If you reset Windows 11 and choose Keep my files, Windows reinstalls itself while aiming to preserve personal files. It removes apps you installed, and some settings change. More importantly, the option does not promise to preserve every piece of app data or protect you from a failed reset.
Before you begin, make a separate backup and test it. This guide explains what usually stays, what needs rebuilding, and which easily overlooked files deserve special attention.
Table of contents
What Keep my files means
Windows 11’s Reset this PC feature offers two choices: Keep my files and Remove everything. The first reinstalls Windows while preserving personal files; the second is intended to remove personal files, apps, and settings. Microsoft recommends backing up important files before either option. See its Reset your PC guide.
Think of Keep my files as a Windows rebuild, not a snapshot of your entire computer. Your documents are meant to remain, but your familiar workspace may not. Programs, local app settings, and files hidden inside app folders need extra attention.
This guide covers the built-in reset, not a manufacturer’s recovery tool or a clean USB installation. On a work or school PC, check with IT first.
What stays and what gets removed
Use this matrix as a planning guide, not a guarantee. A reset can fail, and file locations and manufacturer customizations differ. Microsoft’s Reset your PC guide explains the available reset choices. Its technical explanation of push-button reset provides additional detail about AppData, ProgramData, non-OS partitions, and preserved settings.
| Item | Expected result with Keep my files | What to do first |
|---|---|---|
| Personal documents and photos | Intended to stay, especially in normal user folders. Individual file preservation is not guaranteed. | Copy important files to a separate destination and open the copies. |
| Installed desktop and Store apps | User-installed apps are removed by default. Some preinstalled apps and manufacturer customizations may be restored depending on reset settings. | List apps, installers, licenses, and sign-in details. |
| AppData and ProgramData | These locations are refreshed rather than preserved in place. Some previous AppData folders may be available in Windows.old. | Export or back up needed profiles, saves, templates, and databases separately. |
| Windows settings | Some settings are preserved; others are reset or changed. | Record important configurations, privacy choices, and accessibility settings. |
| Non-OS partitions | Microsoft’s technical reset documentation says files and folders on non-OS partitions are bypassed and preserved. | Back up their files too; confirm you selected the correct recovery option. |
| Cloud-synced files | Online copies depend on the service and successful synchronization. | Check the cloud account and protect unsynchronized or online-only files. |
Your personal files and other drives
Documents, pictures, and downloads
Keep my files is designed to retain personal files, including documents and photos. Check your Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Music, and Videos, along with any custom project folders. If more than one person uses the PC, each person should check their own files too.
Some apps save projects outside your usual user folders. Find where important files actually live, and back them up separately.
Other partitions and external drives
Microsoft’s technical documentation says Keep my files bypasses files on non-operating-system partitions. A partition is a separate storage area; it may appear as another drive letter even when it shares the same physical disk as Windows. That documented behavior applies to this reset option, not every recovery method.
Still, back up those files. A second partition on the same physical disk is not an independent backup if that disk fails. Once you have checked your backup, consider disconnecting external backup drives before you begin so they cannot be confused with a target in another recovery workflow.
If your backup drive does not appear, use our guide to checking an external hard drive before formatting. Do not format a drive containing needed files just to make it visible.
OneDrive and other cloud services
Before resetting, check your cloud service’s sync status and website to confirm important files and recent changes are there. Make sure you can access and download online-only files.
For critical files, keep a separate verified copy as well. Sync can propagate deletions or changes, and recovery features depend on the provider and account.
Apps, AppData, and settings
Installed apps and licenses
Expect to reinstall apps you added yourself, including desktop programs and Microsoft Store apps. Microsoft says some preinstalled Windows apps are restored, while manufacturer customizations can depend on the available reset settings. Do not assume your preferred versions or configurations will return automatically.
Record essential apps, licenses, installers, and multifactor recovery methods. Follow each vendor’s instructions for reactivation.
What happens to AppData?
AppData is a normally hidden folder in each Windows user profile. Applications may store browser profiles, settings, local databases, templates, and game saves there. ProgramData can hold shared application data. Their contents vary by application.
Microsoft’s technical documentation says Keep my files refreshes AppData\Local, AppData\LocalLow, AppData\Roaming, and ProgramData rather than preserving their contents in the rebuilt installation.
Some applications store important information in these locations. AppData is associated with individual Windows user profiles, while ProgramData can hold application data shared across users.
Microsoft also documents that previous AppData folders are available under C:\Windows.old after using Keep my files. Treat this as a possible secondary recovery source, not a backup or a guarantee that every application setting and database will be intact.
If Windows.old exists, copy out the specific data you need before old Windows files are cleaned up. Use each application’s supported export or restore instructions; do not paste the entire old AppData or ProgramData folder over the new installation.
If you must export passwords or recovery codes, store them securely and remove unneeded plaintext copies afterward.
Which settings survive?
Do not assume every setting disappears. Microsoft’s technical documentation lists preserved settings that include user accounts, group memberships, wireless network profiles, Windows Update settings, library settings, desktop themes, international settings, and certain user-controlled privacy settings.
There is also an easily overlooked privacy detail: Microsoft documents that the setting to store activity history on this device will be enabled by default after Keep my files. Recheck it after the reset if you do not want activity history stored.
Record hard-to-recreate accessibility, app, and work settings before resetting. Afterward, review your privacy and security choices instead of assuming every preference has returned to its previous state.
Back up before resetting
A useful backup is not just a folder you copied once. It is a separate, accessible copy of the information you need, checked before the reset starts.
- Collect the files. Include normal user folders, custom project locations, local email archives, saved games, and files belonging to other users. Check app-specific exports and local databases.
- Copy them elsewhere. Use a separate external device, an appropriate backup service, or another safe destination. A second folder or partition on the same physical drive does not protect against failure of that drive.
- Verify the backup. Open several important files from the destination, compare key folders, and confirm that cloud uploads finished. Check that encrypted backups can be unlocked. Sampling is useful, but it does not prove every file is intact.
- Find your BitLocker recovery key. If the device is encrypted, locate the 48-digit BitLocker recovery key before proceeding. It may be stored in your Microsoft account or an organization’s records, depending on how encryption was configured. It is different from your Windows product key. Confirm that you can access the correct recovery key for the device before starting the reset. See Microsoft’s BitLocker recovery-key instructions.
- Prepare to rebuild. Record apps, licenses, sign-ins, and necessary settings. Keep the laptop connected to power. If this is an organization-managed PC, ask IT about its recovery process.
If the only copy of irreplaceable data is on a failing or inaccessible drive, stop before resetting and seek appropriate recovery help. A reset is not a data-recovery procedure.
How to reset Windows 11 safely
Once your backup is verified and you have any required recovery key, follow the built-in Settings route:
- Open Settings > System > Recovery.
- Under Recovery options, select Reset PC.
- Choose Keep my files, not Remove everything.
- Choose an installation source. Cloud download gets Windows files from Microsoft; Local reinstall uses files already on the PC. This choice is separate from whether you keep personal files.
- Review the displayed settings and any available list of apps that will be removed. Check whether manufacturer preinstalled apps are set to be restored, if that option appears.
- Read the final confirmation carefully. Start only when it reflects your choice and you understand the consequences.
Cloud download needs a suitable internet connection and may help if local Windows files are missing or damaged. Local reinstall avoids downloading the full Windows source but depends on local files. Neither option replaces a backup or guarantees that a reset will fix the underlying problem.
During the process, the screen may go black for an extended period and the PC may restart itself. Microsoft warns that manually restarting during this stage can cause the reset to fail. Keep the device powered and follow its on-screen instructions. If you believe the process has failed, consult Microsoft or the device maker rather than interrupting it based only on a temporary black screen.
An alternative that keeps apps
If your main goal is to repair Windows rather than remove installed apps, check Microsoft’s current Recovery options before choosing Reset this PC. Its guidance recommends trying less disruptive recovery methods first when they fit the problem.
For example, if the issue began after a recent update, uninstalling that update may help. Eligible Windows 11 devices may also offer Point-in-time restore, which returns the system to an earlier snapshot. However, it can roll back personal files, apps, settings, and other changes made after that snapshot. Check the restore-point date carefully and back up important recent files before using it.
Another option is Fix problems using Windows Update under Settings > System > Recovery. Microsoft says this reinstalls the current Windows version and repairs system files while preserving installed apps, personal files, and settings.
Select Reinstall now if the option is available, and keep the PC connected to power and the internet throughout the process. Microsoft says it may be unavailable on work- or school-managed PCs and requires a sufficiently updated Windows 11 installation, including the February 2024 optional update or a later update.
See Microsoft’s Windows Update repair instructions and Recovery options in Windows. Back up first, and consult IT on managed devices.
What to check after the reset
Sign in and check that important documents open. Then confirm access to your cloud accounts and verify sync before changing or deleting copies. If something is missing, check the separate backup and the relevant app’s supported restore method.
Run Windows Update and reinstall essential apps from official sources. Check licenses, privacy, security, accessibility, and devices such as your printer and camera.
If an app’s data is missing, Microsoft documents C:\Windows.old as a possible location for old AppData. Look there promptly, but do not delete old Windows files until you have checked what you need. If irreplaceable files are missing and you have no usable backup, minimize further use of the affected drive and seek professional advice. Recovery is not guaranteed.
Frequently asked questions
Does Keep my files preserve installed programs?
No, not the apps you installed yourself by default. Plan to reinstall desktop and Microsoft Store apps. Some preinstalled apps or manufacturer customizations may return, depending on the device and reset settings.
Is Keep my files safe when selling a PC?
No. It is meant to retain personal files, so it is not the right choice for removing your information before transferring a device. Microsoft describes Remove everything and its optional data-cleaning feature for that purpose; the consumer cleaning feature is not certified to government or industry erasure standards.
Will a reset fix a failing hard drive?
No reset can repair physical drive failure. If the drive clicks, disconnects repeatedly, or holds irreplaceable files without a backup, stop and seek qualified help before taking further action.
Is Windows.old a substitute for a backup?
No. It is on the same computer and may not contain everything you need. Protect important data in a separate location before resetting; use Windows.old only as a possible additional recovery source.
The bottom line: Keep my files protects an intended set of personal files, not your complete setup. Verify a separate backup, account for local app data, and review the reset summary before you commit.
