how to wipe a windows 10 computer before selling

Repeat steps 1 and 2 twice, and in the third restart, the operating system should enter the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE). Immediately after the Power-On Self-Test (POST), press the Power button again to shut down. To reset Windows 11 from boot using local reinstall or cloud download, use these steps: Factory reset Windows 11 from boot (BIOS) Turn on the Clean data toggle switch to securely erase all the drives.Īfter you complete the steps, a fresh image of the same version of Windows 11 already installed on your computer will download and be used to reset the device, removing everything on the hard drive. (Optional) Click the Change settings option if you plan to give away or sell the device. Select the “Cloud download” option to download a fresh copy of Windows 11.

To reset your Windows 11 computer with the “cloud download” option without keeping your files, use these steps: Factory reset Windows 11 with cloud download Once you complete the steps, the feature will reset Windows 11 using the locally available image erasing everything on the hard drive, including files, settings, and apps. Select the “Local reinstall” option to use the local image to reinstall Windows 11 22H2 or 21H2, removing everything on the computer.

Under the “Recovery options” section, click the Reset PC button in the “Reset this PC” setting. To factory reset Windows 11 (erasing everything), use these steps: Factory reset Windows 11 from boot (BIOS)įactory reset Windows 11 with local reinstall.Factory reset Windows 11 with cloud download.Factory reset Windows 11 with local reinstall.In this guide, you will learn the steps to use the “Reset this PC” feature to reinstall Windows 11 (22H2 or 21H2) without keeping your files after an upgrade if the device is having problems or you are dealing with apps or system configuration issues. On Windows 11, the “Reset this PC” feature allows you to quickly reset a computer to the factory settings using the local files or downloading a fresh copy of the OS from the cloud, ensuring that your files, settings, and application get erased beyond recovery.

You can use the “Reset this PC” feature to wipe out the hard drive and reinstall Windows 11 22H2 or version 21H2 if you plan to decommission the computer, the device is not working correctly, you want to speed up the system, or to fix the battery and app problems. Select the “Local reinstall” or “Cloud download” options, and click the “Next” and “Reset” buttons.Then click the “Reset PC” button and select the “Remove everything” option.To factory reset Windows 11, open Settings > System > Recovery.

How to wipe a windows 10 computer before selling