# Reset This PC Before Selling: Wipe a Windows Laptop the Right Way

To wipe a Windows laptop before selling it, back up your files, sign out of the apps that count devices, note your BitLocker recovery key, then run Settings › System › Recovery › Reset PC with Remove everything and Clean data turned on. After the reset, remove the PC from your Microsoft account and leave it at the first setup screen for the buyer.

The reset itself takes one click. The order around it is what saves you from regret: once Remove everything starts, a document that lived only on this PC, a passkey saved only in Windows Hello or a license tied to this machine is much harder to get back. The steps below follow that order and say what each one changes.

## Back up what only exists on this PC

Start with the files that have no copy anywhere else. Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Music and Videos are the usual places, but downloads, game saves and project folders often sit outside them.

You have three common routes:

- **OneDrive folder backup.** [Microsoft describes it](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive/back-up-your-folders-with-onedrive) as backing up standard folders such as Desktop, Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos so they are available on your other devices. If you use Files On-Demand, files marked online-only are already in the cloud; files that never finished syncing are not. Open the OneDrive icon in the taskbar and wait until it reports that everything is up to date.
- **File History.** It [backs up your libraries](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/backup-recovery/backup-and-restore-with-file-history), including Documents, Pictures, Videos and Desktop, to an external drive or network location. Folders outside a library are only included if you add them.
- **A plain copy to an external drive.** Slow but easy to check: open the drive on another computer and confirm the files open.

A system restore point does not help here, since it lives on the drive you are about to erase. If you are unsure which copy protects what, [restore points and backups on Windows](/windows/blog/windows-restore-points-and-backups) separates system rollback from file recovery. To find large folders you might otherwise miss, [find large files on Windows](/windows/blog/find-large-files-on-windows) walks through a disk map.

## Export passwords and check where your passkeys live

If your browser keeps passwords only on this PC, export them first. In Microsoft Edge, press `Alt + F`, open Passwords, choose Export passwords and confirm. [Microsoft warns](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/export-passwords-in-microsoft-edge) that the CSV is not protected and is readable by anyone who can see the file, and recommends deleting it with `Shift + Delete` once you have imported it elsewhere. Do not leave that CSV on a USB stick you might lend.

Passkeys are different. Open Settings › Accounts › Passkeys to see the ones stored on this device. [Microsoft notes](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/security/manage-your-saved-passkeys) that if you had passkeys stored on an old device and the device was replaced, you will need to add new passkeys. Before you reset, make sure every site that uses a Windows passkey still lets you sign in another way, or add a passkey on your new device first.

## Sign out of apps that count devices

Several services limit how many computers can use one purchase or subscription. Signing out on the old PC frees the slot; wiping the drive often does not, because the service still has the PC on its list.

- **Microsoft 365.** You can [sign in to Office on five devices at the same time](https://support.microsoft.com/office/365-1d646e83-1585-4278-8daf-d4a2cc0905e0). Microsoft states that if you sign out, your account's license is removed and the app is deactivated. Sign out from an Office app on the PC you are selling.
- **Apple Music or Apple TV app.** Apple lets you [authorize up to five computers](https://support.apple.com/118292). Click your name at the bottom of the sidebar, then Deauthorize Machine, sign in and confirm. If you already wiped the PC, the only fix is Deauthorize All in your account settings, which Apple allows once a year.
- **Adobe, Steam and other per-device licenses.** Sign out inside each app before the reset, and check the vendor's own account page for an activated-devices list. Software bought with a license key that allows a fixed number of PCs usually has a deactivate or release option in its About or license screen.
- **Mole for Windows.** One Windows license covers two PCs at the same time. Press `Ctrl + Shift + L` to open the license panel and choose Deactivate. Mole explains that this frees up a license slot and that you can reactivate later with the same key. If the old PC is already gone, the [Windows help page](/windows/help) points to the Dodo Payments customer portal, and the device list in the license panel on your new PC can deactivate the old entry.

Doing this now takes a minute per app. Doing it after the reset usually means a support request.

## Check encryption and save the recovery key

Many Windows 11 PCs are encrypted without anyone turning it on. [Microsoft explains](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/encryption/device-encryption-in-windows) that when you first set up a device with a Microsoft account, or a work or school account, Device Encryption is turned on and a recovery key is attached to that account. Check the toggle at Settings › Privacy & security › Device encryption, or run this in a terminal opened as administrator:

```cmd
manage-bde -status C:
```

[`manage-bde -status`](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/manage-bde-status) shows the conversion status, percentage encrypted and protection status for the drive.

Encryption matters for the reset in two ways. First, the [reset guide](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/backup-recovery/reset-your-pc) says that if your device is encrypted, make sure you have your BitLocker recovery key, and resetting from the Windows Recovery Environment requires it. You can [look up the key](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/encryption/find-your-bitlocker-recovery-key) at `https://aka.ms/myrecoverykey` from another device. If the PC was set up by someone else, the key may be in that person's account. Second, everything written to an encrypted drive was stored encrypted, so a reset with Clean data on top of encryption leaves far less readable material than a reset of an unencrypted drive.

If encryption is off and the toggle is available, you can turn it on and let it finish before the reset. It takes a while on a full drive, so plug in the charger.

## Run Reset this PC with the right options

Open the Recovery page directly:

```cmd
start ms-settings:recovery
```

Under Recovery options, select Reset PC. On Windows 10 the path is Settings › Update & Security › Recovery, then Get started under Reset this PC. Keep the laptop on AC power for the whole process.

| Choice | What Microsoft says it does | For a PC you are selling |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Keep my files | Reinstalls Windows, removes apps and settings, keeps documents and photos | Wrong choice: your files stay on the drive |
| Remove everything | Reinstalls Windows and removes all personal files, apps and settings | The one to pick |
| Clean data (under Remove everything) | Removes files and cleans the drive, making removed files harder to recover | Turn it on |
| Cloud download | Downloads a fresh copy of Windows with the latest updates | Good when local system files are damaged |
| Local reinstall | Uses files already on the PC; may not include the latest updates | Faster on a slow connection |

Both reinstall sources end in the same clean Windows. Pick Cloud download if the PC has had system problems, Local reinstall if your connection is slow. Before you confirm, check that the summary of your reset settings shows Clean data turned on; without it, files are removed but the drive is not cleaned.

How long it takes depends on the drive. Microsoft warns that the screen might go black for a long period, occasionally upwards of 15 minutes, and that the PC might restart itself; restarting it yourself during this process could cause the reset to fail. With Clean data on, Microsoft says it might take some time. Start it when you can leave the laptop plugged in and untouched for a long stretch.

## What a reset does not do

A reset is a consumer tool with clear limits:

- **It is not a certified erase.** Microsoft states that the data erasure functionality is targeted at consumers and does not meet government and industry data erasure standards. If your employer or a regulation names a standard, follow their process instead.
- **It does not touch firmware passwords.** A password set in the PC's UEFI or BIOS setup survives the reset. Remove it in the setup utility, or the buyer cannot change boot settings.
- **It does not take Windows activation away.** [Microsoft says](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/activation/activate-windows) digital licenses are associated with your hardware, and that with a digital license you can reinstall the same edition and Windows will automatically activate online after installation. A PC that shipped with Windows stays activated for the next owner, and there is nothing you need to hand over.
- **It does not remove the PC from your Microsoft account.** That is a separate step on the web, covered next.
- **It does not sign you out of services in the cloud.** Licenses that count devices on the vendor's side keep counting until you sign out, as in the earlier section.

## Remove the PC from your account and stop at setup

Microsoft's own [checklist before you sell a Windows PC](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/security/before-you-recycle-sell-or-gift-your-xbox-or-windows-pc) is back up, reset, then remove the device from your account. Once the reset is done, on another device:

1. Go to `https://account.microsoft.com/devices` and sign in.
2. Find the PC, select Show details, then More actions › Remove.
3. Check I'm ready to remove this device and select Remove.
4. Optionally select Unlink, so the PC no longer counts toward your Microsoft Store device limit.

Find my device also works through your Microsoft account. If you want it off before the reset, open it with:

```cmd
start ms-settings:findmydevice
```

When the reset finishes, the PC restarts into the first setup screen, the one that asks for a country or region. Stop there. Do not sign in with your account to check that it worked, because that links the PC to you again and creates new data. Press and hold the power button to turn it off; the buyer starts from this same screen and creates their own account.

## Where Mole fits

Mole does not wipe drives or reset Windows; the steps above are all Windows Settings and your own accounts. Where Mole helps is the preparation: Analyze shows which folders on C: hold the most data, so you can decide what to back up before you erase, and the license panel (`Ctrl + Shift + L`) lets you deactivate this PC so the slot moves to your next one.

The [Windows help page](/windows/help) covers moving a license between PCs, including what to do if the old PC is already gone.

## FAQ

### Does Reset this PC remove everything?

With Remove everything selected, it reinstalls Windows and removes your personal files, apps and settings. With Clean data on, it also cleans the drive so removed files are harder to recover, though Microsoft says this does not meet government and industry erasure standards.

### Will the buyer need a Windows product key?

Usually not. Microsoft says digital licenses are associated with the hardware, and the same edition activates automatically online after a reinstall on that PC.

### Should I choose Cloud download or Local reinstall?

Either works for selling. Cloud download fetches a fresh copy with the latest updates, while Local reinstall uses files already on the PC and is faster on a slow connection.

### How long does a factory reset of Windows 11 take?

It varies with the drive and the options you choose, and Clean data makes it longer. Do not restart the PC yourself if the screen stays black, since Microsoft says that could cause the reset to fail.


Canonical: https://mole.fit/windows/blog/reset-windows-pc-before-selling