Summary :

remove files and clean the drive

Resetting Windows 10 to the default manufactory settings is a good method to gear up many catchy computer bug, and "remove files and clean the drive" is an selection for users. In this article from MiniTool, you can go detailed information about this selection and learn about some useful tips related to the performance.

Quick Navigation :

  • Near Windows x Reset
  • Nearly "Remove Files and Make clean the Bulldoze"
  • Why do Yous Demand to Remove Files and Clean the Drive
  • How to Remove Files and Make clean the Drive
  • Bottom Line
  • Remove Files and Make clean the Drive FAQ
  • User Comments

Sometimes, you might want to delete the confidential data saved in your arrangement and restore your Windows settings to the default condition for some special reasons.

For the saved arrangement data, you can remove them past deleting all in File Explorer or directly wiping the organization bulldoze. But yous have to reinstall your Windows to make your computer running properly once more.

For the inverse Windows settings, you can set them dorsum to the default values 1 by ane. Simply actually, you might accept personalized plenty of organization settings and you lot cannot call up all of them.

And so, you might wonder if in that location is any simple and convenient approach to erase saved data and restore default settings. The best way is to reset Windows and choose the remove files and clean the bulldoze option.

About Windows 10 Reset

When your computer is running slow, working incorrectly, or having some other odd issues related to your system, yous can reset your Windows 10 to the default settings. This is a feature named Reset this PC included in Windows 10 Recovery options.

If you reset Windows 10, your calculator will start fresh with a new installation, but too permit you cull to whether go along your files or remove them, providing two resetting options Go on my files and Remove everything.

two resetting options

Which option should you choose? Keep on your reading to get detailed information about these two options.

Go along My Files

"Keep my files" choice will remove your installed apps, programs, and personalized settings but keep your saved personal files. This selection was previously known equally Refresh your PC.

Later you choose this selection, you will come across the current resetting settings. You lot can click Change settings to enable or disable the Preinstalled apps option to configure whether to restore preinstalled apps/settings or not. If information technology is on, your reckoner will restore apps/settings which came with this PC. Otherwise, all the apps including those your PC manufacturer installed will exist removed.

Note: The Preinstalled apps option is enabled by default. Just information technology doesn't show up in non-OEM-branded systems or systems where you lot installed a retail copy of Windows ten. You tin check this postal service to get further information.

And then, you will be informed about what exactly resetting Windows do. Apart from whether to restore the preinstalled apps, your computer volition do the following operations:

  • Remove changes you have fabricated to arrangement settings.
  • Install a fresh copy of Windows 10 and keeps your personal files.
  • Remove apps, programs, and drivers y'all take installed.

It is worth mentioning that y'all can click List of apps to be removed to figure out the affected items.

list of apps to be removed

Related article: Windows 10 Reset VS Make clean Install VS Fresh Outset, Detailed Guide!

Remove Everything

Every bit its name indicates, the "Remove everything" option will remove all your personal files, apps, drivers and personalized settings, and and then perform a clean install for your Windows 10. If you desire to remove all the information and start using your figurer from scratch, this resetting option should be a practiced choice.

Similar to the former pick, yous tin as well click Alter settings to configure some boosted settings later selecting "Remove everything". At that place are two settings available: Data erasure and Data drives. Y'all can enable or disable them according to your needs.

  • Data erasure (On) removes files and clean the drive. This may take hours, just volition make difficult to recover files.
  • Data erasure (Off) just removes your files. This is quicker, simply less secure.
  • Data drives (On) removes all files from all existing drives on your deejay.
  • Data drives (Off) removes all files only from the drive where Windows is installed.
Data erasure and Data drives settings

If you are running Windows 10 1809 or whatever earlier versions, you might exist unable to access these two settings past clicking Change settings. Instead, you will sequentially get the following interfaces that require y'all to respectively cull to remove all files from organisation drive only or all drives and whether to make clean the drives.

different settings interfaces

Nigh "Remove Files and Clean the Drive"

As mentioned before, "Remove files and clean the bulldoze" is i of the options available when you cull "Remove everything" to reset Windows 10. It is dissimilar from the "Merely remove my files" option.

If you choose "Just remove my files" option, Windows reset volition delete everything saved on the drive/drives past performing a quick format. You cannot access the data normally, but the data notwithstanding exits on the drive actually and you are able to recover the data with certain information recovery software.

If y'all choose "Remove files and clean the bulldoze", Windows reset will not merely erase the saved data simply too fully clean the drive/drives. This choice makes information technology harder to restore the deleted data and helps avoid leakage of of import data. So, it'south more secure to cull this pick if you want to sell or donate your computer.

Why exercise You Demand to Remove Files and Make clean the Drive

For users who desire to reset Windows 10, the "Just remove my files" is plenty in near cases. Merely there are nevertheless some situations where you are recommended to completely erase your data and fully clean the drive. You might need to choose "Remove files and make clean the drive" in post-obit cases:

  • Your Windows runs into certain problems and "Just remove my files" reset feature doesn't piece of work.
  • Your hard drive is running boring and you need a deep wiping to arrive runs efficiently again.
  • Y'all make up one's mind to sell, donate or threw abroad your computer simply worry about personal data being recovered intentionally past others.
  • You lot desire to accept a fresh start of your computer.

How to Remove Files and Clean the Bulldoze

Later learning about Windows reset and the "Remove files and clean the drive" reset feature, it's time to check the detailed steps. Although this is an easy functioning, some users withal accept no thought about how to exercise it and bring unrecoverable damage to the needed information.

In this role, I will introduce how to remove files and make clean the drive safely in two different cases. Simply follow the instructions below to perform the operation by yourself.

Case 1. Reset Windows ten Merely to Erase Data

The education in this case will be helpful if you won't use this computer anymore and desire to completely erase the data on the hard drive. As fully cleaning the drive will brand it hard to recover the erased data, so yous are recommended to dorsum upwardly your hard drive to an external storage device before you start.

To do that, you can employ MiniTool Partitioning Magician, a professional disk director. To support the disk where the operating system is installed, you lot have to use a paid edition of this programme.

Buy At present

After installing MiniTool Partition Wizard on your reckoner and registering to a paid edition, you tin follow the steps beneath to support your hard bulldoze.

Step ane: Fix a storage device (like USB drive and external hard drive) that is large enough to relieve all the data on your disk, and connect it to your computer.

Step 2: Launch MiniTool Sectionalisation Sorcerer to get the main interface.

Step 3: Right-click your system deejay and hitting Copy. You can also choose Copy Disk characteristic from the left pane afterward selecting the disk.

choose Copy Disk

Footstep 4: Choose the connected storage device equally the target deejay and click Adjacent to continue.

Note: All the data on the target deejay will be destroyed.

Step 5: Choose Copy Options and configure the layout of the copied disk according to your needs, and click Next button.

choose Copy Options

Pace 6: Read the message about how to kick from the new disk and click Finish push to back to the main interface.

Step 7: Click Appy button to execute all the pending operations.

click Apply

Subsequently bankroll up your data, you can disconnect the external storage device and go to remove files and make clean the bulldoze without any worries. Here'south a elementary guide:

  1. Press Windows + I to open Settings
  2. Go to Update & Security > Recovery.
  3. Click Get started button in Reset this PC
  4. Choose Remove everything.
  5. Click Change settings, enable both Information erasure and Data drives, and click Next. (For Windows 1809 and before versions, choose All drives and Remove files and clean the bulldoze respectively in the following screens.)
  6. Click Reset button and await for your Windows ten to finish resetting.
click Reset

See! I have kept my personal data with MiniTool Sectionalization Wizard and fully cleaned my deejay. Click to tweet

Example 2: Reset Windows x to Fix Organisation Issues

When you are experiencing certain bug that prevent your Windows from running properly, it is a overnice choice to reset Windows with cleaning the arrangement bulldoze.

As mentioned in Case 1, y'all take to dorsum upwards your data in advance, but this may exist non enough in this case. About arrangement issues are likely to cause data loss on your difficult drive. And so, you need to restore data before cleaning the drive. You can likewise use MiniTool Partition Wizard to achieve this goal.

Note: If you cannot access the desktop, y'all demand to create a bootable media on a normal PC and boot your computer from it. Then, follow the steps beneath to recover your data.

Buy Now

Step i: Subsequently launching the program, select the organisation partition and choose Data Recovery feature in the left Action Panel.

choose Data Recovery

Step 2: Expect for the scanning process to cease. Select the data you lot need and click Salve push. You can quickly find the needed files or folders with the help of Evidence Lost Files, Find, Filter, and Blazon options.

save needed data

Step three: Choose a directory on another bulldoze to save the selected data.

Once it's done, you lot tin can clean the system bulldoze. If you lot tin can admission the desktop normally, just refer to the steps in Instance i to perform the action. But if you are unable to log into your business relationship or operate in desktop normally, you might need to reset Windows ten in Windows Recovery Environs. To do that, you lot need to:

Step 1: Download Windows 10 Media Creation Tool and create an installation media on a normal estimator.

Footstep 2: Kicking from the installation media and click Next. In adjacent page, click Repair your computer to enter Recovery Environment.

Step 3: Choose Troubleshoot > Rest this PC > Remove everything.

Pace 4: Choose Only the drive where Windows is installed > Fully clean the bulldoze to clean your system partition.

fully clean the drive

Step five: Click Reset button to confirm the operation. Then, you just need to wait until the procedure is completed.

How to remove files and make clean the bulldoze safely? Here'south a consummate guide. Click to tweet

Bottom Line

This post has developed a detailed introduction near Windows ten reset and the "Remove files and clean the bulldoze" reset choice.

If yous have any problems towards this article, just leave a message in the comment zone below. For whatsoever questions about how to support and recover information with MiniTool Partition Magician, you tin can contact our back up squad via [email protected].

Remove Files and Clean the Bulldoze FAQ

What happens if you fully clean the drive?

If you choose to fully clean the drive when y'all are performing Windows reset, all the data on the drive will be erased and it will be hard to recover the data with common data recovery software.

Will fully clean the drive remove Windows?

Yes, it volition. But it will also reinstall your Windows automatically. Really, no matter which reset option you have chosen, resetting Windows volition remove the original OS and install a fresh copy of Windows for yous.

How long does it accept to remove files and clean the drive?

According to the reports from users who have performed "remove files and clean the drive" reset, this procedure volition have four hours and even longer.

Will resetting PC remove files from other drives?

By default, resetting PC will only remove files on the bulldoze where Windows is installed and it won't touch on the data on any other drives. But if you choose to remove files from all drives, then all the data on the system disk volition exist removed.