Factory reset your laptop with Windows 10 to fix stubborn problems like computer freezing and crashes. Read on to find the easiest ways to do it. 

A computer is just a machine. And, like every other machine in the world, it is not immune to hardware and software damages. Some wears have simple fixes. For others, you need to take hard steps like a factory reset. Are you facing a similar situation with your HP laptop? If for any reason, you are forced to factory reset the HP laptop but are unsure about how to do it, give this article a thorough reading.

Here, we are going to show you how to factory reset the HP laptop to factory settings effortlessly. However, before proceeding further, you must know something about resetting your laptop.

Now, let’s move on to the methods you can use to factory reset a laptop with Windows 10.

How to reset HP laptop to factory settings

Here is the way you can follow to hard reset HP laptops to factory settings.

Use Settings to factory reset HP laptop

One way to factory reset a laptop with Windows 10 is by using your computer’s settings. Below are the directions you need to follow to do it.

• Use the keyboard hotkey Windows+I to call up your laptop’s settings.
• After the Settings panel appears, search for Reset this PC setting and choose it from the results.
• Click on the Get Started button to proceed further.
  
• Pick Keep my files or Remove everything option depending on your preference. If you want to dispose of the computer, remove all things from it.
  

If you selected the Keep my files option, view the list of apps that the reset will remove and click on Next to proceed further.

Select either of the Just Remove my files or Remove files and clean the drive options if you picked Remove everything.

• Click on Reset when the Ready to reset this PC screen appears.

Use Windows Recovery

If you cannot access the Settings for any reason, such as the computer not starting properly/non-availability of the password, you can use Windows Recovery to factory reset the HP laptop with Windows 10. Here are the steps you are required to take to do it.

• Turn off your computer and disconnect all external devices.
• Turn on the computer and hit the F11 key until it begins the System Recovery.
• Select Troubleshoot when the Choose an option screen appears.
  
• Pick the option to Reset this PC.
  
• Click on Keep my files or Remove everything depending on your preference. Select the option to remove everything if you want to do away with the computer.
  
• Find your recovery key and enter it in the designated space.
• Click on the Reset button to hard reset the HP laptop.

Factory reset Windows 10 from boot

Below is how to reset the HP laptop to factory settings from the boot. The only prerequisite for the following steps is the availability of Windows installation CDs. If you have it, follow these steps to perform the reset.

• Use the installation CD/recovery drive to boot your laptop.
• Choose your language and region from Windows Setup.
• Select Next and then choose to Repair your computer.
  
• Click on Troubleshoot and then select the option to Reset this PC. 
• Pick Keep my files or Remove everything option.
• Follow the on-screen instructions and then click on Reset to begin the process.
• Wait for the factory reset to complete.
  
• After the installation process completes, perform the initial setup and Windows login.

Now that you know how to factory reset a Windows 10 laptop under various circumstances, we are going to answer some related questions to make things a bit more clear. But before proceeding to the question-answer section, here’s a fruitful bonus for you.

Highly useful bonus tip

As a bonus tip, we would like to emphasize that you should always keep the drivers of your Computer up-to-date. Outdated drivers cause major problems that force you to factory reset the HP laptops. Hence, to avoid such issues in the future, consider updating the drivers either manually or automatically using a professional program, like Bit Driver Updater.

We prefer using Bit Driver Updater as it makes the task a whole lot quicker, safer, and easier. Furthermore, it also lets us create and restore driver backups, schedule the PC scans, and perform other crucial operations.  To know more about its incredible features and advantages, you need to click on the download link below.

FAQs related to how to hard reset a laptop to factory settings

Below are the answers to all questions any user may have about how to factory reset HP laptops.

Q1. How is the factory reset different from a hard reset?

Windows offers two kinds of resets. One is the factory reset and the other is the hard reset. The factory reset transports your computer back to its original state, i.e., it reboots the whole system. It formats the hard drive to delete all the data stored on your computer. Factory reset is the best choice when you want to resolve tough issues, such as computer freezing and crashes.

Whereas, the hard reset only re-initializes the crucial hardware components of your computer. And, this ends all the present software operations of the computer. This kind of reset is primarily used when a particular part of the computer is not working properly.

Q2. Does a hard reset cause complete data loss on an HP laptop?

A hard reset is a somewhat soft reset, it only erases a computer’s memory without affecting the personal data. Hence, you can perform it without the fear of losing all your data.

Q3. Does a factory reset result in complete data loss?

Factory reset transforms your computer back to its original condition. It means loss of data, such as files, folders, photos, videos, applications (that you installed), etc. from your computer. Therefore, it is always a good idea to create a data backup before performing the factory reset on the HP laptop.

Q4. What is the drawback of factory reset?

Factory reset has only one major shortcoming, i.e., loss of data. Hence, you should always consider keeping a backup ready to prevent losing your crucial data forever.

Factory reset on HP laptop with Windows 10 done successfully

Through this article, we talked about how to perform a factory reset on HP laptops. We also discussed the way to do it in various situations, such as when you don’t have your laptop’s password or want to execute it from the boot.

We hope you found this write-up useful. For more such tech articles and guides, don’t forget to make Innovana Blog one of our bookmarks and subscriptions.