Failed updates, a desktop that will not load, or persistent Windows problems can leave you facing a reinstall. The key choice is what survives: a repair reinstall keeps files, apps, and settings, while a reset removes apps even when you keep personal files. Start with the repair option if Windows still opens, then use the reset or installation-media route that fits your PC.
Try a repair reinstall that keeps your apps
This repairs your current Windows version while preserving files, apps, and settings.
Back up your personal files before starting any reinstall.
Keep your BitLocker recovery key available for recovery on an encrypted device.
Open Start > Settings > System > Recovery.
Under Fix problems using Windows Update, select Reinstall now.
Choose your automatic-restart preference.
Select OK to begin.
Restart when installation finishes unless you selected automatic restarting.
The option requires the Windows 11 2022 annual update or later, plus the February 2024 optional update or later. Availability also depends on whether your organization manages updates. If the button is missing, use a reset or installation-media method below.
Follow the reinstall prompt after a failed update
If an update fails because of system-file or component problems, Windows Update might recommend reinstalling your current version of Windows.
Open Settings > Windows Update.
Select Reinstall now if Windows displays the recommendation. This button appears with the recommendation; it is not a permanent part of the page.
Choose your restart preference.
Select OK to begin. This launches the same repair process as the Recovery option and preserves your files, apps, and settings.
Reset your PC with or without personal files
Open Settings > System > Recovery > Reset PC. A reset reinstalls Windows and removes installed apps and settings.
Choose Keep my files to preserve personal files, or Remove everything to delete them too. Keeping files does not keep your installed programs.
Select Cloud download to download Windows over an internet connection, or Local reinstall to use files on your PC.
Review the confirmation screens before completing the reset. During a Keep my files reset, enabling Restore preinstalled apps, where the manufacturer offers it, reapplies manufacturer customizations. With Remove everything, enabling Clean data also cleans the drive.
Open recovery when you cannot reach the desktop
Windows Recovery Environment provides a reset route when you cannot sign in or reach Settings. It must be functioning, and BitLocker-encrypted devices require the recovery key if prompted.
At the sign-in screen, hold Shift while selecting Power > Restart.
If Settings still opens, go to Settings > System > Recovery instead.
Select Restart now under Advanced startup. Entering recovery does not itself reinstall Windows.
Repeated startup failures also trigger automatic recovery. If the PC keeps failing at startup without opening recovery, use the following power-button sequence. Use it only for failed startup, never during an active reinstall.
At the Windows or manufacturer logo, hold the physical power button until the PC turns off.
Turn the PC on again.
At the logo, hold the power button to interrupt startup a second time.
Start the PC a third time.
Select Advanced options when recovery appears.
Inside recovery, select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.
Choose Keep my files or Remove everything, depending on whether you want to preserve personal files.
Select Cloud download or Local reinstall from the available options.
Complete the confirmation prompts to start the reset. If recovery cannot perform it, use installation media.
Use installation media for another repair route
A missing built-in repair option leaves installation media as another way to reinstall Windows while keeping apps, provided Windows still starts.
Obtain compatible media from Microsoft's Windows 11 download page. Match your PC's architecture, current Windows language, and licensed Windows edition.
For an x64 PC, select Download Now under Create Windows 11 Installation Media.
Run the downloaded Media Creation Tool as an administrator.
Select Accept if you agree to the license terms.
On the What do you want to do? page, select Create installation media for another PC > Next.
Select the language, edition, and architecture (64-bit).
Choose USB flash drive.
Complete media creation. The tool creates x64 media, not Arm64 media.
For an Arm-based PC, download the matching ISO from Microsoft's Windows 11 Arm64 page. Use architecture-compatible installation instructions and the required manufacturer drivers.
While signed into the Windows installation you want to repair, connect the installation media.
In File Explorer, open the media's setup.exe.
Select Yes.
Choose Change what to keep.
Select Keep personal files and apps to preserve both. The alternatives are Keep personal files only, which removes apps, and Keep nothing, which keeps neither.
Select Next.
Choose Install. Keeping installed apps requires starting Setup from within your running Windows installation.
For the route without a USB drive, download a compatible Windows 11 ISO from the appropriate Microsoft download page.
In File Explorer, right-click the ISO and select Mount.
Open the resulting virtual drive.
Run setup.exe.
Continue through the same retention choices and installation steps above. A mounted ISO works inside a running Windows installation; it does not provide a bootable recovery route when Windows will not start.
Start over with a clean installation
A clean installation works on a compatible PC with a nonworking Windows installation or a replacement drive. It erases the selected installation disk.
Confirm that your personal files are backed up before continuing.
Boot the PC from a compatible Windows 11 installation USB or DVD. The media must match your PC's architecture. For an Arm-based PC, you may need to add drivers from the manufacturer for the media to boot.
Choose the language and keyboard settings.
Select Install Windows 11.
Acknowledge the deletion warning.
Supply the license information, or select I don't have a product key when appropriate for your reinstall.
Choose the edition that matches your Windows license.
Accept the license terms.
On the installation-location screen, verify the identity of the intended Windows disk. Deleting another disk's partitions erases that disk's data.
Erase the intended Windows disk's partitions.
Select that disk's unallocated space.
Choose Next.
Select Install.
Complete Windows initial setup after installation.
If installation media cannot complete the reinstall, try a Windows Recovery Drive previously created for that device or its manufacturer's supported Windows 11 recovery image. Factory recovery availability and the Windows version it restores depend on the model.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will reinstalling Windows 11 install version 25H2?
Microsoft's public Windows 11 download offers version 25H2 as of September 2026. A repair reinstall, Reset this PC, or manufacturer recovery does not necessarily install that release.
Does a Windows Recovery Drive include my personal files?
No. Recovery Drive media does not include personal files, so keep a separate backup. A recovery drive created for your device with system files included supports recovery onto a replaced or erased drive.
Can I start recovery from Command Prompt or Terminal?
Yes. Save your work, then run shutdown /r /o /t 0. This restarts the PC into advanced startup, where you select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC. The command opens recovery; it does not directly reinstall Windows.
Is the old Windows Security Fresh start option still a reinstall method?
Use Reset this PC instead of the older consumer Fresh start instructions. Microsoft now directs that support route to Reset your PC. The separate Fresh Start action in Intune remains an administrative option for managed devices.
