How to Remove All Your Files by Resetting Windows 11 PC

Resetting a Windows 11 PC wipes your hard drive clean and reinstalls the operating system to fix major errors or prepare your computer for a new owner. Choosing the “Remove everything” option deletes all personal files, downloaded apps, and custom settings permanently.

Back up important photos, documents, and passwords to an external drive or cloud storage before you start. A complete system wipe cannot be undone once it begins.

Before You Reset

Back up important files, photos, and documents to an external drive or cloud storage. This step is critical because the reset process permanently deletes all personal files, installed applications, and custom settings, leaving the computer with no way to recover lost data automatically.

1. Back Up Your Important Files

   You must do this. When you choose to remove everything, Windows will delete all your files, programs, and settings. Think of it like a factory reset. So, save copies of anything you don’t want to lose.

   • What to back up: This includes your documents, pictures, videos, music, and any other personal data on your PC.
   • Where to back up: You can use an external hard drive, a USB stick, or online storage like OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox.
2. Get Your Software Ready

   Resetting a Windows 11 PC will remove all installed programs. Users must reinstall these programs after the reset. Keeping license keys and installation files for software readily available before the reset saves time during reinstallation.

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3. Check Your BitLocker Recovery Key (If You Use It)

   ⚠️WarningIf your computer uses BitLocker to protect your hard drive, you will need your BitLocker recovery key.

   Without it, you might not be able to use your PC after the reset. You can usually find this key by signing into your Microsoft account online.

4. Write Down Your Wi-Fi Password

   After Windows is reinstalled, you will need to connect to the internet. Having your Wi-Fi password ready will make this easy.

How to Reset Your PC and Remove Everything

Open Windows Settings by pressing the Windows key and I together, click System, select Recovery, and then click the Reset PC button. Choose the Remove everything option to wipe personal files, apps, and settings, and follow the on-screen prompts to start the full system reset process.

1. Open Windows Settings

   Click the Start button (usually in the bottom-left corner). Then click the Settings gear icon. Or, press the Windows key + I keys on your keyboard together.

2. Go to Recovery Options

   In the Settings window, click on System. Then, scroll down the left side and click on Recovery.

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3. Select "Reset PC"

   Under the "Recovery options" heading in Windows 11 settings, the "Reset PC" feature appears. Clicking the "Get started" button next to "Reset PC" begins the process of restoring your computer to its factory settings, allowing you to choose whether to keep or remove personal files.

4. Choose "Remove everything"

   Windows will give you two choices:

   Since we want a completely fresh start, choose Remove everything.

   • Keep my files: This reinstalls Windows but keeps your personal files. It removes apps and settings.
   • Remove everything: This reinstalls Windows and removes all your personal files, apps, and settings.
5. Choose How to Reinstall Windows

   After selecting "Remove everything," Windows will ask how you want to reinstall Windows. You will usually see two options:

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   For most people, the Cloud download is the best way to get a clean and up-to-date system. If you have a slow internet connection, the local reinstall might be better.

   • Cloud download: This downloads a new copy of Windows from Microsoft's servers. It is usually best because you get the newest version with all the latest updates. This is good if your internet is fast and stable.
   • Local reinstall: This uses files already on your PC to reinstall Windows. It is faster if your internet is slow. However, the Windows version might not be the very latest.
6. Additional Settings (Clean Data?)

   You might see an "Additional settings" screen. Here, you might find an option to clean the drive.

   Warning: Once you choose to "Clean data," you cannot get your files back. Only select this if you are absolutely sure you want to remove all data forever.

   • Clean data: If you plan to sell, give away, or recycle your PC, it's highly recommended to turn this on. It deletes files and then overwrites them. This makes it much harder for anyone to get your personal information back. This option takes much longer than a normal reset.
   • Don't clean data: If you are resetting the PC for yourself and just want a fresh start, you can skip this. It's faster but less secure if someone else will use the PC.
7. Review and Confirm

   Windows will show you a summary of what will happen. It will remind you that all your files, apps, and settings will be removed. Read this carefully.

   If you are ready, click the Reset button. Your PC will then start reinstalling Windows.

What Happens During the Reset

The computer restarts several times during the reset and may display a black screen for a long period while Windows reinstalls. Leave the computer plugged in and avoid interrupting the shutdown or restart process to prevent permanent damage to the operating system installation.

• Your PC will restart several times.
• You might see a black screen for a long time. This is normal! Windows is working.
• Try not to interrupt the process. Forcing a shutdown or restart during the reset can make it fail. This could leave your PC unusable.

Important Note: Microsoft notes that the screen might remain black for a long time, sometimes over 15 minutes, and the device might restart itself. Do not manually restart the PC during this time, as doing so causes the reset to fail.

After the Reset: Setting Up Your New Windows

The computer boots up to the Out-of-Box Experience setup screen, which is the initial configuration wizard for new systems, once the reset finishes. Select the region and keyboard layout, connect to a home Wi-Fi network, and sign in with a Microsoft account to finish setting up the freshly wiped computer.

• You will need to choose your region and keyboard layout.
• Connect to your Wi-Fi network (this is where your saved password helps!).
• Sign in with your Microsoft account or create a local account.
• Windows will then download updates and set up your system.

Start reinstalling programs, restoring backed-up files, and configuring preferences from this screen.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/reset-your-pc-0ef73740-b927-549b-b7c9-e6f2b48d275e

Summary

The operating system reinstalls completely to give the PC a clean slate by wiping out all personal files, apps, and custom configurations. This process requires careful preparation like backing up data and having the Wi-Fi password ready, but it resolves deep-seated software problems and speeds up a lagging computer.