There are many reasons why you may need to reinstall Windows 11. Perhaps you’re experiencing performance issues, or your computer has malware you can’t get rid of. Maybe you want to start fresh and restore your system to its default settings.
Reinstalling Windows 11 doesn’t mean you have to lose your data – you are given the option to keep it or not. However, we recommend a backup of any important files before going through the process. This guide shows you the different methods of reinstalling Windows 11.
Reinstall Windows 11 using Reset PC
If you want to reinstall Windows 11, the easiest way is to use the Reset PC feature.
- Go to Settings.
Open the Settings app. - Navigate to System > Recovery.
Select System > Recovery. - Next to the Reset this PC section, click Reset PC.
Click Reset PC. - Two options will appear: Keep my files and Remove everything. Select the option you prefer.
Keep my files: Removes apps and settings but keeps your data.
Remove everything: Removes all of your files, apps, and settings.
Two options: Keep my files and Remove everything. - Another two options will appear:
Cloud download: Windows will download the Windows 11 original files from Microsoft’s servers and then reinstall them. Your computer must be connected to the Internet for this option to work as it will use more than 4GB of data.
Local reinstall: Windows will use the files already on your computer to reinstall Windows 11.
Two options: Cloud download and Local reinstall. - Click Next.
Click Next. - Press Reset.
Press Reset. - After the process is finished, Windows 11 will be reinstalled on your computer.
Reinstall Windows 11 using an ISO File
An ISO file is simply a disc image of a CD or DVD. It contains all the data normally on a disc but is stored electronically. You can “mount” ISO files on your computer to behave like discs.
- Download the Windows 11 ISO file from Microsoft.
Download the Windows 11 ISO file. - Double-click the ISO file to mount it as a virtual drive.
Double-click the ISO file. - Open the setup file inside the virtual drive.
Open the setup file. - In the Windows 11 Setup window, click Next.
Click Next. - In the next window, click Change what to keep.
Click the Change what to keep button. - Three options will appear: Keep personal files and apps, Keep personal files only, and Nothing. Each option has a description. Read them carefully and select the one you want.
Select the option you want. - Click Next.
Press Next. - Windows 11 will start installing on your computer.
Windows 11 will start installing.
Reinstall Windows 11 from a USB
You can also do a clean Windows 11 install from a USB. We’ll use Rufus, a free, open-source program for formatting and creating bootable USB drives. This approach will allow us to burn the Windows 11 disk image to a USB flash drive. All you need is a Windows 11 ISO file and a USB with at least 4GB of storage.
We have a detailed guide showing you how to install Windows 11 from a USB. However, you can also follow these steps for a shorter version:
- Download the Windows 11 ISO file from Microsoft.
Download the Windows 11 ISO file. - Download Rufus from its official website.
Download Rufus. - Connect the USB to your computer and burn the ISO file to the USB.
Burn the ISO file to the USB. - Restart your computer and boot from the USB.
Select your USB drive from the boot menu. - Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows 11.
Back in 1966 when I was born, technology as we know it today was drastically different. In my lifetime, I witnessed the word of computing change from the giant ENIAC machine, to the supercomputers of today.
Since a young age, I have been obsessed with technology, and it was only natural that I continued my career path to study computer science. I graduated from NYU Computer Science in 1990.
I went on to work for IBM as a software engineer where our team pioneered a what would later become IBM Cloud. From 2001, I worked as an IT recruiter for one of the top tech firms.