Hold the Shift key while clicking the Restart option.

You can do this by restarting or by pressing the Windows key + L.

The drive will be renamed “RECOVERY” when done.

Select your USB drive from the list, and then click Next.

Check the box next to “Back up system files to the recovery drive” and click Next.

Click the magnifying glass in your taskbar and search for “Create a recovery drive.”.

You will need to format this drive to exFAT in order to reset your computer.

Right-click the drive and select Format.

Open File Explorer and navigate to “This PC.”.

The steps below will show you how to reset Windows 10 to its factory settings using a thumb drive. How to Factory Reset a Windows 10 Computer Using a USB Recovery Drive This option only matters to people who have more than one drive on their computer. Under the data drives option, you can choose between erasing the drive that Windows is installed on, or all the drives on your computer.

Remove files and clean the drive – this will take a few hours but is recommended if you’re selling your computer.

Just remove my files – this is a faster method and is less secure.

Under the data erasure option, you can choose between two ways that your computer will handle your files:

Click change settings to choose what data to erase and which drives to erase.

Choose “Remove Everything” from the pop-up window.

Under Reset this PC, click Get started.

Under Settings, select Update & Security.

How to Factory Reset Windows 10 Using Settings Warning: Before you conduct a total restore, be sure to backup your personal files. No matter your reason, it’s important to follow the proper steps.

Or maybe your computer is no longer working as smoothly as it used to, and you want to make it work like new. Perhaps you’re selling an old computer, and you don’t want the new owner to have access to your files.

There are many reasons to learn how to factory reset a Windows 10 computer.

Return to default settings windows 10