To reinstall Windows 11, open Settings > System > Recovery. Select Reinstall now next to Fix problems using Windows Update to keep your apps, files and settings, or select Reset PC to start over and choose whether your personal files stay. If Windows will not start, reset it from the recovery screen or install it again from a USB drive, and back up your files before you do any of this.
On Windows 11, version 25H2, we went through Reset this PC for both Keep my files and Remove everything. Two things on those screens are easy to miss. The list of apps to be removed also named Microsoft Edge and Microsoft OneDrive, and the Reset button appears exactly where Next was one click earlier.
The short version
- Keep everything: open Settings > System > Recovery and select Reinstall now under Fix problems using Windows Update.
- Keep your files, lose your apps: select Reset PC, then Keep my files.
- Start fresh: Reset PC with Remove everything, plus Clean data if the PC is leaving your hands.
- Windows will not start: hold Shift while you select Power > Restart on the sign-in screen, or turn the PC off twice while Windows loads, then choose Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.
- Before any of them: copy your files to a separate drive and find your BitLocker recovery key.
Which reinstall method keeps what
| Method | Personal files | Installed apps | Settings | Where to start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fix problems using Windows Update | Kept | Kept | Kept | Settings > System > Recovery |
| Reset this PC with Keep my files | Kept | Removed | Mostly reset, but accounts and Wi-Fi networks stay | Settings > System > Recovery, or the recovery screen |
| Reset this PC with Remove everything | Removed | Removed | Removed | Settings > System > Recovery, or the recovery screen |
| Installation media with Keep personal files and apps | Kept | Kept | Kept | setup.exe, opened from inside Windows |
| USB installation after deleting partitions | Erased on the drive you choose | Removed | Removed | Starting the PC from the USB drive |
The table follows what Microsoft says each method keeps. Cloud download and Local reinstall are not on it, because they only decide where the new copy of Windows comes from. Unsure which row is yours? The chart below picks one in two questions.
You may not need a reinstall at all. If the trouble began after a recent change and the PC has a restore point, you can open System Restore first. Microsoft says System Restore only rolls back system files and settings, and your personal files are not affected.
Back up your files before you start
Two of these methods delete your files on purpose, and any of them can fail halfway. Microsoft's reset instructions open with the same advice: back up important files before you begin. Copy them to an external drive or to cloud storage, then open a few of the copies to make sure they work.
Our guide shows how to back up your Windows files with Windows Backup, OneDrive, File History or an external drive. Microsoft's Windows Backup needs a Microsoft account. On a local account, File History or a plain copy to an external drive does the job.
When we opened File History in Control Panel, it listed what it copies by default: Libraries, Desktop, Contacts, and Favorites. With no second drive connected it reported No usable drives were found, and its Turn on button was greyed out.
Anything outside those folders has to be copied separately, including the data some apps keep in their own folders. For ongoing copies, set up File History with an external drive and check its folder list before you reinstall.
If your PC is encrypted with BitLocker or device encryption, find the 48-digit BitLocker recovery key now. Microsoft says it may be saved in your Microsoft account, on a printout or on a USB flash drive, depending on the choice made when BitLocker was turned on. You need it for most options on the recovery screen, and Microsoft's support staff cannot retrieve, provide or recreate a lost key.
A recovery drive is not a backup either. Microsoft says the Recovery Drive does not include your personal files, and a USB drive you turn into installation media is wiped in the process. Never use the drive that holds your only backup for either job.
Finally, open Settings > System > Activation and note whether Windows is activated, and if Windows has been short of space, free up disk space first. Microsoft says low disk space can cause the very problems a reinstall is meant to fix.
Reinstall Windows 11 and keep your apps
The least destructive way to reinstall Windows 11 is Fix problems using Windows Update. On our PC it sat near the top of the Recovery page with the description Reinstall your current version of Windows (your apps, files, and settings will be preserved). Microsoft says it reinstalls the version already on your PC and repairs system files and components.
Press Windows + I to open Settings. On our PC it opened on Home, so select System in the sidebar, scroll down and select Recovery. Then select Reinstall now.
The rest follows Microsoft's instructions. A window asks whether the PC may restart automatically 15 minutes after the installation completes, and OK starts the repair. Microsoft says Windows Update then downloads and installs a repair version of the last update that installed successfully. Keep the PC on power and online the whole time, and restart it yourself at the end if you did not allow the automatic restart.
You may meet the same repair without looking for it. When an update fails because of damaged system files, Microsoft says the Windows Update page can show Reinstall your current version of Windows to repair system files and components, with its own Reinstall now button. That button opens the same repair.
If Fix problems using Windows Update is missing
Microsoft says the option can be unavailable on a PC managed by work or school. It also needs Windows 11 with the 2022 annual update and the February 2024 optional update or later. Our guide explains what to do when Windows Update repair is unavailable.
If you need your apps and the option is not there, run setup.exe from installation media instead, as described further down. Reset this PC still works, but it removes your apps.
Reset Windows 11 and keep your personal files
Reset this PC with Keep my files reinstalls Windows while keeping your documents, photos and other personal files. Every app you installed yourself is removed. These are the screens it showed on our PC.
Open Settings > System > Recovery and select Reset PC next to Reset this PC. The first screen, Choose an option, has two choices. Keep my files reads Removes apps and settings, but keeps your personal files, and Remove everything reads Removes all of your personal files, apps, and settings.
Select Keep my files. On our PC a screen reading Getting things ready, This won't take long then stayed up for about two minutes before the next question appeared. Give it time and leave the window open.
Next the wizard asks where the new copy of Windows should come from. Choose Cloud download or Local reinstall, which the next section compares, and the Additional settings screen lists your current settings. Select Change settings to see the switches behind them.
On our PC there was a single switch, Download Windows?, set to No after we chose Local reinstall. Microsoft's reset page also describes a Restore preinstalled apps setting, which applies the PC maker's customizations when it is on. If your PC shows that switch, set it to Yes to have the PC maker's customizations applied, or No for plain Windows, then select Confirm and Next.
The last screen is Ready to reset this PC. Ours listed Change settings back to their defaults, Keep personal files, Reinstall Windows from this device and Remove all apps and programs, followed by the note This will take a while and your PC will restart.
Watch where you click here. The Reset button sits exactly where Next was on the screen before, so a quick second click on Next would land on Reset. Click Next once and read the summary before you go further.
Select View apps that will be removed before you reset. It lists the programs you will have to reinstall from the web or installation discs, and the screen says the same list will be saved to the desktop after the reset. When the summary is right, select Reset to start.
On our PC the list also named Microsoft Edge and Microsoft OneDrive, so check it even if you added few programs yourself. Write down any license keys or sign-ins you will need to set your programs up again.
The summary is not the whole story. Microsoft's technical documentation says Keep my files preserves user accounts, Wi-Fi networks, Windows Update settings and privacy choices such as camera access. The old AppData folders are left in C:\Windows.old, the place to look for an app's old data afterwards.
Choose cloud download or local reinstall
After Keep my files or Remove everything, the wizard asks How would you like to reinstall Windows? This choice decides where the new copy of Windows comes from. It does not change what happens to your files.
Cloud download fetches a fresh copy from Microsoft. Microsoft says it gets the latest version with all updates and suits a PC whose own Windows files are corrupted or missing. The screen on our PC warned that Cloud download can use more than 4 GB of data, which matters on a metered or mobile connection.
Local reinstall rebuilds Windows from files already on the PC. Microsoft says it is faster on a slow internet connection but may not include the latest updates.
Remove everything and erase the drive
Choose Remove everything when you are selling, giving away or recycling the PC, or when you want nothing carried over. It removes your files, apps, settings and user accounts. On our PC this branch showed Getting things ready for about three minutes, then asked the same Cloud download or Local reinstall question.
Read the Additional settings screen carefully here. Ours said Remove apps and files. Do not clean the drive. Change settings opened two switches, one for Clean data and one for Download Windows, both set to No.
Turn Clean data on before the PC goes to someone else. With it off, the switch reads Just remove your files, which is quicker, but less secure. Microsoft says cleaning takes longer and makes removed files harder to recover, but that this consumer erasure does not meet government and industry data erasure standards. Then select Confirm and Next.
A PC with more than one drive, or one drive split into several lettered drives, can show one more choice. Microsoft's documentation says you can then remove data from all of them or only the Windows drive, so check that setting if it appears and back up anything on the other drives first.
The final Ready to reset this PC screen listed Remove all the personal files and user accounts on this PC, Remove any changes made to settings, Remove all apps and programs and Reinstall Windows from this device. Unlike Keep my files, it offered no list of apps. Select Reset when you are ready, while Cancel took us back to the Recovery page with nothing changed.
What happens after you select Reset
The steps after you select Reset follow Microsoft's instructions. Microsoft says the screen can go black for a long time, occasionally upwards of 15 minutes, and the PC might try to restart itself along the way. Do not restart it yourself, because Microsoft warns that doing so could make the reset fail.
Reinstall Windows 11 from installation media and keep your apps
Installation media keeps your apps when Fix problems using Windows Update is missing or did not help, but only if you start it the right way. Opened from inside Windows, setup can keep your files and apps, while starting the PC from the same USB drive leads to an installation that erases the drive.
Get the files from Microsoft's Windows 11 download page. Its Media Creation Tool needs a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of space, and anything already on it is deleted, so use a blank one. Our guide shows how to create a Windows 11 installation USB step by step. Choose the same language your PC uses now, which Microsoft lists as a requirement.
You do not need a USB drive for this route. Download the ISO file from the same page, right-click it in File Explorer, select Mount and open the drive that appears. The Media Creation Tool only makes media for x64 processors, so a PC with an Arm processor needs the Windows 11 Arm64 download instead.
Microsoft's steps from there are short. Open setup.exe from the root of the drive and allow it to make changes, select Change what to keep, choose Keep personal files and apps and select Next. Then select Install, and expect the PC to restart several times.
The other two choices are Keep personal files only, which removes your apps, and Keep nothing, which removes files, apps and settings. If Keep personal files and apps is not offered, cancel setup and check that the media's language matches your PC, which Microsoft lists as a requirement.
Reinstall Windows 11 when your PC will not start
Windows has a recovery screen for this case. Microsoft says you can force it open by holding the power button to shut the PC down as soon as the Windows logo appears, two times in a row, after which Windows should boot into recovery on the third start. If you can still reach the sign-in screen, hold Shift while you select Power > Restart instead.
From a working desktop there is a third way in. Our Recovery page listed Advanced startup, described as Restart your device to change startup settings, including starting from a disc or USB drive, and Microsoft says its Restart now button opens the same recovery screen.
If you see the Automatic Repair screen, select Advanced options first. Then choose Troubleshoot > Reset this PC to get the Keep my files and Remove everything choices. To look into the problem before resetting anything, you can also boot into Safe Mode from the same menus.
Microsoft's list of recovery options puts smaller fixes before a reset. On Windows 11, version 24H2 or later, it starts with Point-in-time restore, which rolls the whole PC back, personal files included, to an automatic restore point from up to 3 days ago. Next comes uninstalling a recent update, which Microsoft says leaves your files and apps alone.
Our Recovery page also listed Quick machine recovery. Microsoft describes it as a fix for repeated startup failures caused by a known, widespread issue, which Windows downloads from Windows Update and applies by itself when the feature is turned on.
Booting from a recovery drive is a different path. Microsoft says Keep my files and Remove everything are not available when the PC starts from recovery media, and that reinstalling Windows from a recovery drive removes your personal files, apps and settings.
Erase the drive and install Windows 11 from USB
When nothing else works, or the drive has been replaced, start the PC from installation media and install Windows from scratch. Microsoft says this removes personal files, apps, the PC maker's customizations and any changes made in Settings. If this PC will not start, make the USB drive on a working computer, and keep your backup on a different drive. If files you need are still only on this PC, get them copied off before you delete anything.
Before you erase anything, check which edition you are licensed for. On our PC, Settings > System > About showed it in the Windows specifications card, on the Edition row. Microsoft says you must install the same edition again, such as Home for a PC that runs Home.
The remaining steps follow Microsoft's instructions. Start the PC from the USB drive, using the boot menu or boot order setting your PC maker documents. In Windows 11 Setup, choose your language and keyboard, select Install Windows 11 and tick the box agreeing that everything will be deleted, including files, apps, and settings.
If a Product key window appears, select the option for not having a product key and pick your edition. Microsoft says the window may not appear at all when a key is stored in the PC's firmware.
Microsoft's installation page says to cancel setup here if you have no product key and it is not linked to your Microsoft account. Its activation page adds that a PC with a digital license for that edition activates online by itself after installation, so if Windows still works, link the license with Add an account on the Settings > System > Activation page before you start.
Accept the license terms, then take the most care at Select location to install Windows 11. Microsoft's example deletes every partition on Disk 0 and warns against touching any other disk. Your Windows drive is not always Disk 0, so check the sizes before you delete anything, and stop if you cannot tell which disk is which. Then select the unallocated space, Next and Install.
Microsoft says the PC restarts several times. When the setup screens appear, sign in with the Microsoft account linked to your digital license if you have one, so Windows can find it.
Check Windows activation after reinstalling
Open Settings > System > Activation to see whether Windows is activated. Microsoft says a PC with a digital license can reinstall the same edition of Windows 11 without entering a product key, and that Windows will automatically activate online after the installation is complete.
A new motherboard is the exception. Microsoft says Windows might no longer be activated after a significant hardware change, so follow our steps for activation after a hardware change. Linking your digital license to a Microsoft account before you reinstall lets the Activation troubleshooter reactivate Windows later. If it still says Windows is not activated, work through how to fix Windows activation problems.
Which version of Windows you end up with
Fix problems using Windows Update reinstalls the version already on your PC. Installation media installs whatever Microsoft's download page offers on the day you download it, which can be newer than the version you had. Microsoft says Cloud download gets the latest version with all updates, while Local reinstall may not include them.
Whichever route you take, Cloud download included, check for Windows updates as soon as the desktop appears. Then install any drivers your PC maker lists.
If the reset fails or the problem comes back
Reset this PC offers two sources for Windows, so if a reset stops with an error, you can start it again and choose the other one. Microsoft says Cloud download is useful when the local files are corrupted or missing. If Reset this PC keeps failing, installation media is the next step, either setup.exe from inside Windows or the USB route above.
A fresh copy of Windows does not repair hardware. If the PC reports No bootable device found, or the same problem returns straight after a reinstall, check the drive and the boot settings before you reinstall again. After a successful reset, restore your files from the backup and reinstall your apps, using the saved list if you kept your files.
How we tested this guide
We tested this on Windows 11, version 25H2, going through Reset this PC with Local reinstall, up to the Reset button.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I reinstall Windows 11 without losing my apps?
Yes. Use Fix problems using Windows Update under Settings > System > Recovery, or run setup.exe from installation media inside Windows and choose Keep personal files and apps. Reset this PC removes your apps even with Keep my files.
Will Keep my files save everything I need?
It keeps personal files such as documents and photos, but it removes every app you installed and resets most settings. Back up your files anyway, along with anything an app stores in its own folder.
Should I choose Cloud download or Local reinstall?
Choose Cloud download if the Windows files on the PC may be damaged and your connection can handle more than 4 GB of data. Choose Local reinstall on a slow or metered connection. Neither one changes which personal files are kept.
Can I reinstall Windows 11 without a USB drive?
Yes. Fix problems using Windows Update and Reset this PC need no USB drive, and you can mount the ISO file in File Explorer and run setup.exe from it. A PC that will not start needs its recovery screen or a USB drive made on another computer.
Do I need a product key to reinstall Windows 11?
Usually not. Microsoft says a PC with a digital license can reinstall the same edition without a key and activates online afterwards. Check Settings > System > Activation before you start, and install the same edition, such as Home or Pro.
Can I reinstall Windows 11 if it will not start?
Yes. Open the recovery screen, which Microsoft says appears after you shut the PC down with the power button twice while Windows loads, and choose Troubleshoot > Reset this PC. If that fails, install from a USB drive, which erases the drive you choose.
Does Remove everything securely wipe the PC?
Only partly. Turn on Clean data to make removed files harder to recover, but Microsoft says this erasure does not meet government and industry data erasure standards.
How long should I wait if the reset screen goes black?
Microsoft says the screen can stay black for a long time, occasionally more than 15 minutes, and the PC may restart by itself. Wait rather than forcing a restart, which Microsoft warns could make the reset fail.