How to reset windows 8 to factory

How To Reset Windows 8 To Factory Settings

Last Updated on April 7, 2020 by admin 10 Comments

Windows 8 has been packed with two fantastic features to restore your Windows PC to its original state in a few minutes. Reset your PC and Refresh your PC are the two features that help you save your PC and time when you have issues with your Windows or when you want to give away your PC to another person.

While Refresh your PC option lets you refresh your PC by retaining your documents, personal settings, accounts, applications, the advanced Reset your PC restores your PC to its original state by removing all documents, files, settings, accounts, and installed applications.

In this guide, let’s see how to use Reset your PC feature to reset Windows 8 PC to its original state. To begin the procedure, you must have your Windows 8 installation media.

Reset Windows 8 to default settings

WARNING: All your documents, pictures, settings, accounts and any other data on your Windows 8 drive will be deleted while performing Reset PC.

Step 1: Begin the procedure by inserting your Windows 8 DVD into the optical drive. If you have an ISO file, simply mount it to use as installation media (see how to mount ISO file in Windows 8).

Step 2: Open Metro Control Panel by going to the Start screen and then clicking on the Metro Control Panel tile. In the left pane of Control Panel, click on General to see Restore your PC and Reset your PC options on the right side.

Step 3: Click on Get started button just below the Reset your PC.

Step 4: In the following screen, you will see a message stating that “Your personal files and apps will be removed and Your PC settings will be restored to their defaults” message. Simply click on Next button to continue.

Step 5: In the next screen, Windows will ask “Do you want to remove all files from all drives”. As we don’t want to delete all files from drives (partitions) other than Windows drive, select the option named Only the drive where Windows is installed. You can click on Show me the list of drives that will be affected to view all drives that will be affected if you click All drives option.

So, once again, if you just want to reset your Windows 8 to original settings, click the first option named Only the drive where Windows is installed.

Step 6: You are one click away from resetting your PC to the original state. In this screen, you will see “This will permanently remove your personal files and apps from your PC and restore all settings to their defaults. Your PC will restart. This will take a few minutes” message.

Click Reset button to automatically reboot your PC.

Step 7: Windows will reboot and you will see screens with ”Preparing your PC” and “Resetting your PC” messages. Within the next few minutes all your documents, apps, and other settings will be removed to restore your Windows 8 its original state.

Step 8: Once done, you will be offered a screen to enter your product key. Enter your Windows 8 product key and click Next button to continue. If you are on Windows 8 Developer Preview build, you can choose skip button as Windows 8 DP doesn’t have a product key.

Step 9: Lastly, you will see license agreement screen where you need to tick the option named I accept the license terms for using Windows and click Accept button to boot into Windows 8.

Comments

I don’t know what the heck you have done with programmes but would like my old system back.Oldie.

Help seems to be a password. F2 stage asks for password. I don’t have disks or anything. It’s an Acer aspire notebook with Windows 8

Ok so i have a busted pc but i want to reset it is there a way to project the screen during reset

Yesterday I had to do a factory reset with a two weeks old Windows 8.1 where system files got corrupted. Windows then entered a broken Safe Mode boot loop, a black screen with the mouse pointer flashing. After trying several things I spent quite some time fighting with xcopy to copy the user profile because of settings, downloads and documents. Then I prepared for an ‘everything will be deleted’ message, but the install recommended to leave the partition as it was. The old Windows and old Users were going to be moved to a folder called Windows.old, and so it actually did.

Install went fine, so there had been no need earlier to copy everything to a safe place. Maybe this is new with Windows 8.1, or this is just how it goes if you boot from your DVD instead of using that desktop wizard in the screenshots. I didn’t see these screens and I wouldn’t use it in the future if something goes wrong again. Just boot from DVD, all files are safe.

I keep most of my data and installation files (including latest drivers) on a different partition. I also have a hardcopy of CD/product keys off-PC, and I always want genuine install media with my system. After a factory reset the first thing to install is the network driver, then (lengthy) all Windows Updates. When finished I install all the other drivers, make a restore point and then install all the software plus patches, if needed. For some titles it’s possible to copy related appdata from windows.old. For instance, I got Photoshop CS2 up and running again with all custom brushes and settings back. Chrome was OK too, just without the extensions. I do not use its built-in sync because that once replaced my bookmarks with older ones.

Anyway, if you’re fine with a complete reset of course you can start entirely from scratch.

Alexandre, it states right at the top “WARNING: All your documents, pictures, settings, accounts and any other data on your Windows 8 drive will be deleted while performing Reset PC.”
how did you miss that? Even Stevie Wonder could have seen that!

Lisa, check out the following link:
“https://www.intowindows.com/how-to-reset-or-refresh-windows-8-without-dvd/”

What if I don’t have a DVD drive in my laptop? NOt sure what an ISO file is.

i dont have general settings

hi, just wondering if I reset my windows 8 to factory settings will this delete my Microsoft office? and if so can I reinstall it with the same info?

I dont know what I did wrong but when I reset windows 8 format all my hard disc, I loose a lot data.

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How to refresh, reset, or restore your PC

Note: For information about this topic in Windows 10, see Recovery options in Windows 10.

If you’re having problems with your PC, you can:

Refresh your PC to reinstall Windows and keep your personal files and settings. Refresh also keeps the apps that came with your PC and the apps you installed from the Microsoft Store.

Reset your PC to reinstall Windows but delete your files, settings, and apps—except for the apps that came with your PC.

Restore your PC to undo recent system changes you’ve made.

If you’re having trouble starting (booting) your PC, seeWindows Startup Settings (including safe mode), and go to the “Get to Windows Startup Settings in the Windows Recovery Environment” section. You can refresh, reset, or restore your PC from the Windows Recovery Environment.

If you want to back up and restore your personal files using File History, seeSet up a drive for File History.

Before you start to refresh or reset your PC

In most cases, once you start to refresh or reset your PC, it’ll finish on its own. However, if Windows needs missing files, you’ll be asked to insert recovery media, which is typically on a DVD disc or thumb drive. If that happens, what you’ll need depends on your PC.

If your PC came with Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1, you’ll need the discs or thumb drive that came with your PC. Check the info that came with your PC to see if your PC manufacturer provided these discs or media. In some cases, you might have created them when you first set up your PC.

If you don’t have either of those, you can make them if you have a USB thumb drive of 16 GB or larger. Having a recovery drive can help you troubleshoot and fix problems with your PC, even if it won’t start. For more info, see Create a USB recovery drive.

If you upgraded your PC to Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1 with a DVD, use that disc. If you don’t have Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1 media, contact Microsoft Support.

Refresh, reset, or restore

Select any of the following for more detailed info.

If your PC isn’t performing as well as it once did, and you don’t know why, you can refresh your PC without deleting any of your personal files or changing your settings.

Note: If you upgraded your PC from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 and your PC has a Windows 8 recovery partition, refreshing your PC will restore Windows 8. You’ll need to upgrade to Windows 8.1 after the refresh has finished.

Warning: Apps you installed from websites and DVDs will be removed. Apps that came with your PC and apps you installed from Microsoft Store will be reinstalled. Windows puts a list of removed apps on your desktop after refreshing your PC.

To refresh your PC

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings.
(If you’re using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)

Tap or click Update and recovery, and then tap or click Recovery.

Under Refresh your PC without affecting your files, tap or click Get started.

Follow the instructions on the screen.

If you want to recycle your PC, give it away, or start over with it, you can reset it completely. This removes everything and reinstalls Windows.

Note: If you upgraded your PC from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 and your PC has a Windows 8 recovery partition, resetting your PC will restore Windows 8. You’ll need to upgrade to Windows 8.1 after the reset has finished.

Warning: All of your personal files will be deleted and your settings will be reset. All apps that you installed will be removed. Only apps that came with your PC will be reinstalled.

Tap or click Update and recovery, and then tap or click Recovery.

Under Remove everything and reinstall Windows, tap or click Get started.

Follow the instructions on the screen.

Note: You’ll be asked to choose whether you want to erase data quickly or thoroughly. If you choose to erase data quickly, some data might be recoverable using special software. If you choose to erase data thoroughly, this will take longer but it makes recovering data less likely.

If you think an app or driver that you recently installed caused problems with your PC, you can restore Windows back to an earlier point in time, called a restore point. System Restore doesn’t change your personal files, but it might remove recently installed apps and drivers.

System Restore isn’t available for Windows RT 8.1.

Windows automatically creates a restore point when you install desktop apps and new Windows updates, if the last restore point is older than 7 days. You can also create a restore point manually at any time.

To restore your PC to an earlier point in time

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search.
(If you’re using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and then click Search.)

Enter Control Panel in the search box, and tap or click Control Panel.

Enter Recovery in the Control Panel search box, and then tap or click Recovery.

Tap or click Open System Restore, and then follow the instructions.

If you need additional help refreshing, resetting, or restoring your PC, check out the Repair and Recovery community pages in the Windows forum for solutions that other people have found for problems they’ve experienced.

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4 Ways to Factory Reset Your Windows Computer

Want to know how to factory reset a PC? Here are the best methods to reset a Windows computer.

Factory resets are the nuclear solution for many Windows issues. If your computer is far slower than it once was, you have a malware infection that won’t go away or plan to sell your machine, a factory reset is the most convenient solution.

Depending on your setup and installed version of Windows, you have a few different ways to factory reset a Windows laptop or desktop. We’ll show you how to reset a Windows 10, 8, or 7 computer as easily as possible.

Before a Factory Reset, Make Sure You Back Up!

Before we look at how to reset Windows, you should ensure you have a recent backup of your files. Performing a factory reset will wipe out all your installed programs and files, so you don’t want to leave anything behind.

Check out our ultimate Windows 10 backup guide for all the available methods.

We’ve summarized every backup, restore, recovery, and repair option we could find on Windows 10. Use our simple tips and never despair over lost data again!

1. How to Factory Reset Windows 10 Using the Built-In Method

Factory resetting Windows was once an inconvenient process, but Microsoft introduced a much easier way to do so in Windows 8. It’s also included in Windows 10 and is the best way to factory reset a computer for most people.

To access it, head to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery. You’ll see a Reset this PC header; click the Get started button underneath this.

Keep Your Files or Remove Everything?

You’ll have two options to choose from when you reset Windows 10 this way: Keep my files or Remove everything.

The first option sets your options back to default and removes all your installed apps (like browsers, Microsoft Office, and games), but keeps your data. True to its name, Remove everything is a factory reset: it brings all options back to factory defaults and removes your files and apps.

Though the Keep my files option will retain your data, you should still back up before using it in case something goes wrong.

Options When Resetting

If you picked Remove everything, Windows will display some Additional settings for you to review. By default, the process will remove your files, but doesn’t securely erase them. It also only clears data from the drive where you have Windows installed.

Select Change settings to adjust these options. If you enable Data erasure, Windows will obliterate everything on the drive to reduce the chances of data recovery. Though this process takes some time, you should use it if you’re getting rid of your computer. It’s not necessary otherwise.

Finally, enable Data drives to erase everything on all drives you have connected to your computer. This includes external hard drives and recovery drives. Because you probably have backups and files on those drives, you shouldn’t use this unless you want to permanently erase everything associated with your computer.

Otherwise, if you picked Keep my files, you’ll see a summary of what Windows is about to do. Click the List of apps to be removed link to see what apps it will uninstall.

Starting with the Windows 10 20H1 update, Microsoft will offer a Cloud download option at this point. This lets you reset Windows 10 by downloading a fresh copy from the internet, which could come in handy if your current installation is corrupted or you have a fast network connection.

Finally, confirm the operation by clicking Reset and wait for the process to complete. If you’re factory resetting a laptop, make sure you plug it in to avoid losing power during the operation. You’ll need to walk through the setup procedure once it’s done—make sure you take the right steps after installing Windows 10 too.

2. Factory Reset Windows 10 Using the «Fresh Start» Option

In a past update to Windows 10, Microsoft added a new way to factory reset your computer. It’s similar to the above, but has a few small differences that make it worth a look.

On the Settings > Update & Security > Recovery page, click the link text Learn how to start fresh with a clean installation of Windows at the bottom. This will open a Windows Security window to the Fresh start option. Click Get started to proceed.

Compared to the above reset option, Fresh Start has the following differences:

Fresh Start always keeps your personal files, with no option to remove them like above.
Fresh Start downloads the latest version of Windows 10, while the standard reset option uses the recovery information on your hard drive. This is provided by your PC manufacturer, or in the protected C:\Recovery folder if you installed Windows on your own.
- Because of this, Fresh Start avoids clutter by removing all non-standard Windows apps, including manufacturer bloatware. The only exception are Microsoft Store apps that were installed by the manufacturer, which stay.
Finally, Fresh Start keeps «some Windows settings» but doesn’t specify which. The above reset does not keep any of your settings.

To summarize, Fresh Start downloads a fresh copy of the most recent Windows 10 version, keeps your files and some settings, and doesn’t leave any bloatware aside from Store apps. In comparison, the standard reset option lets you choose whether to keep your files, doesn’t save any settings, and will reinstall Windows and apps based on your recovery partition.

Keep in mind that after doing this, you may need to enter license keys again for premium apps and will likely need to update system drivers.

3. Reinstall Using Windows Installation Media

If you’re not using Windows 8 or 10, want to know how to factory reset Windows 10 without the Settings menu, or don’t want to use the methods above for some reason, you can always factory reset Windows using installation media. This allows you to install a fresh copy of Windows on your computer and wipe out everything currently on it.

If you want to reinstall Windows 7 or 8 from scratch, you can use Microsoft’s Windows 7 download tool or Microsoft’s Windows 8.1 download tool. These let you download an ISO to burn onto a flash drive or DVD so you can reinstall Windows. You’ll need to provide a valid Windows 7 product key to do so, but that’s not necessary for downloading Windows 8.1.

Either way, simply insert the USB drive or disc containing your install media, then boot from the removable device. You’ll be greeted with the Windows setup screen, which you can proceed through to install a clean copy. Remember that doing this will remove everything currently on the drive where you install Windows.

4. Factory Reset Windows 10 From Boot Using Advanced Methods

While the three methods listed above will work for the most users, there are a few advanced ways to reset Windows if you’re interested. To run a Windows 10 factory reset from boot (in case you can’t get into Windows normally, for example), you can start a factory reset from the Advanced Startup menu.

To launch this if Windows is working properly, visit Settings > Update & Security > Recovery. Under the Advanced startup section, click Restart now to reboot into Advanced Startup. Alternatively, hold down the Shift key as you click the Restart button on the power menu.

In case you can’t do either of these, try pressing F11 as you boot, which will open Advanced Startup on some systems. Failing this, Windows will launch Advanced Startup on its own after three failed boots.

Once it’s open, choose Troubleshoot, then select Reset This PC to begin the same factory reset procedure as #1 above. You can pick Advanced options for more choices, but none of them let you factory reset Windows 10 unless you have a saved system image.

Otherwise, you may be able to boot into the BIOS and directly access the recovery partition on your hard drive, if your PC manufacturer included one. However, if you factory reset with this method, you’ll reinstall all the manufacturer bloatware. While it’s not ideal, it can work if you have no other options.

You can also type «create a recovery drive» into the Start menu to access a tool that lets you make your own. However, this requires a fair bit of space, and you’ll have to do it before you have a problem. If you didn’t already make one, you’re best off making a new Windows 10 install disk as described in #3.

Overall, if you’re using Windows 8 or 10, one of the built-in reset options is your best bet. Windows 7 users should download an image from Microsoft and perform a clean installation that way.

Now You Know How to Factory Reset Your Computer

You have several options for factory resetting a Windows computer. Whether you need to full reset your laptop before you sell it or just want to refresh your PC for a performance boost, one of these methods will have you on your way as fast as possible.

In case you run into problems, we have help on fixing issues that occur when installing Windows.

Lost your phone? Trying to find or keep an eye on your kid? This app can help.

Ben is a Deputy Editor and the Onboarding Manager at MakeUseOf. He left his IT job to write full-time in 2016 and has never looked back. He’s been covering tech tutorials, video game recommendations, and more as a professional writer for over six years.

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How to reset windows 8 to factory