Reinstall Windows with Windows Update

Windows provides several ways to repair, recover, or reinstall the operating system when you’re having issues or want a clean installation. Reset this PC is the primary option in these instances, and it offers reset and refresh options, the latter of which retains your user account–including all your documents and other data–customized settings, and the Microsoft Store apps you’ve installed. But there’s a new way to reinstall Windows that’s even less destructive which works like Reset this PC’s refresh option but retains all the apps you’ve installed, including those you acquired from the web. If the goal is to fix problems with Windows, but you also wish to retain your user account, data, settings, and apps, this should be the first thing you try.

Find Reinstall Windows using Windows Update

As with Reset this PC, this feature is found in Recovery settings in the Settings app. This is the rare instance in which using the “Find a setting” box in Settings comes up short. But there are two ways to navigate directly to this tool:

• Settings > System Recovery
• Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Recovery

You should install any pending Windows Updates before using this repair feature.

Reinstall Windows using Windows Update

To get started, click the “Reinstall now” button next to “Fix problems with Windows Update.” The “Fix problems with Windows Update” window appears, providing a simple wizard-based interface for completing this task.

Be sure to plug the computer into power as advised here.

After optionally selecting “Automatically restart my PC 15 minutes after installation”–and be sure to close all apps if so–click OK to continue. Settings will navigate to the Windows Update settings page and check for updates. It’s a looking for a specific update, the repair version of Windows 11.

When Windows Update finishes downloading this file–it could take 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your Internet connection speed–it will prompt you to restart. If needed, close any open apps and windows. And then click “Restart now.” Windows Setup will run between reboots, while Windows is offline and unavailable, and will reinstall the OS. After the final reboot–this process takes about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the PC–you will be prompted to sign in normally, and you will go directly to the Desktop, as is normally the case.

And that’s it. If this didn’t solve a problem you’re experiencing, you will need to call in the big guns, meaning Reset this PC. It’s possible a full reinstallation–a reset–is required.