstall
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Next, you can download a mostly fully updated version of Windows 10 from Microsoft using the "Cloud Download" option.
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Here's a closer look. "Cloud download" is the first option, and "Local reinstall" is below that.
Or, you can choose to reinstall Windows using the built-in function in Windows to use files hidden away on your hard drive already. This is ideal for those with an unreliable internet connection, or if you can't spare the 4GB on your monthly plan to download Windows from the cloud.
Either way, Windows will restart and perform the functions you've chosen. This will take a while, so feel free to go do something else and check on it. In my experience on a modern computer, it takes about a half hour.
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