Forum Discussion
Philipess
Jul 10, 2026Iron Contributor
Does factory reset remove everything from PC on Windows 11?
I plan to trade in my PC and want to know if factory reset removes everything from my Windows 11 PC. Some people says the factory reset is not safe enough so I am a bit worried about this. P.S. How ...
PhoenixAdler
Jul 10, 2026Iron Contributor
Windows Reset this PC with Clean the drive option is a native system recovery function that you can reference to answer Does factory reset remove everything PC, and the deep cleaning toggle improves standard reset effects to offer a Windows built-in method to check Does factory reset remove everything PC. It deletes all user files and system partitions on the internal disk, yet it cannot fully eliminate recoverable data traces like firmware-level secure erase tools.
Steps
- If you cannot boot from the USB installation media, go to Settings → System → Recovery.
- Click the Reset this PC button to launch the Reset Wizard.
- Select the Remove everything option to delete all personal data.
- Select Change settings and set the Clean up the drive option to On.
- Confirm all settings,
- then click Reset to begin the wipe and reset process.
Disadvantages
- The cleanup process takes 1 to 3 hours, which is quite time-consuming.
- It cannot completely erase data from encrypted storage devices or older mechanical hard drives.
- The system must boot normally to access the recovery settings.
Windows' built-in deep reset feature deletes most visible files on your computer; the entire process takes 1 to 3 hours to complete.
ps
- Before performing a reset, back up all important files to an external hard drive or cloud storage.
- Do not disconnect the power during the lengthy cleanup process, as this may cause system damage.
- Enable the “Clean Disk” option; if it is not enabled, almost all data can be recovered after a standard reset.