Windows 10 and 11 have a potentially serious issue with their ‘Reset This PC’ feature, which could allow someone else to access your data.
Windows has a potentially serious flow that could allow someone to access data even if it’s been … [+]
The issue arises when using the feature to reset your PC prior to selling it or otherwise wanting to remove your files. When resetting your PC, the option to completely wipe the hard drive is given for this reason before the process re installs Windows.
The Reset My PC feature can allow someone to access old files on your drive even if you’ve told it … [+]
Once Windows is automatically installed, your PC will run as new with no other files accessible on the drive – exactly how you want it to be if you’re selling your Windows device for example.
However, an issue with the feature on Windows 10 and 11 means that if files were stored as part of cloud software, such as Windows OneDrive, the data stored might still be accessible after a complete Windows reset and reinstall.
The issue is detailed on this page, but thankfully there is an easy fix. Signing out of or unlinking any cloud services and removing the files and folders before performing the reset should prevent the data from still be accessible after you reset your PC.
This will only affect those wanting to delete their files in order to give the device to someone else, where you should always make sure your data has been permanently deleted. Microsoft says it’s working on a solution to the problem for both Windows 10 and Windows 11, but for now you should follow this step if you need to securely reset your PC.
