What Resetting Windows Means and When to Do It

Resetting your Windows computer means erasing everything on your hard drive and reinstalling Windows from scratch. It is not the same as restarting—a restart just turns the computer off and back on. A reset wipes all your files, programs, and settings, then puts Windows back to the state it was in when you first bought the machine.

You might reset Windows if your computer has become too slow to use, if malware has infected it and antivirus tools have not removed it, if you are selling or giving away the machine, or if Windows itself has become corrupted and will not start. Reset is also the last step to try before taking the computer to a repair shop, because it solves almost every software problem.

Before you reset, understand that you will lose everything unless you back it up first. Windows gives you the option to keep your personal files during a reset, but all your programs will be gone and you will have to reinstall them. If you are not sure whether you need a reset, try restarting the computer first, then running Windows Update to get the latest patches.

Key Takeaways

  • Windows has a built-in reset tool called Reset This PC, found in Settings under System, and it takes 30 minutes to two hours depending on your computer's speed.
  • You can choose to keep your personal files or erase everything, but either way all your installed programs will be removed and must be reinstalled.
  • Back up your files to an external drive or cloud storage before you start, because a reset cannot be undone.
  • If Windows will not start at all, you can reset from the login screen or from a Windows installation disk, which takes longer but works when the normal method does not.
  • After the reset finishes, Windows will ask you to sign in with a Microsoft account or local account, and you will need to reinstall your programs one by one.

How to Reset Windows When Your Computer Still Starts

If your computer starts up and you can reach the desktop, the fastest way to reset is through the Settings app. Click the Start button in the bottom left corner, then type "Reset this PC" into the search box. Click the result that says "Reset this PC" under System settings.

Windows will show you two options: "Keep my files" or "Remove everything." If you choose "Keep my files," Windows will erase all your programs and settings but leave your Documents, Pictures, Desktop, and Downloads folders intact. If you choose "Remove everything," the entire drive is wiped clean. Most people choose "Keep my files" unless they are selling the computer or dealing with malware.

Click your choice, then click "Next." Windows will ask whether you want to reinstall from the cloud or from a local copy. Cloud reinstall downloads Windows fresh from Microsoft's servers and takes longer but is more reliable. Local reinstall uses a copy already on your computer and is faster. Choose based on your internet speed—if your connection is slow, local is better.

Click "Next" again, review the summary, and click "Reset." Windows will restart and begin the process. Do not turn off the computer or unplug it. The reset usually takes between 30 minutes and two hours. When it finishes, you will see the Windows setup screen asking you to choose your language and region.

Resetting Windows When Your Computer Will Not Start

If Windows will not start—you see a black screen, error messages, or an endless loop—you can reset from the login screen. Restart the computer and watch for the Windows logo. As soon as you see it, hold down the power button until the computer shuts off. Do this three times in a row. On the third restart, Windows will detect the problem and show you a "Preparing Automatic Repair" screen, then a menu with options.

Look for "Troubleshoot" or "Advanced options" and click it. You should see "Reset this PC" as one of the choices. Click it and follow the same steps as above. This method works because Windows boots into a special recovery mode where it can reset itself even if the normal Windows installation is broken.

If that does not work, or if you see a message saying "Windows could not complete the installation," you will need a Windows installation disk or USB drive. You can create one on another computer by downloading the Windows installation tool from Microsoft's website, plugging in a blank USB drive, and running the tool. Insert the disk or USB into the broken computer, restart it, and press the key shown on screen to boot from the disk (usually F12, Delete, or Esc—the key varies by computer maker). Follow the on-screen prompts to reset Windows from the disk.

What Happens After the Reset Finishes

When the reset is complete, Windows will restart and show you the setup screen. You will choose your language, region, and keyboard layout, then sign in with a Microsoft account or create a local account. A Microsoft account is tied to your email and lets you sync settings across devices; a local account is just a username and password on that one computer.

Windows will then install drivers for your hardware—your graphics card, network adapter, and other components. This usually takes 10 to 20 minutes. You may see a black screen or a spinning circle. Do not turn off the computer. When it finishes, you will see the desktop.

At this point, Windows is clean but bare. You will need to reinstall all your programs. Go to the Microsoft Store or the websites where you downloaded programs before, and install them again. If you kept your files during the reset, your Documents and Pictures folders will be there, but the programs that created them will not be. For example, if you had Microsoft Office installed, your Word documents will still exist, but you will need to reinstall Office to open them.

Backing Up Your Files Before You Reset

The safest way to back up is to use an external hard drive. Plug it into your computer, then open File Explorer (the folder icon on your taskbar). Click "This PC" on the left, then drag your Documents, Pictures, Desktop, and Downloads folders to the external drive. This creates a copy of everything important. The backup usually takes 10 minutes to an hour depending on how much data you have.

If you do not have an external drive, you can use cloud storage instead. Microsoft OneDrive comes built into Windows—click the cloud icon in the bottom right corner of your screen and sign in with your Microsoft account. Drag your important folders into the OneDrive folder, and they will upload to the cloud. Google Drive and Dropbox work the same way. Cloud backup is slower than a hard drive but works from anywhere.

If you chose "Keep my files" during the reset, Windows will preserve your Documents, Pictures, Desktop, and Downloads folders automatically. However, this is not a substitute for a backup—if something goes wrong during the reset itself, those files could be lost. Back up anyway, especially if the files are irreplaceable.

Troubleshooting a Reset That Gets Stuck

If the reset starts but then stops, shows an error message, or seems to freeze on a black screen for more than two hours, the process may have failed. Wait at least two hours before assuming it is stuck, because large drives can take that long. If you are certain it is stuck, hold the power button until the computer shuts off, then restart it.

If the reset fails a second time, the problem is usually a bad hard drive or a corrupted Windows installation file. Try the reset one more time, but this time choose "Remove everything" instead of "Keep my files"—a full wipe is more likely to work. If that fails, you will need to take the computer to a repair shop or try resetting from a Windows installation disk.

If you see an error code like "0x80070005" or "0xC1900101," write it down and search for it on Microsoft's support website. Each code points to a specific problem—usually a driver conflict, a bad sector on the hard drive, or a corrupted file. The support page will tell you how to fix it before trying the reset again.

Reinstalling Your Programs After a Reset

After the reset, you will have a clean Windows installation but no programs except the ones that came with Windows (like Notepad and File Explorer). You will need to reinstall everything you use. Make a list of the programs you had before—check your old email for read links, or look at your browser history if you remember where you got them.

For programs you bought, like Microsoft Office or Adobe Creative Suite, you will need your license key or login information. If you do not have it, check your email for a receipt or confirmation. For free programs like Chrome, Firefox, or VLC, just read them again from their official websites.

Install programs one at a time and restart your computer after each one. This helps you spot which program is causing a problem if something goes wrong. Once you have reinstalled everything, run Windows Update again to make sure you have the latest patches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will resetting Windows remove my Microsoft account?

No. Your Microsoft account is tied to your email, not to your computer. After the reset, you can sign back in with the same email and password. Your OneDrive files and Microsoft Store purchases will still be there. However, your local account settings and passwords saved in Windows will be gone.

Can I cancel a reset once it has started?

If the reset is still in the early stages—before Windows restarts—you can close the Settings window and cancel it. Once Windows restarts and the reset process begins, you cannot stop it without risking data loss. Let it finish, even if it seems slow.

What if I forgot my password and cannot sign in to reset?

If you have a Microsoft account, go to the login screen and click "I forgot my password." You can reset it using your email or phone number. If you have a local account and forgot the password, you will need to reset from a Windows installation disk, which has a built-in option to bypass the password.

Do I need internet to reset Windows?

You need internet if you choose "Cloud reinstall" during the reset, because Windows downloads a fresh copy from Microsoft. If you choose "Local reinstall," you do not need internet during the reset itself, but you will need it afterward to read your programs and Windows updates.

How much free space do I need to reset?

Windows needs at least 20 gigabytes of free space on your hard drive to reset safely. If your drive is nearly full, delete large files or programs first, or connect an external drive and move files to it before you start.