Restore your Windows 10 PC to factory settings with a single command (and without losing your files)

Reasons to restore your PC to factory settings

So when should you resort to factory resetting a PC? Here are some good reasons:

• When the operation is very slow and we have already tried, without success, other solutions (defragment disk, remove unnecessary programs, clean temporary files, etc.).
• If you experience constant software problems such as frozen screens or sudden reboots for no apparent reason.
• In cases of virus and malware infections, which persist despite using antivirus tools.
• If we are going to give or sell the PC, or we want to give it a different use. In these cases, it is best to start from scratch, so that our personal data and files are not accessible to third parties.

In any case, before starting to restore the PC to its original factory settings, it is always advisable to make a backup of our most important files, as these can be lost during the process.

Restore your PC to factory settings with Windows 10, step by step

As we indicated at the beginning of the post, you can restore your Windows 10 PC to its factory state by using a single command. And without the risk of losing your files. The key is to use the “Reset this PC” function, which is integrated by default in the system itself.

Thanks to this process, it is possible to clean the operating system completely while keeping our personal files intact. Here is how to do it:

1. To start, we use the key combination Windows + R to open the start menu dialog box.
2. In it, we write the following command: systemreset -cleanpcy and press the Enter key.*
3. In the new window that opens, select the option "Keep my files", as shown in the image above. This is essential to keep all our personal files (documents, photos and others) safe from being deleted.
4. Windows then shows us a new window with the list of all applications to be removed. To confirm, we click on "Next".
5. The last step is to press the button "Confirm" to start the reset process, which may take more or less time depending on the speed of the equipment.

(*) It is very likely that at this point the system will ask us Administrator privilegesIf so, simply click “Accept” and continue with the process as normal.

Is it advisable to use the factory reset feature?

We use the expression "factory values" because cWith this process the PC returns to an original state similar to the one it was in when it was first put on sale. We have already explained in the previous sections how this can be a very useful resource in certain circumstances, when it seems that we are at a dead end, unable to solve the problems that affect our team.

However, there are some things we should keep in mind before taking this action, beyond the aforementioned risk of losing files and personal data.

One of the aspects that must be considered is the work that the fact of having to reinstall and reconfigure all applications that we used before the restoration. It is a tedious task that can take quite a while, especially if we are talking about specialized software.

Another of the inconveniences that we are going to have to face is the need to Download and reinstall all Windows updates, as well as your drivers. And when you return the PC to its original values, these will have been lost. The same can be said of the custom system settings (shortcuts, network settings, saved passwords, preferences…) All of them will disappear during the restoration process

But that's not the worst of it. Although it's not the norm, it does happen sometimes that when restoring a PC and returning it to its initial "factory" state the problems we intended to solve persistThis happens when we are faced with certain hardware problems, such as damaged hard drives. In such cases, there is no other option but to seek help from technical support.