Reset Windows 11 and Keep My Files

What Keep my files Removes and What It Keeps

Knowing the exact effect matters, because the reset cannot be undone once it starts. Windows 11 treats your apps and settings very differently from your files.

What stays

• Personal files in your user folders, such as Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Videos under 📁C:\Users\USERNAMEcopy.
• Your user accounts, including the passwords you use to sign in.
• Your Windows activation. A PC with a digital license (an activation tied to your hardware or Microsoft account) stays activated.
• Files stored on other drives, though a backup is still the safe choice.

What goes

• Apps and programs you installed, such as browsers, Office, games and utilities.
• Settings you changed, including default apps, personalization and most Windows options.
• Drivers (the software that lets Windows talk to hardware) that you installed yourself. Windows reinstalls many of them through Windows Update 🔃.
• Files saved outside your user folders, for example in a folder you created in 📁C:\copy. Treat these as at risk and copy them elsewhere first.

Apps that came with the PC from the manufacturer return only if your PC supports that option. You see it as a choice during the reset on many branded laptops and desktops.

Before You Reset 🪟 Windows 11

Ten minutes of preparation prevents most of the problems people run into afterwards. Do these checks first.

Back up your files anyway

Copy your important files to an external drive or to OneDrive before you begin. Files that OneDrive has finished syncing (copying so the local and online versions match) also exist online, so they survive even if something goes wrong locally.

Note your licenses and sign-ins

Write down the keys for paid software that does not use an online account. Check that you know your Microsoft account password and your Wi-Fi password, because the reset can clear saved networks.

Plug in power and find your recovery key

Connect a laptop to its charger. A reset can run for an hour or more, and a battery that dies mid-reset can damage the installation.

If your drive uses BitLocker or device encryption (Windows features that scramble the drive's contents), you may need the recovery key. Sign in at account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey with your Microsoft account to find it. Work and school PCs keep the key with the IT department.

Check your account type

The reset needs an administrator account. If you are using a standard account, sign in with an administrator account first. On a PC managed by an employer or school, IT policy can block the reset entirely.

Reset 🪟 Windows 11 and Keep My Files From Settings

These steps reset Windows and keep my files, starting from the Settings app on a PC that still boots normally. Work through the numbered steps below in order, from preparation to the final check.

1. Back up your important files. Copy them to an external drive or confirm that OneDrive finished syncing.
2. Plug your laptop into its charger. Desktops can skip this step.
3. Press Windows + I to open Settings. The Settings window opens on the Home or System page.

   

4. Select System in the left pane. The System pages list Display, Sound, Notifications and more.

   

5. Scroll down and select Recovery. The page shows Recovery options with several entries.

   

6. Select Reset PC next to Reset this PC. This step needs an administrator account. A window titled Reset this PC opens with two options.

   

7. Select Keep my files. This is the choice that preserves your personal files. Do not select Remove everything, which erases them.

   

8. Select Cloud download or Local reinstall. Cloud download fetches a fresh copy of Windows from Microsoft and needs an internet connection. Local reinstall rebuilds Windows from files already on the PC.
9. Review the Additional settings screen. It lists what the reset will do. If you see Change settings, select it to choose whether to restore manufacturer-installed apps, then confirm.
10. Select Next. If Windows says you recently upgraded and cannot go back to the previous version afterward, read the warning and continue only if you accept that.
11. Select View apps to be removed to check your app list. Close the list when you finish. This link appears on the Ready to reset this PC screen.
12. Select Reset. This starts the reset, and you cannot cancel it once the PC restarts. The PC restarts and shows a progress percentage.
13. Wait for the process to finish. Do not turn off the PC. The screen can stay black for long stretches, and the PC restarts several times.
14. Sign in with your usual account. If Windows shows a setup screen for privacy or device choices, answer each question.
15. Open your Documents, Pictures and Desktop folders. Confirm that your files are there.
16. Check the Desktop for a file named Removed Apps. Windows normally leaves this list of the apps it removed, so you know what to reinstall.
17. Open Settings › Windows Update and select Check for updates. Install everything it finds, then restart if asked.

If you see a screen that says Windows cannot reset, jump to the troubleshooting section below. The failure usually leaves your files and the old Windows installation unchanged.

Choose Between Cloud Download and Local Reinstall

Windows 11 asks how to reinstall, and the choice affects reliability. Neither option changes whether your files are kept.

When to pick Cloud download

Choose Cloud download if the reset fails the local way or if you suspect system files are corrupt. It pulls a clean copy of Windows 11 from Microsoft instead of reusing files on your drive. Use a wired or stable Wi-Fi connection, and be aware that it uses a large amount of data. Avoid metered connections if you pay per gigabyte.

When to pick Local reinstall

Choose Local reinstall if you have no internet access or want less data use. It is usually quicker to start. If the existing Windows files are damaged, it can fail, and that is the moment to retry with Cloud download.

Reset 🪟 Windows 11 From the Recovery Environment

When Windows will not start or you cannot reach Settings, use the Windows Recovery Environment (a small repair system stored on your drive, often shortened to Windows RE). This section shows how to reset Windows and keep my files from there.

1. Reach the recovery screen. If Windows is running, open Settings › System › Recovery and select Restart now next to Advanced startup. At the sign-in screen, you can hold Shift, select the power button, then select Restart.

   

2. If Windows fails to start, wait for the recovery screen. Windows usually opens it on its own after a few failed starts in a row.
3. Select Troubleshoot on the Choose an option screen.

   

4. Select Reset this PC. The two familiar options appear.
5. Select Keep my files. This keeps your personal files, as it does from Settings.
6. Enter the BitLocker recovery key if asked. Then pick your administrator account and type its password when Windows prompts you.
7. Select Cloud download or Local reinstall. Use Cloud download if the PC has been unstable or Local reinstall has already failed.
8. Select Reset on the final screen. The PC restarts and shows progress while it reinstalls Windows.
9. Sign in when the reset finishes and check your files, the Removed Apps list and Windows Update, as in the Settings method.

If the Reset Fails or the Option Is Missing

Most reset failures have a clear cause. Find the message you see below and follow the fix for it.

You see "There was a problem resetting your PC"

This message usually means Windows could not finish and left the system as it was. Your files should still be in place. Restart the PC, then try again and choose Cloud download instead of Local reinstall. If it fails again, start the reset from the recovery environment, which avoids files that are locked while Windows runs.

You see "Could not find the recovery environment"

Windows RE is switched off or damaged. Open Command Prompt as administrator (this step needs administrator rights). Right-click the Start button, choose Terminal (Admin), and select Yes at the prompt. [Verification Required: confirm which menu item opens Command Prompt on the reader's Windows 11 build.]

Type reagentc /info and press Enter to check whether Windows RE shows as Enabled or Disabled. If it is disabled, type reagentc /enable and press Enter. Then retry the reset.

Reset PC is greyed out or missing

A work or school PC may have this option blocked by its administrator. Contact IT for help, because you cannot override the policy yourself. On a personal PC, make sure you are signed in with an administrator account. If you are, reach the reset through the recovery environment instead, using the steps above.

The reset takes a very long time

A black screen and a slow progress percentage are normal during a reset. Give the PC time before assuming it has frozen, and leave it plugged in. If a percentage has not moved for several hours and the drive light is silent, restart the PC and run the reset again from the recovery environment.

You are asked for a BitLocker recovery key

Windows asks for the key because it cannot confirm a change to the encrypted drive is safe. Retrieve the key from your Microsoft account at account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey, or from your IT department on a managed PC, then type it in.

After the Reset: Reinstalling Apps and Restoring Settings

The PC now runs a clean copy of Windows 11 with your files in place. Reinstall your apps from the Removed Apps list, starting with the ones you need daily. Install Microsoft Store apps from the Store, and download desktop programs from the publisher's own site.

Reconnect to Wi-Fi if the PC forgot your network. Then re-sign in to your Microsoft account in the apps that use it, such as OneDrive and Microsoft 365. Check Settings › Windows Update again after a day, since some drivers arrive in later batches.

Go through Settings › Personalization, Settings › Apps › Default apps and Settings › Privacy & security to restore the choices you made before. Those pages show the defaults that Windows has put back.

What to Do Next

If the problem returns after the reset, the cause is probably a failing drive or faulty hardware rather than Windows itself, so run the drive maker's diagnostic tool next. To remove everything instead, open the same Reset this PC screen and select Remove everything, but back up first because that choice erases your files. Once your apps are reinstalled, set up Windows Backup or File History (a feature that saves copies of your files on a schedule) so the next problem costs you minutes instead of hours.