Resetting a laptop to factory settings in Windows

Written on 17 September 2026

A laptop that feels slow, is full of software you never use, or is going to a new owner: in all three cases a reset to factory settings is the answer. Windows has that function built in, so you need no installation media or extra software.

In this article I walk through the steps for Windows 10 and Windows 11, explain the difference between the two options, and you read what is additionally needed if you are going to sell the laptop.

Reasons to reset your laptop to factory settings

The most common reason is seeing a laptop get slower. Years of installed programs, background processes and startup items pile up, and resetting your laptop to factory settings clears that in one go.

A second reason is a stubborn problem you cannot track down. If Windows keeps crashing or a component no longer works after an update, resetting is quicker than searching on.

The third reason is handover. If you sell the laptop, give it away or trade it in, your personal data has to come off before it leaves the house.

What should you secure first?

Make a backup of your important files, even if you intend to keep them. A reset that gets stuck halfway leaves you without a safety net.

Put your documents, photos and downloads on an external hard drive, a USB stick or in the cloud. OneDrive and Google Drive do that automatically if you already use them, but check that the synchronisation really is finished.

Also note down your licences and passwords. Programs you have to reinstall ask for their key, and after the reset that is no longer on the laptop.

How to tackle that transfer in practice is in transferring files to a new laptop.

Resetting your laptop in Windows 11, step by step

1. Open Settings with the Windows key and I.
2. Go to System and then to Recovery.
3. Under Reset this PC, click Reset PC.
4. Choose Keep my files or Remove everything.
5. Choose Cloud download or Local reinstall.
6. Check the summary and confirm with Reset.

Make sure the laptop is on mains power. If it cuts out halfway through on an empty battery, Windows can end up in a state you only get out of with installation media.

Resetting in Windows 10, step by step

The function is the same, it just sits somewhere else. Windows 10 groups recovery under the update settings instead of under System.

1. Open Settings and go to Update and Security.
2. Click Recovery on the left.
3. Under Reset this PC choose Get started.
4. Make the same choices as above and confirm.

If you are still on Windows 10, bear in mind that regular support stopped on 14 October 2025. A reset makes the laptop clean, and updates no longer come afterwards. What your options are is in continuing to use Windows 10.

Keep your files or erase everything?

With Keep my files, Windows removes the programs and the settings and leaves the contents of your personal folders alone. That is the choice if you keep using the laptop yourself and only want to clean up.

With Remove everything the drive is emptied completely and everything is erased. That is what you want when selling, trading in or giving away.

With that second option you can have the drive cleaned. Windows then overwrites the free space, so deleted personal files are much harder to recover. It takes considerably more time and is worth it on handover.

Cloud download or local reinstall?

Local reinstall uses the copy of Windows already on your laptop. That is faster and works without internet.

Cloud download fetches a fresh copy from Microsoft. That takes longer and costs data, and it is the better choice if you suspect the local recovery files are damaged.

If in doubt, start locally. If that fails, Cloud download is your second chance.

What extra do you do before selling or trading in?

First sign out of your Microsoft account and unlink the laptop from your account. If that link stays, the new owner runs into a locked device.

Switch off BitLocker if your drive is encrypted, or note down your recovery key. An encrypted drive that is reset without the key causes problems when putting it back into use.

Then choose Remove everything with the drive cleaning. If you are going to trade the laptop in, also read what your old laptop is still worth.

How does that work with a refurbished or second-hand laptop?

A refurbished laptop should arrive reset to factory settings, with a fresh Windows installation and no remnants of the previous owner. That is exactly where the difference sits between a second-hand device from a private seller and a properly overhauled one.

If you do come across a BIOS password, a domain link or an administrator profile, the device has not been properly prepared. A reset through Windows does not remove a BIOS password.

With us every device goes through an inspection before it leaves, including a clean installation.

What if the reset gets stuck?

A reset that stops halfway is annoying but rarely fatal. On the next start Windows usually tries to recover automatically to the previous state.

If that does not happen and you end up in a recovery screen, choose Advanced options and try Startup Repair. That solves a fair share of cases without you losing anything else.

If the system keeps hanging, installation media is the way out. With an 8 GB USB stick and the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft you make a bootable stick on another computer, with which you reinstall Windows.

This is exactly where your backup pays off. A fresh installation means an empty drive, and the files you set aside beforehand are then the only ones you still have.

If you are unsure whether it is the software or the hardware, pay attention to noises and behaviour during start-up. A disk that clicks or a laptop that cuts out halfway points to something other than a failed reset.

In brief

You reset a laptop to factory settings through Settings, System, Recovery in Windows 11, or through Update and Security in Windows 10. Choose Keep my files to only clean up, and Remove everything with the drive cleaning if the laptop is leaving the house. Always make a backup beforehand on an external hard drive or in the cloud, keep the laptop on mains power, and sign out of your Microsoft account on handover. A BIOS password does not disappear with this; that is a separate matter.

Why refurbished at DSL Tech?

Every laptop at DSL Tech is checked on more than 30 points and comes with a 2-year warranty. Customers rate us 9.0 on average, you pay securely by iDEAL or in three instalments with in3, and order before 12:00 and your laptop arrives tomorrow.

This article is part of our complete guide buying a refurbished laptop, with grades, warranty, the right specs and the brands set out side by side.

Sources

• Microsoft Support: recovery options in Windows
• Microsoft Learn: resetting Windows to factory settings
• Microsoft Support: finding your BitLocker recovery key