Can I reset my PC without losing everything?

Yes, it is possible to reset your PC without losing everything by using the built-in Windows 10 settings or Windows 10 ISO image file. These allow you to reinstall Windows while keeping your personal files. If you want to know how to reset Windows 10 without losing data, please keep reading!

Additionally, to completely keep your data safe, an easy and free way to backup your Windows 10 computer before reset is offered.

What does reset Windows 10 do?

Resetting Windows 10 allows you to restore your computer's operating system to its original state, similar to a clean installation, while preserving your personal files and some settings. This can be useful in various situations. For example, your computer is running slow, your computer has software problems, or you want to prepare it for sale.

Read the ways below to solve how to reset Windows 10 without losing files and apps!

How to reset Windows 10 without losing data: 3 ways

Indeed, Windows 10 offers several options for resetting or reinstalling the operating system, each with its own implications for personal data and applications. It's crucial to choose the right method to avoid unnecessary data loss. Here are three ways to solve how to reset without losing data on Windows 10, each with its own set of steps.

Way 1: Using the reset option in Windows 10 to reset PC

Using the reset option is a quick way to reset your Windows. However, you have to notice that the Reset this PC feature in Windows allows you to retain personal files while removing installed applications and programs. So if you want to keep your apps, drivers, and programs during a Windows reset, it's essential to use backup software to save your data before resetting.

Step 1: Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery, and click Get started under Reset this PC.

Step 2: In the pop-out window, there are two options - Keep my files and Remove everything > click Keep my files.

Step 3: Click Local reinstall. In some cases, if you encounter difficulties or errors by clicking Local reinstall, you have the option to use Cloud download and you need to have an available internet environment.

Step 4: Hit Change settings under Additional settings.

Step 5: Turn on the switch under Restore preinstall apps > hit Confirm > click Next.

Step 6: (Optional) Click View apps that will be removed and then click Back. You can view apps that will be removed after resetting the computer, and you will need to reinstall these apps. 

Step 7: Hitting the Reset button will start the resetting process. You should know that the resetting process will not be able to interrupt and do not force to stop the resetting process.

Way 2: Using the advanced startup option in Windows to reset the PC

This is another Windows built-in method to solve how to reset Windows 10 without losing files. Keep reading to get more details!

Step 1: Go to Type here to search in the taskbar and input Change advanced startup options > click Open.

Step 2: Click Restart now next to Advanced startup and then the system will restart and enter WinRE.

Step 3: Click Troubleshoot when you enter WinRE > hit Reset this PC > select Keep my files and click Next > click Reset and follow the prompts to continue finishing the resetting process.

Way 3: Resetting Windows 10 without losing data using ISO image file

Using an ISO image file is another method to reinstall Windows 10 while keeping your files, provided your computer is bootable. And you need to use the media creation tool to create an ISO file for Windows 10 before resetting. Here are the general steps to solve how to reset Windows 10 without losing data via ISO image file:

Step 1: Locate the ISO file > right-click the file > select Mount.

Step 2: Run the setup by double-clicking the Setup.exe file.

Step 3: Choose the option either Download and install updates (recommended) or Not right now based on your internet connectivity > click Next.

Step 4: Accept the applicable notices and license terms > click Install in the pop-out Ready to install window.

Useful Tip: Backup Windows 10 files to keep your data safe

When you want to know how to restore Windows 10 without losing data, like personal files, apps, media and so on, CBackup can be a good helper. This free cloud backup service allows you to backup your data from computer to clouds like OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, CBackup Cloud and so on. After you have reset your Windows, you can restore backup from cloud to PC without losing anything.

CBackup offers you 5GB of free CBackup Cloud space to backup your data.

 It can help you to expand your cloud storage space for free by combining multiple public cloud accounts. If you have enough cloud accounts, you can easily get unlimited cloud storage.  

In addition to backing up from PC to cloud, it also can backup files between clouds, like backing up OneDrive to Dropbox, Google Drive and so on.

With the unique functions, like Scheduler, it can backup your data at the appointed time; and like File Filter, you can backup what you need using file extensions.   

Let's see how to use CBackup to backup and restore your data. Here I give an example of OneDrive.

Step 1: Download and install the CBackup application and then create an account and log in with your account.

Step 2: In the left pane, select Storage > click OneDrive > hit Authorize Now. And then follow prompts to complete authorization.

Step 3: Click Backup button and hit Backup PC to Public Cloud.

Step 4: Select files, folders, or whole hard disks to backup, like backing up C drive to OneDrive > choose OneDrive as your destination > click Start Backup.

After resetting your Windows, you can restore your data from OneDrive to PC via CBackup with ease. Let’s see how to restore OneDrive files to PC.

Step 1: Open CBackup and find Tasks on the left pane > find your Windows 10 backup files > click the three-dot icon of the backup task > hit Restore.

Step 2: Select data you want to restore to your PC and decide the restore destination > hit Start Restore at the bottom.

Conclusion

The post is about how to reset Windows 10 without losing data. It's easy to find the answer to solve the problem, but it does not address all issues, like data loss problems. As you can see, CBackup is really an efficient software to backup your data to avoid losing data and you can easily restore backups from cloud to PC. It is worth a try!