Reset this PC is a clean feeling and a trap. It can wipe the files that only lived on the desktop. “Keep my files” still throws away apps and some settings, and people have been surprised. Copy the things you cannot replace to another drive or to the cloud first. Then reset. Then copy them back. That order is the whole guide.
What you need
- An external drive with more free space than your Documents + Desktop + Pictures + Downloads, or a cloud account with room
- An hour if you have a lot of photos
- A notepad for license keys and Wi-Fi passwords
In this guide
1. Make a list, then copy those folders
At minimum, copy these from your user folder (C:\Users\YourName\) to the external drive:
- Desktop
- Documents
- Downloads (look through it; it is often huge and half junk)
- Pictures, Videos, Music
- The folder you actually work in if it is not one of those (a
C:\devor a second disk)
Also look in OneDrive’s local folder if you use it — and confirm the cloud copy is complete (green checks) before you treat it as the backup. For photos still only on a phone, do that transfer first: phone to PC.
Copy, do not move. Leave the originals until the reset is done and you have opened the copies.
2. Export bookmarks and note passwords
Chrome: three dots → Bookmarks → Bookmark manager → three dots → Export. Save the HTML file on the external drive. Edge has the same idea under Favorites.
If you use a password manager, make sure you know the vault password and that the vault syncs. If you only used the browser’s saved passwords, export them if the browser still offers it, or write down the few you cannot reset by email. After a reset you will sign into the email account first. That is why the email password and 2-step codes matter — password guide.
3. Save Wi-Fi and a few licenses
Write down the home Wi-Fi password, or copy it with the saved password guide, onto the same notepad that is not on C:. Note product keys for paid software that is not tied to an account. Microsoft 365 and Adobe are accounts. Some old utilities are keys.
4. Open the copy before you reset
On the external drive, open three photos, a Word file, and the bookmarks export. If the drive was not plugged in properly you will find out now, not after a wipe. Unplug the drive before you reset so Windows cannot format it if you click the wrong disk. (A normal Reset this PC targets the system drive, but physically unplugging the backup is cheap insurance.)
5. Reset Windows
Settings → System → Recovery → Reset this PC. Read the two choices. Remove everything is the clean one if the PC is slow or untrusted. Keep my files keeps the user folder but still removes apps. Either way, you already copied the files. Follow the screens. Let it sit. It can take a while.
6. Copy files back
Sign in. Rejoin Wi-Fi. Install the browser, then the password manager, then copy Desktop and Documents back. Install only the apps you still use. That is how a reset actually makes the machine faster.
Not enough room on the USB stick
- Use a cheap external HDD or a second cloud. A 16 GB stick will not hold a photo library.
- Skip Downloads installers you can fetch again. Keep the camera roll.
- If OneDrive already holds Documents and Desktop and the checkmarks are green, that is a backup — still copy anything that lives only in a random folder on D: or on the desktop of a second user.
Common questions
Does “Keep my files” mean I can skip a backup?
No. That option still removes apps and has surprised people. Copy Desktop, Documents, Pictures, and any odd project folder first.
OneDrive already has green checkmarks.
Then those folders are in the cloud — still copy anything that lives only in a random folder or on another user account.
A 16 GB stick is not enough.
Skip re-downloadable installers. Keep the camera roll. Use a larger drive or a second cloud for photos and video.
