How to Access Recovery Settings and Reset This PC in Windows 11

Before you open recovery settings

Once it starts, you cannot get your apps and settings back, and with Remove everything your files go too. Do these checks first:

• Back up your files. Copy documents, photos and browser data to an external drive or cloud storage. Do this even if you plan to choose Keep my files, because a failed reset can leave a PC in a bad state.
• Note which apps you need to reinstall. A reset removes desktop programs you installed yourself. Write down licence keys for paid software.
• Find your BitLocker recovery key if drive encryption is on (it’s a 48-digit number that unlocks your drive if needed). BitLocker is Windows drive encryption. A reset or a recovery-menu session can ask for the key. If you signed in with a Microsoft account, you can usually find the key at aka.ms/myrecoverykey from another device. Windows 11 Home uses a lighter version called Device encryption, which can also ask for a key.
• Plug in a laptop. A reset that loses power partway through can leave Windows unbootable.
• Sign in with an administrator account. Starting a reset requires administrator privileges. A standard account prompts for an administrator password or cannot continue.

How to open Recovery settings in 🪟 Windows 11

You have three ways in. Use the first if Windows starts normally. Use the second or third if it does not.

Method 1Open Recovery from Settings

This is the normal route. It shows every recovery option in one place.

1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings. You can also right-click the Start button and select Settings.

   

2. Select System in the left pane.
3. Scroll down the right side and select Recovery. You should see a section called Recovery options with several rows, each with its own button.

   

The rows you see depend on your Windows 11 version and build. Here is what each one does:

• Fix problems using Windows Update reinstalls the current version of Windows through Windows Update and keeps your files, apps and settings. It appears on newer builds only, such as Windows 11 24H2. If you don't see it, your build predates it.
• Reset this PC reinstalls Windows. The button is labelled Reset PC. This is the option the rest of this guide covers.
• Go back returns you to the previous Windows version after an upgrade or a feature update. It is available for a limited time after the update (10 days by default) and appears only while Windows still holds the old installation files.
• Advanced startup restarts the PC into the Windows Recovery Environment, often shortened to WinRE (a small separate recovery system that runs outside normal Windows). The button is labelled Restart now.

Method 2Restart into recovery with Shift + Restart

This route works from the desktop or from the sign-in screen. It also helps when Settings won't open or behaves badly.

1. Select Start, then the Power button. On the sign-in screen, select the Power icon at the bottom right.
2. Hold down the Shift key and select Restart. Keep holding Shift until the screen changes.
3. Wait for a blue screen titled Choose an option. If the PC restarts normally instead, you released Shift too early. Try again.
4. Select Troubleshoot. You should see Reset this PC and Advanced options.

If a BitLocker or Device encryption prompt appears, enter the recovery key — a 48-digit number you can type with the keyboard or the on-screen keys.

Method 3Reach recovery when Windows won't start

Windows 11 opens the recovery menu on its own after repeated failed startups. You often see Preparing Automatic Repair or Diagnosing your PC first.

1. Wait for the repair screen to finish. If it says Automatic Repair couldn't repair your PC, select Advanced options.
2. Select Troubleshoot on the Choose an option screen.
3. Select Reset this PC or Advanced options, depending on what you need.

   

If the repair screen never appears and the PC just fails to boot, you can interrupt startup. Power the PC on, and as soon as the Windows logo or spinning dots appear, hold the power button to force a shutdown. Repeat this up to three times. On the next start, Windows usually opens the repair screen. Use this only as a last resort. Forced shutdowns carry a small risk of file corruption.

The Advanced options screen typically includes Startup Repair, Uninstall Updates, Startup Settings, Command Prompt, System Restore and UEFI Firmware Settings. The exact list varies by PC and build. Try Startup Repair or System Restore before a full reset if you want to keep your setup intact.

Choose the right recovery option before you reset

A reset is the heaviest option. Try the lighter ones first if your problem is a bad update or a recent change.

• Use Fix problems using Windows Update if Windows is unstable and you want a repair that keeps everything.
• Use Go back if the trouble started right after an upgrade and the option is still there.
• Use Uninstall Updates or System Restore from Advanced options if one recent update or driver caused the problem.
• Use Reset this PC if the system is badly corrupted, infected, slow beyond repair, or you are handing the PC to someone else.

How to reset this PC in 🪟 Windows 11

These steps run the reset from Settings. The screens are almost identical when you start from Troubleshoot › Reset this PC in the recovery menu. Starting a reset requires administrator privileges.

Step 1Start the reset and choose what to keep

This choice decides whether your personal files survive. Both options remove the apps and settings you added.

1. Open Settings › System › Recovery.

   

2. Select Reset PC next to Reset this PC. A window called Reset this PC opens with the heading Choose an option.
3. Select Keep my files to remove apps and settings but keep your personal files. Select Remove everything to remove apps, settings and personal files.

Use Keep my files if you are fixing a problem on a PC you will keep using. Keep my files is not a backup. Back up first anyway.

Step 2Choose how Windows reinstalls

Windows now asks where to get the fresh copy of itself.

1. On the How would you like to reinstall Windows? screen, select Cloud download to download a fresh copy of Windows from Microsoft. This needs a working internet connection and uses several gigabytes of data. It is the better choice if the files on the PC may be damaged.
2. Select Local reinstall to rebuild Windows from files already on the PC. It needs no internet connection and is usually faster. It will not work if those local files are damaged.

If Local reinstall fails later, run the reset again and choose Cloud download.

Step 3Review the additional settings

This screen lets you change how thorough the reset is.

1. On the Additional settings screen, read the summary. Select Change settings to adjust it.
2. If you chose Remove everything, look for the Clean data switch. Turn it On when you are giving the PC away. It overwrites the drive so your files are much harder to recover, but the reset takes noticeably longer. Leave it Off if you are keeping the PC.
3. If your PC came with apps installed by the manufacturer, look for the Restore preinstalled apps? option. Choose Yes to bring those apps back or No to leave them off. This option appears on many branded laptops and desktops and not on PCs you built yourself.
4. Select Confirm if you changed anything, then select Next.

The options shown vary by PC and Windows build. If a switch isn't on your screen, your PC doesn't offer it.

Step 4Confirm and wait

The next screen is your last chance to cancel. After you select Reset, the process cannot be stopped safely.

1. If Windows warns that resetting will erase the option to go back to your earlier Windows version, note it. It means Go back will no longer be available. Select Next to continue or Cancel to stop.
2. On the Ready to reset this PC screen, read the list of what will happen. Select Reset to start, or Cancel to stop.
3. Wait while the screen shows a percentage. The PC restarts several times. This can take from half an hour to several hours depending on the drive, the options and your connection.
4. When the PC reaches setup screens asking for region, keyboard layout and a network, the reset is done. Complete setup as you would on a new PC.

Do not turn off the PC during this process, even if the screen sits at the same percentage for a long time. The reset has finished once you are at the setup screens or the sign-in screen.

Reset this PC is greyed out or blocked

On a work or school PC, an administrator can block resets through policy. If your PC is managed, ask your IT team. On a personal PC, check that you are signed in with an administrator account in Settings › Accounts › Your info. Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro both include Reset this PC, so your edition is not the cause.

Windows says the recovery environment can't be found

If you see Could not find the recovery environment, or Shift + Restart doesn't open the blue menu, WinRE may be turned off. Check its status, which requires administrator privileges.

1. Right-click Start and select Terminal (Admin). Select Yes at the User Account Control prompt.
2. Type reagentc /info and press Enter. Look for the line Windows RE status.
3. If it says Disabled, type reagentc /enable and press Enter. You should see Operation Successful.
4. Run the reset again from Settings › System › Recovery.

If reagentc /enable returns an error, the recovery partition may be missing or damaged. A reset from Settings may still work with Cloud download. If it doesn't, you need a recovery drive or Windows installation media.

The reset stops with "There was a problem resetting your PC"

This message means Windows hit a problem and left your PC unchanged. Repair the system files first, then try again. This also requires administrator privileges.

1. Open Terminal (Admin) as above.
2. Type DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and press Enter. Wait for it to finish.
3. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter. Wait for the scan to complete.
4. Restart the PC and run the reset again. Choose Cloud download if you used Local reinstall the first time.

If it fails again from Settings, start the reset from the blue recovery menu instead. Use Shift + Restart › Troubleshoot › Reset this PC. That route runs outside your normal Windows session, so it avoids some problems that block a reset from Settings.

The PC asks for a BitLocker key you don't have

Sign in to your Microsoft account from another device and look for the recovery key linked to this PC. Work or school PCs may store the key with your organisation, so ask your IT team. Without the key, you cannot get past the prompt. You may have to reinstall Windows using installation media (a USB drive or disc), which will erase the drive.

What to do next

Once the reset finishes, check Settings › Windows Update and install all available updates, then reinstall your apps and restore your backed-up files. To prepare for the next time Windows won't start, open Start, search for Recovery Drive and create a USB recovery drive while the PC is healthy. If you chose Remove everything to sell the PC, stop after the setup screens appear and leave the PC unconfigured for the new owner.