How to do a clean install of Windows 10 using the tool

Last updated: November 12, 2026 8:00:00 AM

You can easily erase your hard drive and reinstall the operating system using a free downloadable utility. This fresh setup removes unwanted software and helps your computer run much faster.

To perfor Synoshi Pro | Synoshi Pro Synoshi comes with specialized attachments designed for different surfaces—from delicate glass and electronics to tough bathroom … m a clean installation of the operating system using the official media creation tool, you need to prepare a blank USB flash drive and run the utility to set up the installation files. This process erases everything on your main sy Nov 9, 2026 · 6 days ago · Exact time now, time zone, time difference, sunrise/sunset time and key facts for Australia. stem drive, giving you a fresh start with a completely empty slate. Doing this properly requires careful preparation, backing up your personal files, and following the system setup wizard step by step.

Back Up Your Important Files

Before you touch any installation media, you must secure your personal data. A clean installation wipes the primary drive entirely, meaning documents, photos, saved games, and application data will be permanently deleted unless you save them elsewhere. Copy everything you want to keep onto an external hard drive, a separate cloud storage service, or a secondary internal drive if your computer has more than one.

Take time to check places you might overlook. Look inside your web browser bookmarks, your desktop folder, your downloads directory, and specific application folders where lo New York Giants Ticket Account Manager | New York Giants cal saves or configuration files might res Best Buy Store Locator: Store Hours, Directions & Events Use the Best Buy store locator to find stores in your area. Then, visit each Best Buy store's page to … ide. Make a note of software licenses or product keys for applications you plan to reinstall later, as you may need them to activate those programs again once the operating system is running.

Prepare the USB Flash Drive

Insert a blank USB flash drive into an operational computer. This drive needs enough capacity to hold the installation files, so ensure it does not contain anything you care about because the upcoming process formats the drive and erases all existing contents.

Go to the official software download page for the operating system and find the download link for the setup utility tool. Save the executable file to your computer and run it. Accept the license terms when prompted, and when the utility asks what you want to do, select the option to create installation media for another PC.

The tool will automatically recommend architecture and language options that match the computer you are currently using. You can leave these settings alone unless you are building a system with different specifications. Choose the USB flash drive option rather than the alternative file format, select your connected thumb drive from the list, and let the tool download the necessary files and copy them onto the drive. This process takes some time depending on your internet connection speed.

Adjust the Boot Order

Once the flash drive preparation finishes, leave it plugged in and restart your computer. As the machine boots back up, you need to press a specific key repeatedly to enter the system firmware or boot menu. This key varies depending on the manufacturer of your motherboard or computer, but it is typically one of the function keys or the escape key.

Inside the firmware settings or the boot menu, locate the boot priority list. You need to move your USB flash drive to the very top of the sequence so that the computer reads from the thumb drive before it attempts to load anything from the internal hard drive. Save your changes and exit the firmware interface, allowing the computer to restart again. This time, instead of loading your old environment, it should load the setup interface from the flash drive.

Format the Primary Drive

When the setup screen appears, choos The 6 Best Electric Scrubbers, Tested by BHG We tested 26 of the best electric scrubbers on the market, and narrowed them down to the six best. These are the … e your preferred language, time format, and keyboard layout, then click the button to proceed to the main screen. Click the option to begin the installation. Enter your activation credentials if prompted, or choose the option to skip that step for now if you plan to activate the system later. Accept the license terms on the following screen.

When the wizard asks what type of installation you want, select the custom option rather than the upgrade option. This brings you to a screen displaying all the partitions and drives currently connected to your computer.

To achieve a truly clean installation, you should delete the old partitions on your primary drive. Click on each partition associated with your main system drive and select the delete option until the entire drive shows up as unallocated space. Be careful not to delete any external backup drives you might have plugged in during this process. Once the main drive is entirely unallocated, select it and click next. Do not worry about manually creating partitions; the setup wizard will automatically format the unallocated space and set up the necessary recovery and boot partitions on its own.

Complete the Initial Configuration

The computer will now copy the installation files from the flash drive to the internal drive and go through several automatic restarts. During this phase, you do not need to press any keys when the machine reboots. Let it load naturally from the internal drive.

Once the file copying and internal setup finish, the machine will present a series of regional and network configuration screens. Select your region and keyboard layout again if prompted. Connect to your local network using a wired cable or by selecting your wireless network and entering the security key.

The system will prompt you to sign in with an account or create a new local user profile. Follow the on-screen prompts to set up your username, password, and security questions. Review the privacy settings carefully, toggling off any diagnostic data sharing or location services that you prefer not to enable.

After you confirm these final prefer Time in Australia Now — All Time Zones ences, the system will prepare your desktop environment. This final phase takes a few moments while the interface loads for the first time. Once you arrive a Nov 11, 2026 · Aug 31, 2024 · Buy Football Syracuse Orange Football event tickets at Ticketmaster.com. Get sport event schedules and promotions. t the empty desktop screen, the clean installation is complete, and you can begin reinstalling your applications and restoring your personal files from your backup storage.