Easily Reset Windows 11 to Factory without Password (3 Ways)

Can you factory reset a Windows PC without password?

If you encounter issues with your Windows 11 PC and need to reset it to factory settings but have forgotten your administrator password, you can still do it. Here's how to reset Windows 11 to factory without password.

Suggestion: backup your important files in Windows 11 before resetting

Before performing a factory reset on your Windows 11 PC, it's important to backup your important files because resetting your computer will delete them.

How to factory reset Windows 11 without password/with buttons

# 1. Factory reset from login screen

Step 1. Press the Shift key and then click on the Power button, and select the Restart button to continue.

Step 2. Then enter Troubleshoot to select Reset this PC.

Step 3. Then you can choose Remove everything under the Reset this PC option.

Step 4. Choose a way to reinstall your Windows 11 after resetting.

Step 5. You can choose Fully clean the drive if you want to factory set your computer.

Step 6. Confirm your settings and choose Reset to execute the operation.

# 2. Factory reset PC with Windows installation media

Can you factory reset your PC without turning it on? Yes, you can do a factory reset for Windows 11 when starting up your computer. However, you'll need the Windows 11 installation media to do it. Now see the working process below:

Step 1. Download the Windows 11 installation media from the Microsoft website. You also need to prepare a USB flash drive at least 8 GB.

Step 2. Launch this tool, Accept the terms and choose Create installation media for another PC, and click Next. Follow the prompts to create an installation USB installation media.

Step 3. Then, insert the USB or CD/DVD with the Windows 11 installation media into your computer.

Step 4. Turn on your computer and at the same time, press the F8 key or other boot key to enter the boot menu. Then change the boot order: select boot from your USB.

Step 5. Minutes later, you can see the Windows installation interface, choose your language and other preferences, click on Next to continue.

Step 6. Click on Install now to reset your Windows 11 PC.

Step 7. Then choose I don’t have a product key.

Step 8. Select the type of Windows 11 installation. Select Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) here. This will ensure that Windows 11 is reset to factory settings.

Step 9. Select the drive where you want to install Windows in the next phase. If you have multiple partitions, you may need to delete and recreate them first. Select Next to continue.

Step 10. The process of installing Windows 11 involves your computer restarting multiple times.

During these restarts, it copies Windows files, prepares for installation, installs features, and updates. Once this entire process completes successfully, your Windows 11 factory reset without needing a password is finished. This process is also the same for factory reset Windows 10 without password.

# 3. Reset Windows 11 via AOMEI OneKey Recovery

AOMEI OneKey Recovery is a professional and reliable software designed for Windows PCs and servers. It simplifies the process of creating a one-click system backup and restoring Windows systems with ease.

When you first use your computer, AOMEI OneKey Recovery helps you create a OneKey Recovery system backup. Later on, if needed, it can restore your laptop to its default settings using this backup.

☁AOMEI OneKey Recovery is applicable to almost all Windows systems including 11, 10, 8, 8.1, XP and etc. regardless of PC brands. You can factory reset Dell laptop Windows 11 effortlessly.
☁ AOMEI OneKey Recovery allows you to schedule system backups on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. This means it can regularly capture changes made since the last backup, ensuring that you always have an up-to-date backup available for restoring your system to its factory settings when needed.

Step 1. Boot your computer and choose AOMEI OneKey Recovery in the Windows boot menu. Then your computer will boot into the Windows PE recovery environment.

Step 2. After Windows PE recovery environment starts, AOMEI OneKey Recovery will automatically pop up. Click Yes to confirm that you need to restore the system.

Step 3. Here we can choose the first way to perform.

Step 4. Now click Start Restore to reset windows 11 to factory without password.

Wrapping things up

This article offers 3 methods to reset Windows 11 to factory without password. You can use AOMEI OneKey Recovery for an easy reset once you've created the initial backup. Another robust option is AOMEI Backupper Standard, which makes system restore simple and is also a valuable tool to backup C drive in Windows 11.