How to Reinstall Windows 11

The quickest way to reinstall Windows 11 without losing anything is Settings > System > Recovery, then Reinstall now under Fix problems using Windows Update. It downloads a fresh copy of your current Windows version and keeps your apps, files and settings. If that option is missing or doesn’t fix the problem, use Reset this PC on the same page (it removes your apps), run setup.exe from a Windows 11 ISO for a repair install that keeps your apps, or do a clean install from a USB drive when you want to erase everything.

Applies to: Windows 11 Home and Pro, including version 26H2 (the Windows 11 2026 Update). Menu names below match Microsoft’s current support pages for reinstalling the current version of Windows and reinstalling with installation media.

Pick the right way to reinstall

All four routes give you a fresh copy of Windows 11. They differ in what survives and in what you need on hand.

Method	Files	Apps and settings	Needs	Best for
1. Fix problems using Windows Update	Kept	Kept	Internet, a working desktop	Crashes, broken features, updates that keep failing
2. Reset this PC	Kept or removed (your choice)	Removed	Nothing extra (internet for Cloud download)	Deeper problems, a PC that won’t reach the desktop, selling the PC
3. Repair install from the ISO	Kept (unless you choose otherwise)	Kept (unless you choose otherwise)	The Windows 11 ISO and plenty of free disk space	When Method 1 is missing or didn’t help but you want to keep your apps
4. Clean install from USB	Erased	Erased	A USB drive of 8 GB or larger, a second working PC if this one won’t start	Malware, a new drive, a truly fresh start

Work down the list. Each method is a bigger change than the one before it, so start with the gentlest one that fits your problem.

If your trouble started in the last few days, a rollback may be enough and is faster than any reinstall. Microsoft’s Recovery options in Windows page lists point-in-time restore (Windows 11, version 24H2 or later), System Restore and uninstalling a recent update, and it ranks Reset this PC as the most disruptive choice.

Before you reinstall

• Back up your files. Copy Documents, Desktop, Pictures and anything else you care about to OneDrive or an external drive, even if you pick an option that keeps files. A reinstall that fails halfway can leave the drive in a bad state. If you need a refresher, see how to back up Windows 11 to an external hard drive.
• List your apps and license keys. Reset this PC and a clean install remove desktop programs. Note what you use (Microsoft Office, Adobe apps, games launchers, printer software) and find their license keys or account sign-ins.
• Get your BitLocker recovery key. If device encryption or BitLocker is on, the recovery environment and the reset can ask for the 48-digit key. Sign in at aka.ms/myrecoverykey from another device, or see Microsoft’s Find your BitLocker recovery key page. On a work or school PC, the key is usually held by your organization.
• Check your edition and activation. Open Settings > System > Activation and confirm it says Windows is active. Note the edition (Home or Pro) under Settings > System > About. If you use a Microsoft account, make sure it’s signed in on the PC so your digital license is linked to it.
• Plug in and stay online. Connect a laptop to its charger and keep the PC on the internet for the whole process.

You don’t need a product key to reinstall on the same PC. According to Microsoft’s Activate Windows page, a PC with a digital license reactivates the same edition automatically once it’s online.

Method 1: Reinstall with Windows Update (keeps everything)

This option downloads a repair version of the last update your PC installed successfully and reinstalls Windows over itself. Your apps, files and settings stay put.

1. Select Start > Settings (or press Windows key + I), then select System > Recovery.
2. Under Fix problems using Windows Update, select Reinstall now.

3. In the window that opens, choose whether the PC should restart automatically 15 minutes after the installation finishes, then select OK.
4. Settings switches to the Windows Update page and shows the download and install progress. You can keep using the PC while it works.
5. Restart when the installation finishes (or let the automatic restart happen). The PC may restart more than once.

If you don’t see Reinstall now: the option needs Windows 11 version 22H2 or later with the February 2024 optional update or a newer update installed. Install pending updates under Settings > Windows Update and check again. It also doesn’t appear on PCs whose updates are managed by a work or school organization. Windows Update may offer the same Reinstall now button on its own after an update fails because of damaged system files.

Method 2: Reset this PC (keep or remove files)

Reset this PC reinstalls Windows from your own PC or from Microsoft’s servers. It always removes the apps you installed and returns settings to their defaults. You decide whether your personal files stay.

1. Open Settings > System > Recovery. Under Recovery options, select Reset PC next to Reset this PC. Nothing is erased yet.
2. Choose Keep my files to keep documents and photos but remove apps and settings, or Remove everything to erase files, apps and settings.
3. Choose how Windows is reinstalled:
   • Cloud download gets a fresh copy of Windows from Microsoft, including recent updates. Pick it when Windows files may be damaged. It needs a few gigabytes of downloads.
   • Local reinstall rebuilds Windows from files already on the PC. It’s quicker on a slow connection but can carry over the same damage you’re trying to fix and may lack recent updates.

4. On the Additional settings screen, select Change settings if you want to adjust options:
   • Restore preinstalled apps (Keep my files only) puts back the apps and settings your PC maker installed. Turn it off for a cleaner system.
   • Clean data (Remove everything only) wipes the drive so files are much harder to recover. Turn it on if you’re selling, donating or recycling the PC. It can add hours on a large hard drive.
5. Select Next. With Keep my files, you can open the list of apps that will be removed. Save or photograph it so you know what to reinstall.
6. Review the summary and select Reset.

The PC restarts several times. Microsoft notes the screen can stay black for a long time (sometimes more than 15 minutes). Don’t restart or switch off the PC during this, because interrupting a reset can make it fail. When it finishes, you’ll see the Windows setup screens (Remove everything) or the sign-in screen (Keep my files).

If Windows won’t start: you can run the same reset from the Windows Recovery Environment. On the sign-in screen, hold Shift while you select Power > Restart, or let Windows fail to start a couple of times in a row so it opens recovery on its own. Then choose Troubleshoot > Reset this PC. Have your BitLocker key ready, since recovery tools often ask for it.

The reset tool has more options than fit here, such as choosing which drives to clean. They’re covered step by step in how to reset Windows 11, and there’s a separate walkthrough for a factory reset from Command Prompt when the Settings app won’t open.

Method 3: Repair install from the Windows 11 ISO (keeps apps)

A repair install, also called an in-place upgrade, runs Windows Setup from inside your current Windows and replaces all the system files. Because you can keep your apps, it’s the best next step when Method 1 is missing or doesn’t solve the problem.

1. Go to Microsoft’s Download Windows 11 page. Under Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices, select Windows 11 (multi-edition ISO for x64 devices), select Confirm, choose the same language your PC uses, and select the 64-bit download. The download is several gigabytes, and the link expires after 24 hours. PCs with Arm processors need the separate Arm64 ISO that Microsoft links from the same page.
2. In File Explorer, right-click the downloaded ISO file and select Mount. A new drive letter appears, like a DVD drive.
3. Open that drive and double-click setup.exe. Select Yes if User Account Control asks for permission.
4. Follow the prompts and accept the license terms. Setup checks for updates, which can take a few minutes.
5. On the Ready to install screen, select Change what to keep and choose one option:
   • Keep personal files and apps keeps your files, apps and settings (the usual choice for a repair).
   • Keep personal files only keeps files and settings but removes all apps.
   • Keep nothing removes files, apps and settings.

6. Select Next, then Install. The PC restarts several times, and the progress screen tells you what stage it’s on.

If Keep personal files and apps is grayed out, the ISO probably doesn’t match your installed Windows. Common mismatches are a different language, a different edition family, or an older version than the one you’re running. Download the ISO again in your own language and make sure it’s the current release.

Method 4: Clean install from a USB drive (erases everything)

A clean install deletes everything on the system drive, including the manufacturer’s apps and recovery tools, and installs plain Windows 11. Microsoft calls it an advanced option. Do it only after your backup is done and you’re sure your Windows license is linked to your Microsoft account or you have a product key.

Create the installation drive

1. On any working Windows PC, go to the Download Windows 11 page and select Download Now under Create Windows 11 Installation Media.
2. Plug in a USB flash drive of at least 8 GB. Everything on it will be deleted.
3. Run the Media Creation Tool, accept the license terms, keep (or set) your language and edition, and choose USB flash drive. Select your drive and wait while the tool downloads Windows 11 and copies it over.

The Media Creation Tool works only for 64-bit (x64) PCs. For an Arm-based PC, use your PC maker’s recovery tools or the Arm64 ISO. More detail, including other ways to build the drive, is in making a bootable USB for Windows 11.

Install Windows 11 from the drive

1. Plug the USB drive into the PC you’re reinstalling and turn it on while pressing its boot menu key. It’s often F12, F11, F9 or Esc, depending on the maker. Choose the USB drive from the list. If the PC goes straight to Windows, follow the steps to boot from USB in Windows 11.
2. On Select language settings and Select keyboard settings, make your choices and select Next.
3. On Select setup option, choose Install Windows 11, check I agree everything will be deleted including files, apps, and settings, and select Next.
4. If a Product key screen appears, select I don’t have a product key when this PC ran an activated Windows 11 before. On Select Image, choose the same edition that was installed (Home or Pro). Many PCs skip this screen because the key is stored in the firmware.
5. Accept the license terms.
6. On Select location to install Windows 11, select each partition on Disk 0 and choose Delete Partition until only Disk 0 Unallocated Space is left. Select it and select Next. Leave any other disks alone, because deleting their partitions erases them too.

7. On Ready to install, select Install. The PC restarts several times. Remove the USB drive once setup moves on to the region and keyboard screens, so the PC doesn’t start the installer again.
8. Work through the setup screens and sign in with your Microsoft account so your digital license is applied.

Partition choices, local accounts and other setup decisions are covered in more depth in doing a clean install of Windows 11.

Check that the reinstall worked

1. Open Settings > System > About and confirm the edition and version under Windows specifications.
2. Open Settings > System > Activation. It should say Windows is active. If it doesn’t, give it a few minutes online, then see the activation fix below.
3. Run Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates and repeat until nothing is left. Optional driver updates are under Advanced options > Optional updates.
4. Open Device Manager (right-click Start) and look for devices with a yellow warning icon. Get missing graphics, chipset or Wi-Fi drivers from your PC or motherboard maker’s support site.
5. Copy your files back from your backup and reinstall your apps from the list you made.
6. Test the problem that sent you here. If it’s still there after a clean install, the cause is likely hardware or a driver rather than Windows itself.

There’s no undo button for a reinstall. If you used Method 1 or Method 3 and something is worse afterward, check Settings > System > Recovery for Go back, which is only offered for a short time after an upgrade and may not appear after a same-version repair. Otherwise, restore your files from backup.

Troubleshooting

“There was a problem resetting your PC”

Try again with Cloud download instead of Local reinstall. If it still fails, repair the system files from an administrator Terminal with DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth followed by sfc /scannow (see running an SFC scan in Windows 11), restart, and retry. If the reset tool keeps failing, switch to Method 3 or Method 4.

Reinstall now fails with an error

Free up disk space (a reinstall needs room for the download and the old files), disconnect extra USB devices, and try again. A repair install from the ISO uses a separate download and often succeeds when Windows Update can’t.

The PC won’t start from the USB drive

Make sure you picked the USB entry in the boot menu (some menus list it twice; choose the one marked UEFI). If the PC ignores it, change the boot order in the UEFI settings. Microsoft’s download page notes you may need to turn off Secure Boot temporarily on some PCs. Turn it back on after setup, since Windows 11 relies on it.

Windows isn’t activated after reinstalling

First check that you installed the same edition as before. A Home license won’t activate Pro. Then go to Settings > System > Activation, select Troubleshoot, and sign in with the Microsoft account that was linked to the PC. After a major hardware change, such as a new motherboard, choose the option for a recently changed device in the troubleshooter.

The PC asks for a BitLocker recovery key

Enter the 48-digit key from aka.ms/myrecoverykey. Match the key ID shown on screen to the one on the page if there are several. Without the key, you can’t unlock the drive or keep its files, though a clean install that deletes the partitions still works. Step-by-step help is in finding your BitLocker recovery key in Windows 11.

The reinstall seems stuck

Long pauses at a percentage or on a black screen are normal, especially with Clean data on a hard drive. Give it at least an hour or two before you consider forcing a restart, because cutting power in the middle can leave Windows unable to start. If you’re forced to stop it, start again with Method 4.

Frequently asked questions

Can I reinstall Windows 11 without a USB drive?

Yes. Fix problems using Windows Update, Reset this PC (Cloud download or Local reinstall) and the ISO repair install all run from inside Windows. Only a clean install on a PC that won’t start needs a USB drive made on another computer.

How long does reinstalling Windows 11 take?

Anywhere from about 30 minutes to several hours. A fast SSD and a quick internet connection put you at the short end, while Cloud download on a slow connection or Clean data on a large hard drive can take much longer. Updates and app reinstalls afterward add more time.

Will reinstalling remove viruses?

Remove everything and a clean install erase the infected files along with everything else. Options that keep your files can also keep malware hidden in them, so scan your backup with Microsoft Defender before you copy it back.

Will my PC maker’s apps come back?

Reset this PC with Restore preinstalled apps turned on brings back most of them. A repair install keeps them. A clean install from Microsoft’s media doesn’t include them, so download any utilities you want (such as a maker’s support app or touchpad software) from the maker’s website.

Can I reinstall Windows 11 on a PC that doesn’t meet the requirements?

If Windows 11 is already installed and running, Methods 1 and 2 generally work as usual. Media-based installs check the hardware, and Microsoft warns that unsupported PCs may have compatibility problems and may not get updates.

How do I get back to Windows 10 instead?

Go back works only within 10 days of upgrading. After that, you’d need a clean install of Windows 10, which reached end of support on October 14, 2025. See reinstalling Windows 10 from Windows 11 before you decide.

Next step

Start with Settings > System > Recovery > Reinstall now. It takes the least effort and keeps everything, and you can still move on to Reset this PC or a repair install if the problem comes back. If you’re reinstalling because you’re giving the PC away, follow the steps to wipe a Windows 11 PC before selling it instead.