Your HP laptop has likely been a reliable friend. You’ve probably customized your computer to fit how you want it and installed every program you could ever need.
There will be a point when you must restore your laptop to its factory default settings.
Reasons to Reset a Laptop
Before we discuss the steps to reset your HP laptops in a factory setting, it is essential to think about why you’d do this in the first place.
The machine isn’t functioning as smoothly as it used to. There may also be issues that appear in the middle of the blue.
You may decide to reuse your laptop, donate it to charity, or sell it. Any of these could be justifications for doing an initial reset.
Resetting your laptop’s factory settings is a terrifying prospect, but in some cases, it’s the only feasible option for performing an unintentional reset to eliminate any issues with the technology. If you’re in a situation where you have to reset your HP laptop for any of a myriad of reasons, this guide will take you through the procedure step-by-step.
How can I factory reset my HP laptop running Windows 10?
The Settings Window on your Windows 10 laptop by pressing Windows Key + I.
Choose the Update and Security option, then choose Recovery.
It is possible to update, and secure is available in Windows 10.
To reset the HP laptop that goes back to its original settings, Start by selecting Get Started under the Reset this PC section.
This is the Reset PC Get started button in Windows 10.
The following step is choosing whether or not you wish the files on the system to remain on your device once the reset has been done. Choose to Keep my files to follow this specific option. You may also select the Change settings option to disable the restoration of apps and settings which came with the computer.
Alternatively, you can remove everything to restore the system to its factory settings, meaning that it’ll appear to be a brand-new HP laptop with no file downloads, programs, etc. It will be a clean computer.
The Clean the drive option makes the device appear brand new. The Just delete my files setting will not thoroughly clean up the drive.
If you click the Next button, whichever method you’ve picked, you’ll be asked to connect your laptop to an outlet for power to continue. When the factory reset process is completed, the display will open a window to enable the HP laptop again.
How do you reset factory defaults on an HP laptop running Windows 10?

There are several methods to get access to your reset options:
- Select the menu that says Start.
- Choose “Settings.”
- Choose “Update as well as Security.”
- Then, click “Recovery” on the left side of the window.
- There are three choices available:
- “Reset the PC”
- “Go Back to an Earlier Build”
- “Advanced”
- To reset your basic settings, the following steps are required:
- Select”Get started” under the “Get underway” button that is located under “Reset your PC.”
- After that, you’ll need to decide whether you want to keep your data on your computer or for those who want to start with to start fresh.
- Select either “Keep my files” or
- “Remove everything” according to your requirements.
- Whatever you decide to do, regardless of which option you choose, all your applications will be deleted, and the settings restored to the default settings.
- If you select “Remove everything,” you will also need to decide if you need a clean drive or prefer to keep your laptop and don’t intend to give it to a charity.
- For devices, you’re not planning to keep, click “Remove files and cleanse your drive.” This makes it more difficult for the new user to access the older files.
- If you don’t, you’ll need to click “Just take my files off my computer.”
There may be a message by Windows asking you to decide if you’d like to return to an earlier version or version you have installed on your system. Select “Next,” and the system will be ready for a reset. You can start by selecting”Reset” as your first ” Reset ” option.
How can you ensure that you keep your Windows drivers up-to-date to prevent the possibility of a factory reset?
To avoid the need for you to restart your HP laptop to solve a problem or resolve the root of a problem, it is recommended to keep your computer’s drivers up-to-date. The positive side is that, by default, Windows will automatically update your computer’s driver when necessary. However, some drivers must be manually updated.
It is possible to do these using devices managed by the Manager — for you to start, launch the Device Manager via the Start button. Then, locate the device that requires updating within the devices list. Right-click and select updating the driver. Please read our guide on correcting or reinstalling drivers on Windows 10 for detailed instructions and additional details.