How to Wipe and Reinstall Windows 11

To wipe and reinstall Windows 11, open Settings > System > Recovery, select Reset PC, choose Remove everything, pick Cloud download or Local reinstall, and follow the prompts. This erases your files, apps, and settings and puts a fresh copy of Windows 11 on the PC. Back up anything you want to keep first. If Windows won’t start at all, use a Windows 11 recovery USB instead.

These steps are for Windows 11, including version 26H2, the release Microsoft’s download page lists in October 2026, and earlier Windows 11 versions. They cover the prep work, each Reset this PC option, resetting when Windows won’t boot, a clean install from a USB drive, and what to do after setup. Reset this PC is enough for most people; the USB method is for when a reset fails or you want the most thorough fresh start.

Which Method Should You Use?

Your situation	Best method	What happens to your files
Windows works and you want a fresh start	Reset PC with Remove everything	Erased
You’re selling or giving away the PC	Reset PC with Remove everything and Clean data	Erased, and harder to recover
Windows won’t start	Reset this PC from the recovery screen	Erased (or kept with Keep my files)
A reset fails or you want a blank drive	Clean install from a USB drive	Erased
You only want to repair Windows	Fix problems using Windows Update	Kept, along with apps and settings

The last row isn’t a wipe. Microsoft’s reinstall the current version of Windows page says this option, under Settings > System > Recovery, reinstalls the same version and keeps your apps, files, and settings. Try it first if you’re fixing a problem rather than starting over. It may be missing on work or school PCs.

Before You Start

Wiping Windows can’t be undone once it begins. Do these things first:

• Back up your files to an external drive or cloud storage like OneDrive. For an external drive, follow the steps for backing up Windows 11 to an external hard drive.
• Make a list of apps you’ll need to reinstall, and have any product keys or license info ready. Some paid apps also need you to deactivate them on the old installation first.
• Save your BitLocker recovery key if the drive uses BitLocker or device encryption. You may need it, especially when resetting from the recovery screen. Microsoft’s find your BitLocker recovery key page says a personal key is usually in your Microsoft account at aka.ms/myrecoverykey. On a work or school PC, ask your IT department.
• Link your Windows license to your Microsoft account. Do this before a clean install so Windows can reactivate. Check your edition in Settings > System > About, under Windows specifications, since you need to reinstall the same edition.
• Plug in a laptop so it doesn’t run out of power mid-reset.

Not sure whether your PC has a digital license or a product key? check your Windows 11 license before you start so you know what to expect.

Reset Windows 11 and Remove Everything

1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
2. Select System, then Recovery.
3. Under Recovery options, next to Reset this PC, select Reset PC. A window asks you to choose an option.
4. Select Remove everything. (Keep my files keeps your documents and photos but still removes your apps and settings.)

5. Choose Cloud download to get a fresh copy of Windows from Microsoft, or Local reinstall to use the files already on the PC.
6. On the additional settings screen, select Change settings if you want to adjust the options. If you’re giving the PC away, turn on Clean data. It takes longer but makes files harder to recover. If the PC has more than one drive, Windows may also ask whether to remove files from all drives or only the Windows drive.
7. Review the summary, select Next, then Reset. You can cancel on any screen before this point, but not after. The PC restarts and shows reset progress.

The PC restarts several times. The screen can stay black for a long time, sometimes more than 15 minutes, and restarting the PC yourself during this can make the reset fail, so leave it alone. When it’s done, you’ll see the Windows setup screens, like on a new PC. Every option is explained on the Reset your PC support page.

If you only want default settings and need to keep your documents, choose Keep my files and follow the steps to reset all settings in Windows 11 instead.

What Each Option Means

• Keep my files (Microsoft also calls it Refresh): reinstalls Windows and removes apps and settings, but keeps your personal files.
• Remove everything (Reset): removes files, apps, and settings. It’s the recommended choice for a fresh start or before selling or giving away the PC.
• Cloud download: downloads a fresh copy of Windows with recent updates. Useful if local files are damaged or missing.
• Local reinstall: uses files already on the PC. Faster on a slow connection, but may not include the latest updates.
• Clean data: cleans the drive so removed files are harder to recover. This is designed for consumers and doesn’t meet government or industry data-erasure standards.
• Restore preinstalled apps: puts back the PC maker’s apps and customizations. It appears with Keep my files.

If Windows Won’t Start

You can reach Reset this PC from the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE), a set of repair tools that runs outside the normal desktop.

1. Open Windows RE. If you can reach the sign-in screen, hold Shift while you select Power > Restart. If Windows fails to start several times in a row, Windows opens the Automatic Repair screen on its own; select Advanced options.
2. On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.
3. Choose the same options as above. Enter your BitLocker recovery key if asked.

Microsoft’s Windows recovery environment page lists other ways in, including booting from a recovery drive or from installation media and selecting Repair my PC. The walkthrough for booting into recovery mode in Windows 11 walks through each one.

If the recovery screen doesn’t appear or the reset fails, use a USB drive, below, or a recovery USB made earlier.

Clean Install From a USB Drive

A clean install wipes the Windows drive and installs Windows 11 from scratch. These steps follow Microsoft’s Reinstall Windows with the installation media page.

What you need: a working PC with internet access, and a blank USB drive of 8 GB or more. Everything on the USB drive is erased. Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool makes media for x64 PCs only; for an Arm-based PC, Microsoft offers a separate Arm64 download.

1. On a working PC, go to Microsoft’s Windows 11 download page. Under Create Windows 11 Installation Media, download the Media Creation Tool, run it, and create a USB flash drive.
2. Plug the USB drive into the PC you’re reinstalling and start the PC from it. Use your PC’s boot menu key, or select Start > Power, hold Shift, select Restart, and choose Use a device. Don’t know the key? Common ones are covered in opening the boot menu in Windows 11.
3. On the Select language settings and Select keyboard settings screens, make your choices and select Next.
4. On Select setup option, choose Install Windows 11, check the box agreeing that everything will be deleted, including files, apps, and settings, and select Next.
5. On the product key screen, enter your key, or select I don’t have a product key if the PC already had activated Windows 11. Windows then uses the license linked to your Microsoft account. The screen may not appear at all if the key is stored in the PC’s firmware.
6. On Select Image, choose the same edition you had before (Home or Pro), select Next, and select Accept on the license terms.
7. On Select location to install Windows 11, find the Windows disk, usually Disk 0. To wipe it, select each of its partitions and choose Delete partition, then select Disk 0 Unallocated Space. Leave other disks alone, and cancel if you can’t tell which disk holds Windows.

8. Select Next, then Install on the Ready to install screen. Windows installs and restarts into setup.

Older Windows 11 installation media shows Install now and Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) instead of the newer setup screens. The choices work the same way.

You don’t need to turn off Secure Boot or TPM to install from Microsoft’s own media. If the PC won’t start from the USB drive, check the boot order in your PC maker’s firmware settings and change only that.

If setup can’t see your drive, the PC may need a storage driver from the PC maker’s support website, which you can load from a second USB drive.

Setup installed Home when you paid for Pro? You can install Windows 11 Pro to switch editions.

Setup then asks for a Microsoft account. If you would rather use a local account, read whether you can skip the Microsoft account sign-in first.

After setup, check whether device encryption is on and back up the key with the steps to turn on BitLocker in Windows 11.

Wipe From the USB Drive Without Restarting

If Windows still runs, you can start setup from inside it. Microsoft calls this an in-place upgrade:

1. With the USB drive plugged in, open File Explorer and open the drive.
2. Double-click setup.exe and select Yes to allow changes.
3. Select Change what to keep, choose Keep nothing, and select Next.
4. Select Install. The PC restarts several times.

Keep nothing removes your files, apps, and settings. The other two choices, Keep personal files and apps and Keep personal files only, repair Windows without a full wipe.

Troubleshooting

• “There was a problem resetting your PC”: try the reset again with the other source (Cloud download instead of Local reinstall, or the reverse). If it still fails, use the USB clean install.
• The screen stays black during a reset: this can last more than 15 minutes. Wait it out rather than turning the PC off.
• Windows asks for a BitLocker recovery key: match the key ID on screen with the one saved in your Microsoft account. Without the key, you can’t unlock the drive’s data, but a clean install that deletes the partitions will still work.
• Windows isn’t activated after setup: connect to the internet, sign in with the Microsoft account linked to your license, and check that you installed the same edition. After a major hardware change, such as a new motherboard, you may need the Activation troubleshooter.
• The PC keeps starting from the USB drive: remove the USB drive when setup restarts the PC for the first time.

After You Reinstall

• Connect to the internet and sign in with your Microsoft account so Windows can activate. If it doesn’t, follow the steps for activating Windows 11.
• Install updates from Windows Update, including optional driver updates. Get any missing drivers from your PC maker’s support site.
• Restore your files from your backup and reinstall your apps.
• If you’re giving the PC away, stop at the first setup screen and turn it off, so the new owner can set it up with their own account. Then remove the PC from the device list in your Microsoft account.

Frequently Asked Questions