Stepwise Guide to Factory Reset Dell Laptop in Windows 11

Are you looking for the easiest and most secure way to factory reset Dell laptop in Windows 11? This guide offers you solutions to enable the task with ease. Read on and gain more details.

Maggie

By Maggie Updated on December 12, 2024

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Overview of Dell factory reset in Windows 11

Factory resetting a Dell laptop means restoring the device to its original state when it was first purchased from the manufacturer. This process erases all the data, settings, and applications installed on the laptop and restores it to its factory settings.

Windows 11 Logo

The importance of Dell laptop factory reset for optimal performance cannot be overstated.

  • Over time, laptops accumulate a lot of unnecessary data that can slow down their performance and cause errors. Therefore this operation removes this unnecessary data and restores the laptop to its original state, thus improving performance and efficiency.
  • It also helps to remove any malware or viruses that may be lurking in the system, providing the laptop with a fresh start.
  • In addition, factory reset Dell laptops and then reinstalling the operating system can help resolve any software issues or conflicts that may be causing problems.

Overall, factory resetting your Dell laptop is an important step to ensure optimal performance and extend the life of your device. In the following content, you will learn how to factory reset Dell laptop with effective ways.

How to factory reset Dell laptop on Windows 11

In this part, you are able to learn solutions to reset Dell laptop to factory default. You can pick one that suits you most to meet your needs and make the ret data cannot be recovered.

Enable Dell factory reset from boot

To factory reset Dell laptop from boot, you can access the recovery options during startup. This method is useful if the laptop is not booting up correctly or if the Windows operating system is not functioning correctly.

1. Turn on your computer and wait for the sign in screen to appear. In the bottom right corner, click on the Power options. Press the Shift key and click Restart.

2. Click Troubleshoot under Choose an Option. Then Reset this PC.

3. You will receive a window with Keep my files or Remove Everything. Choose the option depending on your situation.

Remove Everything

4. Next, you will see two options: Cloud Download and Local Reinstall. By choosing Cloud Download, Windows will first download the required OS files and then reinstall them while Local Reinstall will use the existing system files in the device to reinstall Windows.

Local Install

5. In the Are you ready to reset this device screen, click Reset. Your system will proceed with resetting your Dell laptop, wait until it is complete.

Click On Reset

Factory reset with Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery tool

1. Open Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery tool, click Start Reset on the Reset tile.

2. It will show you the System reset options. Select Reset to factory settings, and then click NEXT.

Reset to Factory Settings

3. Next, it will recommend you backup the files before starting factory reset. You can choose the option Yes, back up my files or No, do not back up my files according to your needs.

Backup Your Files

4. Read the warning message that is displayed, and click YES, CONTINUE.

Reset Warning

5. Next, you need to confirm your reset. As for why you need to reset your computer, select a reason from the drop-down menu. Select I understand that the reset will delete all of my system data and personal files check box, and then click NEXT.

Confirm Your Settings

6. The factory reset process will begin and you will see a progress bar indicating the different stages and remaining time. After the process is complete, click RESTART to restart your computer.

Reset Success

Useful tip: Backup Windows 11 before factory reset to avoid data loss

Since resetting your computer will cause important files to be deleted, it’s recommended that you backup your Windows 11 before factory reset Dell laptop. You can choose the free and safe file backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard to help you. You can use its System Backup feature to create a full backup of Dell OS, once there’s something wrong happens, you can easily backup to previous date. It also has the following features:

▶ 4 backup solutions: Except System Backup, it also provides you Disk Backup, Partition Backup and File Backup to meet your different needs.
▶ Multiple backup locations: It enables you to backup your OS to various locations, such as backup to USB drives, local disks, external hard drives, NAS and network locations.
▶ High compatibility: It supports all Windows PC operating systems (Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP.

Download AOMEI Backupper Standard free of charge to have a try.

Download FreewareWin11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download

Follow the steps to protect Dell laptop data from being lost via this best free backup software:

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Backupper Standard, click on Backup and select System Backup. 

System Backup

Step 2. The required system partition(s) is (are) selected by default. Choose a destination path to store the backup files.

Select Destination Path

Step 3. Confirm the operation and click Start Backup.

Start Backup

To sum up

Now you know how to factory reset Dell laptop on Windows 11 after reading the above content. You can factory reset Dell laptop from boot, or use Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery tool to reset your PC. Don’t forget to backup your important data before reset, cause it will erase all your data permanently.

Luckily, AOMEI Backupper can help you backup all Dell laptop data to a safe location. Besides that, it also integrate many other powerful features, such as sync, which allows you to transfer files from one Dell laptop to another with a fast speed.

Maggie
Maggie · Editor
Maggie is a technical editor from AOMEI and troubleshoots technical problems against data protection. She has received professional and systematic technical training. With a focus on user experience, security, and problem-solving, she always puts herself in the readers' shoes and provides them with valuable technical insights.