CHANGED SYSTEM

Question

CHANGED SYSTEM

ANDRE MCKINNEY 0

I DONT LIKE THE CHANGES I MADE.

NEED TO RESET SYSTEM BACK TO THE ORIGINAL DEFAULT SETTINGS

ApexNáV 275 Reputation points

2026-09-16T04:53:52.1933333+00:00

Which company laptop or desktop you have?
Bulldog 4,640 Reputation points

2026-09-16T05:36:31.4233333+00:00

The answer to your question depends on what you mean by "ORIGINAL DEFAULT SETTINGS".

For example, if you want your computer to look and work exactly as it did when you first got it, that can easily be done, and the manufacturer of your computer should have the instructions for that on its website. However, that will erase everything now on the computer.
(irrelevant content removed by Moderator)

2 answers

Your answer

ApexNáV 275 Reputation points

2026-09-16T04:53:52.1933333+00:00

Which company laptop or desktop you have?
Bulldog 4,640 Reputation points

2026-09-16T05:36:31.4233333+00:00

The answer to your question depends on what you mean by "ORIGINAL DEFAULT SETTINGS".

For example, if you want your computer to look and work exactly as it did when you first got it, that can easily be done, and the manufacturer of your computer should have the instructions for that on its website. However, that will erase everything now on the computer.
(irrelevant content removed by Moderator)

Answer 1

Use Reset this PC to return Windows to a default state.

Open Settings > System > Recovery.
Under Recovery options, select Reset PC.
Choose one of these options:
- Keep my files: reinstalls Windows and keeps personal files, user accounts, and important settings.
- Remove everything: reinstalls Windows, removes all user accounts and contents, and restores preinstalled customizations to their factory state.
Follow the on-screen steps to finish.

If Windows does not start normally:

Enter Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE).
Select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.
Choose the reset option and continue.

Important:

If the device is encrypted, the BitLocker recovery key is required in Windows RE.
During reset, the screen can stay black for a long time and the device may restart itself. Do not manually restart it, or the reset can fail.
If booted from recovery media, Keep my files and Remove everything are not available. Only bare metal recovery is available.

If only recent system changes need to be undone without affecting personal files, System Restore can return the PC to an earlier restore point:

Open Control Panel > Recovery > Open System Restore, or press Win + R, type rstrui.exe, and press Enter.
Select a restore point, then choose Next > Finish.

Answer 2

Hi Andre,

Which settings do you need to reset? If you want to reset Windows, you can do so via Settings. A reset will freshly install Windows. Depending on the option you choose, apps, settings, drivers, and personal files may be removed.

To reset Windows 11:

Open System → Recovery.

Under Recovery options, select Reset PC.

Select the "Keep my files" and "Cloud download" option when prompted.

Follow the on‑screen instructions to complete the reset.

Reference: Reset your PC | Microsoft Support

Note: The "Keep my files" option reinstalls Windows while keeping your personal files intact. The apps, drivers, and settings will be erased, though.