Windows 10 update will soon enable cloud reinstalls

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Users looking to reinstall Windows 10 will soon be able to do so just by going online, Microsoft has revealed

The latest Windows 10 Insider Preview Build includes a new option when resetting your PC that will tie to a cloud download of Windows. 

Until now, anyone looking to reinstall Windows would have needed to use an external copy of the software, or choose to utilise a local copy, which is often already stored on a PC and therefore at risk of corruption or other faults.

Reset

The new option is included as part of the "Reset this PC" menu in the Recovery section of Windows Settings, and will reinstall the same build, version, and edition of Windows that was installed on the device. Previously, Reset this PC used local files to build a new Windows installation from exisiting files.

This new cloud download option is available to all Windows 10 devices and is different from the “Recover from the cloud” feature available on some earlier Windows 10 devices. Microsoft says the new addition was inspired by users saying they would prefer to use their high-speed internet connection to speed up the re-install process by just downloading Windows.

The company adds that doing so will remove any apps installed on the device - and that if the "Remove everything" option is selected, then user data will be deleted as well.

Microsoft will be hoping that the new release helps encourage even more uptake of the latest versions of Windows 10. 

Recent figures from the company show that its Windows 10 May 2019 Update rollout has accelerated speedily, with the upgrade now on 33 percent of Windows 10 machines – that figure having tripled since the previous month.

Via Engadget

Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.

Latest in Pro
Hospital
Major Oracle outage hits US Federal health record systems
A close-up of a phone screen showing the Telegram, Signal and WhatsApp apps
Agentic AI has “profound” issues with security and privacy, Signal President says
Workers at computers in an office
Cybersecurity workers aren't massively happy with their employers - but they are being paid pretty well
Bluetooth
Top Bluetooth chip security flaw could put a billion devices at risk worldwide
A person holding out their hand with a digital AI symbol.
DeepSeek kicks off the next wave of the AI rush
Chrome icon on Android
The US government still wants Google to sell off Chrome
Latest in News
Q Acoustics Q SUB80, QSUB100 and QSUB120 subwoofers
Q Acoustics wants to bring the bass to your post-Oscars movie catch-up
Hospital
Major Oracle outage hits US Federal health record systems
Samsung Galaxy A56 display
Samsung’s new budget handsets are getting One UI 7 before the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and I’m as confused as you are
iPad Pro 13-inch 2024 on a table
The OLED iPad Pro is reportedly less popular than expected – and that could mean these changes to Apple's OLED iPad plans
Sam Porter cradles a baby
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach trailer confirms June release date and an even more harrowing post-apocalyptic world
The Ray-Ban Meta Coperni smart glasses
The new Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses design is an expensive disappointment