The stability, performance and security of any operating system, especially Windows, it ends up degrading with just use and the passage of timedue to installation and uninstallation of applications and games, hardware drivers, failure to update the same system or introduction of some type of malware.

Reset options and specifically how we are going to check in this practical, restoring Windows 10 to the original “factory” settingsis a good way to overcome those random or chronic system crashes, various slowdowns in its execution, longer boot times and general problems that can get on the nerves of even the calmest.

If we know where the specific error is, we will have the opportunity to recover them easily. Other times, however, we don’t know how to stop this loss of performance, delays when launching applications or games, or random errors without a specific solution. On such occasions, it is more appropriate to “take the bull by the horns” and directly restore or reset these initial settings where systems usually work properly.

Even more advanced users or test teams where we never stop drilling may consider this as routine maintenance to be done from time to time as a way to avoid the bugs that eventually occur with Windows.

Restore Windows 10 with a single command

Windows 10 and Windows 11 have several internal troubleshooting tools in Settings and/or Control Panel. But there is another option that is even faster and shows the capabilities of the Windows console, in this case in its simplest command line variant.

This technique is safe using the same Microsoft tools, but as always with these problems, we recommend making a backup copy of our files beforehand. Once the Windows 10 restore is complete, it can be done using a few steps:

1.- Right-click on the Start button and select Command Prompt (Administrator)

2.- Type the command in the terminal systemreset --factoryreset

And there is nothing left to do but to choose between the two options you will see in the picture:

Which option to choose

The truth is that these two options are self-explanatory. In both cases, applications and system settings will be removed because the tool will access Windows RE (Windows Recovery Environment), erasing and formatting partitions before installing a fresh copy of Windows 10.

If you use the option ‘Keep my files’, the tool will create a copy of them to return them to their original location after installing the system. In the case of selecting the o ‘Remove All’the tool allows you to save files located on other storages than the main one where the operating system is installed, but as we told you above, it is safer to do it before with Backup.

Either way, when the Windows recovery environment does its job, we’ll have a fresh, clean operating system right out of the box, with no performance, security or stability penalties which usually appears when just using it.

After the process is complete, you can go to Windows Update and update your system to the latest security and feature version. Also install the apps and games you need and the drivers provided by Microsoft, the PC manufacturer, or the component supplier if we built the device ourselves.

In total. Restoring Windows 10 to defaults is a good way to fix problems or, if used as a regular maintenance program, to reach your PC’s full potential.