Is your PC running slow or not even booting up properly? It can be frustrating when your computer’s performance slows down due to countless updates and apps running in the background. Fortunately, Windows 10 gives you options for resetting your PC back to its original state.
Resetting and refreshing your PC will make it run like it’s new again. To reset your PC, click on the Start menu icon, then click on Settings. Find the Update and Security option and open it. Select Recovery on the left and click on the Get Started button under Reset this PC. You will be asked to choose an option: keep my files or remove everything.
If you choose to keep your personal files, your apps and settings will be removed, but all of your saved files will stay. If you need help deciding which option to choose, click on Help me choose at the bottom of the window. After selecting your preferred option, you will be asked how you would like to reinstall Windows – either through cloud download or local reinstall. Local reinstall is the faster option of the two.
Once you have made your selections, an additional settings window will appear to show you what you have chosen to do and give you the option to change settings if needed. Click Next and your PC will say it’s ready to reset. It will also list all the things that will happen during the reset process, including the apps that will be removed. Click Next again, and your PC will begin to reset itself.
The reset process can take many hours, so make sure your computer is plugged into power before starting. Once the process is complete, you will see the start screen and need to enter your PIN. All of your personal files will be there waiting for you. However, you will need to re-download all of your apps to open those files.
If you choose to not keep your personal files and want to erase everything on your PC, you can do so by selecting the local or cloud install option. After arriving at the additional settings screen, click on Change settings and slide the switch under clean data. Press confirm to make Windows 10 clean your hard drive after deleting all of your files. This is permanent and takes much longer to complete the reset.
If your computer is in really bad shape and won’t even boot up, there’s still a way to reset it. After your computer fails three times to boot up, select See Advanced Repair Options, then select Troubleshoot. You will then be given the option to reset your PC and can go through all the steps laid out earlier.
While there are other methods of recovering your computer, such as restoring to a previous restore point or uninstalling recently installed apps, this video focuses on resetting your PC. If you found this helpful, leave a like and subscribe to the channel for more videos from How to Do It All. If you have any tips or tricks for resetting your PC, please leave them in the comments.