Reset This PC: 'Keep My Files' vs 'Remove Everything', Honestly

Try the gentler fixes before you reset

A reset reinstalls Windows and removes programs, so treat it as a last resort. It fits a PC with a serious problem that keeps coming back, or several problems at once, after simpler fixes have not solved it. If the problem is new or narrow, try the gentler fixes first.

Work through the options in this order, and stop when the problem is gone. If trouble started after an update, see our page on uninstalling a bad update. Next try System Restore, then Startup Repair, and then Safe Mode to check whether Windows works in its basic state.

In that case, focus on saving your files first, and follow the linked recovery pages for a PC that will not start. Come back to this page only if your files are safe and the gentler fixes above have already failed.

What each option keeps and removes, side by side

Here is the whole choice in one place. Read down each column before you pick either option, because the names sound gentler than what actually happens. One option keeps your personal files in place. The other removes them. Pay close attention to the rows where the two columns match, since those losses apply whichever option you choose.

The rows that match often surprise people. Both options remove every program you installed yourself, such as Microsoft Office, a photo editor, or a game, and both remove drivers you added. Both also undo changes you made to Windows settings and put those settings back to their defaults. Windows itself is reinstalled in both cases, not left as it is.

The only row that differs is personal files, meaning documents, photos, music, videos, and other files stored in your user folders. 'Keep my files' leaves those files where they are. 'Remove everything' removes them, along with the programs and the changed settings. After that option, you get a freshly reinstalled copy of Windows with none of your personal files left on the PC.

So the short answer is simple. If keeping documents and photos on the PC is the point, choose 'Keep my files'. If you want those files gone from the PC as well, 'Remove everything' is the option that does that.

The fine print on 'Keep my files'

'Personal files' has a narrower meaning than many people expect. Windows looks in the standard folders for your account, such as Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos, and Desktop. A tax return in Documents or photos in Pictures should stay in place. A file saved somewhere unusual, such as a folder you made on the main drive or inside a program's folder, may not be kept. Check unusual locations before you start.

Every program you installed is removed, even if its files stay. That includes Microsoft 365, printer software, games, photo editors, and any small tools you added over the years. None of them carries over through the reset. Before you start, write down how you will install each one again, and find the sign-in details and product keys you will need for paid programs. Keep that list handy.

After the reset, Windows puts a file on the Desktop called Removed Apps. Open it and you will see a list of the programs that were taken off, which helps you work through reinstalling them one by one. Treat it as a reminder only. It cannot put any program back, and it is not a copy of the programs it lists. Keep it until setup is done.

Settings you changed are put back to their defaults, so the work does not end when Windows restarts. Plan time to set up your display, default browser, sounds, and accessibility choices again, and to sign back in to programs once they are reinstalled. Go in expecting an afternoon of setup, and the result will feel less like a surprise. Write down choices you care about first.

The fine print on 'Remove everything'

'Remove everything' fits two situations. Choose it if the PC is being sold, given away, or recycled and should leave with none of your files on it. It also fits a true fresh start on your own PC, after the gentler repairs have failed and you want Windows put back with your files and settings gone and nothing carried over from the old setup.

Watch the drives question. Reset may ask whether to remove files only from the Windows drive or from all drives. 'All drives' can include a second internal drive or a separate partition where you keep photos, documents, and downloads, so read the drive names and sizes on screen carefully and choose the Windows drive only unless erasing that extra drive is exactly what you meant to do.

If the PC is leaving your home, turn on the data cleaning setting when Windows offers it, rather than the faster choice that only removes files. Cleaning writes over the space where your files were, so the reset takes much longer, often hours. In return, old files are far harder for the next owner to recover with recovery software.

Removing files and reinstalling Windows will not repair a failing drive, a bad battery, or other faulty hardware. If the PC was making new noises, shutting down, or failing the same way before, expect the problem to still be there afterward. That kind of fault needs a repair or a replacement part first.

Back up first, because neither option is a backup

Copy your Documents, Pictures, Desktop, and Downloads folders to an external drive or to OneDrive, and include anything you keep in other places too. Copy them instead of moving them, so the originals stay on the PC until you know the copy is good. This can take a while if you have a lot of photos or videos, so let it finish without unplugging the drive.

Then check the copy before you go any further, starting with the photos, documents, and spreadsheets you would miss most. Open a few of those copied files from the drive or OneDrive and make sure each one opens normally. If a file will not open there, copy it again, because a folder name on the drive alone is not proof the copy works.

Save what you will need after Windows is reinstalled, including your Microsoft account password. Gather product keys, installers, and license details for the programs you use, and keep that list with your backup, away from the PC being reset. If your browser sign ins are not synced to your account, export them or write down the ones you cannot afford to lose.

Check whether device encryption or BitLocker is on, and if it is, find the recovery key, often saved in your Microsoft account. Keep a copy of that key on paper or on another device, away from this PC, and never type the key into this site. When the backup is checked, unplug the external drive and set it aside so it cannot be picked or erased by mistake.

Start the reset and choose how Windows is reinstalled

Only start here if you have decided and your checked backup is done, as covered above. If that check is not done, stop and finish it first. Plug a laptop into power and keep it plugged in, because a reset can take a while and should not lose power.

Windows 11:

1. Open Settings, then System, then Recovery.
2. Select Reset PC.
3. Pick the option you chose earlier, then pick Cloud download or Local reinstall, as explained below.

Windows 10:

1. Open Settings, then Update and Security, then Recovery.
2. Under Reset this PC, select Get started.
3. Pick the option you chose earlier, then pick Cloud download or Local reinstall, as explained below.

Cloud download needs an internet connection and downloads over 4 GB of fresh Windows files, so it can help if the files on the PC are damaged. Local reinstall uses files already on the PC, needs no download, and can fail if those files are damaged.

On the final summary screen, read what will be removed before you confirm. If anything on that screen is a surprise, cancel and check again. Select Reset only when the summary matches what you expect, then let the PC restart and finish without turning it off.

After Windows starts again, run Windows Update and restart if it asks. If you kept your files, open the Removed Apps list on the Desktop. Reinstall programs one at a time from the maker or Microsoft only, never from driver updater tools.

Frequently asked questions

Can I stop or undo a reset once it has started?

No. Treat the reset as one way once it starts, and do not turn the PC off while it runs. Keep a laptop plugged in and let Windows finish. Your checked backup is the only safe way to recover files after a wrong choice.

How long does Reset this PC take?

There is no fixed time. Drive speed and the Cloud download or Local reinstall choice change it, and data cleaning can take hours. Start only when you can leave the PC plugged in and unused until Windows setup appears.