
The “Remove everything” option completely removes all personal files, settings, and apps. You can keep your files and important folders from getting wiped, which will be there when Windows is reinstalled. This process takes much shorter than the “Remove everything” opportunity because the computer doesn’t delete everything on your disk and its partitions. The “Keep my files” option removes all apps and settings but keeps personal files. Factory resetting your PC also gives you two choices: “Keep my files” and “Remove everything. There have been cases where a PC reset took a whole day on extremely slow computers. Like what storage device you’re using, how much data is on your PC, and how many files you want to keep from getting wiped out.

Resetting a PC could take 30 minutes up to 3 hours however, it also depends on many factors. How Long Does It Take To Factory Reset a PC?

Note: The data erasure functionality targets consumers and does not meet government and industry data erasure standards.

It can take some time (Microsoft mentions up to a couple of hours), but it makes it harder for other people to recover files you've removed. If you're planning to donate, recycle, or sell your PC, use this option. Data erasure > On removes files and cleans the drive.Remove everything > Change settings gives you two options: Removes personal files after Windows 11 reinstallĪpps installed by the PC manufacturer are removed
