How to Factory Reset Windows 11 from BIOS [2024 Full Guide]

Can you factory reset Windows 11 from BIOS?

Factory reset Windows 11 can be the last resort option for some Windows users because it deletes everything that cannot be retrieved, but it remains a primary remedy to many Windows problems. Factory resetting your device to its original state can help resolve many software or configuration issues and get it back to working order. This can involve resolving software update issues, addressing faults in the operating system, and improving computer performance.

Depending on your setup and the version of Windows you're running, there are several methods you can use to reset your Windows laptop or desktop to factory settings like using Windows Settings, startup screen, installation disk, etc.

Many users then will ask: can I factory reset Windows 11 from BIOS? The answer is completely positive. As the program that a computer's microprocessor utilizes to boot up the system when power is connected, BIOS can control data flow between the OS and external devices like hard drives, video adapters, keyboards, mice, and printers.

Thus, you can run Windows 11 factory reset from BIOS. In the following content, we will demonstrate the detailed steps.

Clone your computer before factory reset

Before discussing how to reset PC from BIOS, it is crucial to back up all your data as the process will delete personal files, apps, and settings. While Windows 11 offers built-in backup tools, it is not as well-equipped as you would think. If your system has a technical malfunction or an unexpected problem, data loss is inevitable.

In this case, leveraging third-party solutions like AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional provides more comprehensive data protection. It's a great backup tool that can create a duplicate of your system, applications, folders, or anything important by cloning the disk to another drive.

Look at what makes it outstanding:

◕ Safely clone Windows 11/10/8/7 to NVMe SSD without reinstallation.
◕ Help upgrade disk by replacing hard drive without risk of data loss.
◕ Use hot cloning technology to clone data without interrupting operations.
◕ Utilize 4k alignment technology for optimal SSD performance.
◕ Support various storage devices, including internal & external hard drives, USB flash drives, etc.

Connect the drive to your computer first. Ensure it can be detected. Then follow the steps below:

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, click "Clone" in the main interface, and select "Clone Disk".

Step 2. Choose the hard disk that you need to clone as the source disk and click "Next".

Step 3. Select the destination disk to store the data on the source disk, and then click "Next".

Step 4. Then, you can check the source and destination disk in the next window or change to "Sector to Sector clone", and click the "Confirm" button to continue if there is no problem.

Here, you can also click the "Settings" button to adjust the partition size on the destination disk or tick "4k alignment" to optimize performance of SSD.

① Clone without resizing partitions: all partition will be cloned to the target disk as the original partition size. It is available when the target disk is large enough to hold all partitions on the source disk.
② Fit partitions to entire disk: all partitions will be cloned to the target disk and take up its full capacity according to the original partition size proportion.
③ Edit partitions on this disk: you can change every partition size on the target disk as you need.

Step 5. After returning to the main interface, check the pending operation and click "Apply" and "Proceed" to commit the operation.

If you are cloning the system hard drive to another hard drive, to successfully boot from the destination hard drive and avoid the embarrassing moment that cloned SSD won’t boot, please do as below:

Step 1. Restart your computer, long press the "F2" key (perhaps other keys like DEL), and access the BIOS environment.

Step 2. Change the boot order and set the cloned hard drive as the first boot drive in BIOS.

Step 3. Press "Enter". Now you should boot the computer from the cloned hard disk successfully.

How to factory reset Windows 11 from BIOS

After cloning your computer, let's move to the next part. This section will teach you the steps to performing a Windows 11 factory reset from BIOS.

Step 1. Start the computer.

Step 2. Immediately after the power-on self-test (POST), press the Power button again to turn off.

Step 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 twice. On the third reboot, Windows 11 should enter WinRE (Windows Recovery Environment).

Step 4. Click Troubleshoot > Reset this PC in WinRE.

Step 5. Select the Keep my files or Remove everything option based on your preference:

▶ Keep my files: This option will reinstall Windows 11 while removing apps and settings, but keep your files.

▶ Remove everything: This option will erase the hard drive and reinstall a fresh copy of Windows 11.

Step 6. If you choose Remove everything, you will have to choose between Just remove my files (if you plan to keep the device) or Fully clean the drive (if you plan to dispose of the device and this process takes longer).

Step 7. Choose how to reinstall Windows 11 after reset: 

▶ Cloud download: Redownload Windows 11 instead of using an available image, which may take longer.

▶ Local reinstall: Utilize local images to speed up the installation process.

Step 8. Confirm that you are ready to reset your device. If you are ready to endure the consequences listed, click Reset to initiate the factory reset process for your Windows 11 PC.

Step 9. This process may take more than an hour. Once completed, a settings window will appear. Follow the on-screen instructions to continue the setup.

Following these steps will allow you to perform a factory reset Windows 11 from BIOS, effectively restoring your PC to its original state.

Further reading: How to factory reset Windows 11 from BIOS without password

If you find yourself unable to access your Windows system because you forgot your password, you won't be able to access system settings or backup data, resulting in potential data loss. Therefore, the traditional methods of how to factory reset Windows 11 from BIOS mentioned above may not be feasible. In this case, before factory resetting Windows 11, you need to remove the login password using a Windows password reset disk.

AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional becomes a highly recommended solution. In addition to the mentioned disk cloning function, this versatile tool also offers the ability to delete or remove login passwords across various Windows versions, including Windows 11/10/8/7. With this feature, accessing your computer becomes worry-free, ensuring that your system usage is not hindered.

To perform the Windows 11 factory reset from boot without password, follow these steps:

Step 1. Prepare a USB drive and connect it to a functioning Windows computer. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. Navigate to Tools > Reset Windows Password from the menu.

Step 2. In the subsequent window, click Next to create WinPE bootable media.

Step 3. Select USB Boot Device and specify your prepared USB drive to create a bootable USB. Click Proceed to continue the creation process.

Step 4. Note that the USB flash drive will be formatted, resulting in data loss. If there is important data, please back it up first; otherwise, click Yes to continue.

Step 5. After successfully creating the bootable USB, disconnect it and connect it to the computer you cannot access. Change the boot drive settings to start the PC from this USB.

Step 6. AOMEI Partition Assistant will appear automatically. Click Reset Password, select your Windows system, and continue.

Step 7. Select the account and choose the desired action: Remove Account Password or Reset Account Password. Here we select Remove Account Password and click Next to continue.

Step 8. Confirm to delete the password, restart the computer, and then log in without a password.

Step 9. Once you regain access to your system, follow the steps above to clone the disk and factory reset Windows 11 from BIOS.

Final words

In conclusion, it is crucial to know these steps to factory reset Windows 11 from BIOS. It is recommended to clone your computer before starting a factory reset, especially if no backup exists. If you don't have a password for BIOS access and want to know how to factory reset Windows 11 from BIOS without password, please utilize AOMEI Partition Assistant Pro to remove the password and proceed with Windows 11 factory resetting.

In addition, PA offers tons of features to optimize your computer, including creating/resizing, moving/deleting partitions in Windows 11, recovering deleted files from USB, and converting MBR disk to GPT without losing data, etc