author avatar
23 September 2024  Ashley S. Miller  Specialist of Customer Service Dept.
Last update by William Davis at 23 September 2024

Summary
Factory resetting a Windows 10 PC removes third-party applications, settings, and potentially some personal files, restoring the system to its original state with only preinstalled software and default settings. To recover lost files after a factory reset, professional data recovery software is one of the most effective options, though other methods are also available.



Table of contents

table iconWhat Happens When You Factory Reset a Windows 10 PC?
table iconWays to Recover Files After Windows 10 Reset
table iconConclusion
You’ve decided to completely reinstall your Windows in a last-ditch effort to speed it up and solve various errors. Now, you might be wondering how to recover lost files after a factory reset on Windows 10. Luckily, there are ways to restore your important data. One of the best options to do this is by using professional data recovery software, but there are other options as well. Let’s take a closer look at them.
Remove everything in Windows 10

What Happens When You Factory Reset a Windows 10 PC?

When you factory reset a PC running on Windows 10, all third-party applications, settings, and potentially some personal files will be removed, and the operating system will be restored to its original state, with only the preinstalled software and default settings in place.

The factory reset process (also called Fresh Start in versions of Windows 10 prior to version 2004) is a useful alternative to the traditional method of reinstalling Windows because you don’t need to have a separate installation media and because you can keep some of your data by selecting the “Keep my files” option or creating a manual backup. Here’s a high-level description of what happens behind the scenes when you factory reset a Windows 10 PC:

1. The reset process is initiated by preparing the necessary recovery environment and settings.
2. All personal files, applications, and settings are erased if the option to [ remove everything ] is selected; otherwise, it tries to keep personal files intact.
3. (Optional) If the Clean data option is selected, then the deleted files are overwritten with zeroes.
4. The operating system (OS) files are reinstalled.
5. The system checks for and applies the latest Windows updates to ensure the OS is up to date.
6. Windows prompts the user to configure system settings such as region, language, and user account details.
The problem is that users often forget to select the option or back up their files, which inevitably leads to data loss. But don’t worry, lost data can often be recovered with the right tools and techniques, which we’ll discuss in the following sections.

Ways to Recover Files After Windows 10 Reset

The approach to recovering lost files after a factory reset on Windows 10 depends on whether the “Clean data” option was selected during the reset process.
Windows Reset, clean data
If it wasn’t selected, you can use data recovery software to retrieve your files (see Option A below). However, if the “Clean data” option was selected, the deleted files are overwritten, making them impossible to recover using data recovery software. In such cases, you’ll need to rely on external backups (skip to Option B).

Option A: Use Data Recovery Software

* Renee Undeleter
Renee Undeleter is a professional data recovery tool that can help you retrieve lost or deleted files from your computer. It is a user-friendly and comprehensive tool that offers a high success rate for file recovery. With Renee Undeleter, you can find and recover around 400 file formats after overwriting, and the process is incredibly simple thanks to its modern user interface and numerous quality-of-life features. In addition to signature scanning, Renee Undeleter also supports file system-based recovery, with support for all major Windows file systems, so you can use it to also find files that haven’t actually been overwritten but simply misplaced.
Step 1: Download, install and run Renee Undeleter on your Windows computer.
Renee Undeleter - Powerful Data Recovery SoftwareRenee Undeleter data Recovery software

Easy to use Only simple steps to recover data from storage devices.

Multiple scan modes Fast partition scan, whole partition scan and whole disk scan for different recovery needs.

File types Support to recover pictures, videos, audios, documents, mails, etc.

Supported storage devices Recover data from recycle bin, SD card, external disk, etc.

Supported systems Windows 11,10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP, 2000 and Mac OS X10.6, 10.7, 10.8+.

Easy to use Only simple steps to recover data from storage devices.

Multiple scan modes - 3 scan modes for different recovery needs.

Supported storage devices Recover data from recycle bin, SD card, external disk, etc.

Free TrialFree TrialFree Trial

3000 users have downloaded Renee Undeleter and found data back!

Step 2: Select the [ Fast Partition Scan ] option in the main interface.
Tips: Please avoid installing the software on the disk containing the data to be recovered in order to prevent data overwriting. Also, refrain from saving new data to the same disk partition after a file is lost to avoid further damage or complete loss of the lost file.
Renee Undeleter, select Fast Partition Scan
Step 3: Next, select the partition where the lost data is located, and click [ Next ] .
select partition to scan for fast partition scan
Step 4: Select the [Fast Scan] option and click the [Next] button to scan.
The [Fast Scan] mode scans the initial 30GB of available space on the chosen disk. If desired files are not found, the [Deep Scan] mode can be used for a thorough scan of the hard disk partition, though it will require additional time.
Select Fast scan in Fast Partition Scan
Step 5: Wait for the scan to complete you can double-click the file to preview, then check the files that need to be recovered, and click the [ Recover ] button to recover the files to other disks.
preview before recovery
Tips: Please select a disk without any important data when installing the software to avoid overwriting it. If the quick scan mode doesn’t find the necessary files, we suggest trying the deep scan mode for a full search. Using a professional software like Renee Undeleter can greatly increase your chances of successful file recovery. It is important to note that the longer you wait to use this method, the lower your chances of successful recovery become.
* Windows File Recovery
If you prefer a native solution provided directly by Microsoft, Windows File Recovery is a reliable tool available for free via the Microsoft Store. Despite its command-line interface, which may be daunting for less technical users, the software can deliver decent results when scanning NTFS drives and looking for commonly used file formats.
Note: To run successfully, Windows File Recovery requires that you have at least May 2020 update.
To make sure that you have the latest version installed, go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Search for updates. This is how you can recover files after a factory reset with Windows File Recovery.
1. Run the app
First, install Windows File Recovery from Windows Store.
windows file recovery in store
2. Select Scan Mode
Windows File Recovery lets you pick between 3 modes: Default, Signature, and Segment. Default works like a Quick scan, and Segment mode presents you with a more thorough and slower approach. Signature mode will let you scan through the drive by file type. This includes ASF, MP3, MPEG, JPEG, PNG, ZIP, and PDF.
Since Windows File Recovery delivers the best results when recovering lost data based on file system information, we decided to focus on the Default mode. To recover data using the Default mode of Windows File Recovery, you would write something like:

winfr C: D: /n *.docx

C: signifies the main drive where your Windows is installed
D: is a drive to which all restored files will be transferred (you can also use E:, F:, G:, etc.)
/n is a switch used for filtering search
“*” can be replaced with a specific file path, which will speed up the scan: winfr C: D: /n \Users\Admin\Documents
.docx stands for Word document, but you can use any other file extension In practice, it would look something like this:
search docx files on your drive with windows file recovery
Now, hit Enter to confirm the command and type in “Y” to start the scan. Since the full path wasn’t specified, the scan will take a bit longer. As mentioned, the recovered files will be saved on another disk with a specified date and time.
look results
To search for multiple file formats simultaneously, just add more switches. If I wanted to locate all of the PowerPoint, Excel, and Word files, I would simply write:

winfr C: D: /n *.pptx /n *.xlsx /n *.docx

Option B: Recover From an Existing Backup

When the Clean data option was selected during a factory reset, data recovery software becomes ineffective, as the deleted files are overwritten. In such cases, the only viable solution to retrieve your lost data is to rely on an existing backup. You may be able to find your files in one or more of the following backup sources:
Manually created backups
We’re talking about backups that you’ve created yourself, usually by copying important files to an external storage device, such as a USB flash drive, [ external hard drive ] (https://www.reneelab.com/recover_data_from_external_hard_drive_mac.html), or even an optical disk. To recover your files, simply connect the storage device to your PC and copy the files back to your system.
Automatically created backups (File History)
Windows 10 has a built-in backup feature called File History, which automatically backs up your files to an external storage device. If you had File History enabled before the factory reset, you could restore your files from the backup. To do this, go to Start > type “File History” > click File History (Control Panel) > tap or click Select a drive > choose your backup drive. You can then restore your files with File History.
Cloud backups (OneDrive)
If you’ve been using a cloud storage service like OneDrive to back up your files, you can easily recover them after a factory reset. Simply sign in to your OneDrive account on your PC and sync your files to restore them. You can also access your files through the OneDrive website and download them manually. The key to recovering lost data through external backups is to have created them beforehand. If you haven’t done so, then you can turn your data loss experience into a valuable lesson on the importance of regular backups. Moving forward, you can create a robust backup strategy that combines different backup methods so that your data is always protected.

Conclusion

Recovering lost files after a factory reset on Windows 10 can be a daunting task, but it is not impossible. By using data recovery software or relying on existing backups, you can retrieve your important files. Remember to always back up your data regularly to avoid future data loss. Whether you choose manual backups, File History, or cloud storage, having a backup strategy in place will save you a lot of trouble in the long run.
Renee Undeleter - Powerful Data Recovery SoftwareRenee Undeleter data Recovery software

Easy to use Only simple steps to recover data from storage devices.

Multiple scan modes Fast partition scan, whole partition scan and whole disk scan for different recovery needs.

File types Support to recover pictures, videos, audios, documents, mails, etc.

Supported storage devices Recover data from recycle bin, SD card, external disk, etc.

Supported systems Windows 11,10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP, 2000 and Mac OS X10.6, 10.7, 10.8+.

Easy to use Only simple steps to recover data from storage devices.

Multiple scan modes - 3 scan modes for different recovery needs.

Supported storage devices Recover data from recycle bin, SD card, external disk, etc.

Free TrialFree TrialFree Trial

3000 users have downloaded Renee Undeleter and found data back!