How to Perform Windows Recovery Remove Everything

Why Need Windows Recovery Remove Everything?

More and more users now save files on their computers, so you may have years of important information stored on your computer, which can have serious consequences if data is lost. If you plan to replace the current computer with a new PC or transfer it to someone else, make sure you clean up the old one. If you don't delete all data and files before selling or disposing of it, you could be affected by a serious data leakage.

Regardless of what version of Windows operating system you are running, you can use the built-in reset feature to reset the operating system to its factory state. When you want to erase, you can choose to keep the files or remove everything. It is recommended to choose the latter, as this will better protect your data security.

Backup System before Windows Recovery Remove Everything

But before you reset your computer to remove everything, in order to protect your data from being lost, you can create a system image in advance with the free backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard. This way, you can use this system backup to restore quickly and without losing any data at any time afterwards. You don't have to reinstall the operating system and set the related settings.

• Different backup paths: It supports backing up system to different backup destination paths, including HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, NAS, cloud disk and network location.
• Incremental backup: When you perform the scheduled backup, the freeware will run the backup task with the incremental backup method to improve backup efficiency and save disk space.
• Multiple systems: AOMEI Backupper Standard supports multiple Windows operating systems, including Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista, etc.

Download and install this free software first then follow the graphic tutorial below. If you are a Windows Server user, you can pick AOMEI Backupper Server.

Step 1. Open the software and click Backup > System Backup.

Step 2. It will select system partition and boot-related partitions automatically. And you just need to select a destination.

Step 3. Click Start Backup to back up the Windows system.

Notes:

• Options: It allows you to write comments, select the compression level for your system backup or set email notifications.
• Schedule Backup: You can choose 5 different backup frequencies to backup system including Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event trigger and USB plug in. The last two are available in the Pro version.
• Backup Scheme: It allows you to select different backup methods. And you can upgrade to the Pro version to enjoy the differential backup method which can easily restore your scheduled backup. After the upgrade, you can also enable automatic backup cleanup feature to save disk space. 

How to Perform Windows Recovery Remove Everything

If you have finished backing up your operating system, you can start learning how to reset Windows and remove everything. Here is a detailed pictorial tutorial.

Step 1. Go to the Start menu and select Settings or you can Press Win+I to open the Windows Settings.

Step 2. In the Settings window, select Update & Security.

Step 3. Select the Recovery in the left navigation. Start the process by selecting Get Started.

Step 4. After choosing it to get started, you can select Remove everything on the next page to erase all your personal files, apps and settings on the hard drive.

Step 5. Then you will be given options to Just remove my files or Fully clean the drive. Choose the second one if you won’t keep the PC anymore.

Step 6. Confirm the operation and click Reset.

Summary

This article explains why you need Windows recovery remove everything and how to achieve this goal. The purpose of removing all data is to prevent data leakage when selling or repurchasing an old computer. But to make sure you don't lose your data, you can back up your system in advance with the free backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard. This way, whenever you need it, you can use this system backup to restore in time without losing any data.

In addition to System Backup, it also provides Disk Backup, File Backup and Partition Backup to protect your computer in all aspects. Even if your computer is broken and can't boot, you can use its Universal Restore function to restore the system backup to a computer with different hardware. You can download this software to explore more useful features.