{"id":97633,"date":"2018-02-27T17:33:08","date_gmt":"2018-02-27T17:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=97633"},"modified":"2025-07-01T23:38:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T06:38:30","slug":"how-to-install-windows-10-cleanly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/how-to-install-windows-10-cleanly\/","title":{"rendered":"How to perform a clean install of Windows 10"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you currently have a PC that isn&#8217;t running the latest version of Windows, you probably want to update your device. So, do you know <\/span><b>how to install Windows 10 cleanly?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"background-color: #f5f6f5\"><div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"Windows 10\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_optimized,f_auto\/p\/3238ea9c-96d0-11e6-8b5c-00163ed833e7\/390199485\/windows-10-logo.png\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">Windows 10<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/windows-10.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download Windows 10<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--80\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"80\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"8\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\">8<\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\">The latest and greatest version of Microsoft's operating system.<\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/windows-10.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In today\u2019s article, we\u2019ll give you some pointers on how to install Windows 10 on your PC cleanly and safely, i.e., without any hiccups. However, first, we\u2019ll give you some advice.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Details to keep in mind<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We don\u2019t call it a <\/span><b>\u201cclean install\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for nothing: all the apps that aren\u2019t integrated into the operating system will be deleted. So, any program that you have downloaded, even those that belong to Microsoft but are secondary (such as Office), you\u2019ll lose. Make sure you have the download keys to reinstall them later.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On top of this, you\u2019ll also say goodbye to all <\/span><b>apps, support programs, and drivers. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This also refers to \u201cdigital licenses, digital content associated with apps and other digital rights relating to them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We don\u2019t want to scare you with those last two paragraphs. We just want you to be aware that if you decide to install Windows 10 cleanly, this is what\u2019s going to happen. Be mindful.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/microsoft_11-1024x576-1024x576.jpg\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">Little known Microsoft programs and services that are really useful<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/little-known-microsoft-programs-and-services-that-are-really-useful\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Read Now<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/little-known-microsoft-programs-and-services-that-are-really-useful\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<h2><b>Step by step<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After this \u201cdisclaimer,\u201d as we\u2019re calling it, it\u2019s time to install Windows 10. First of all:<\/span><b>&nbsp;free up the necessary space on your hard driv<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>e<\/strong>. You need about 3 GB, though our advice is that you make more space available (in fact, a lot more space). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once you\u2019ve got the <\/span><b>necessary space<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (delete files and programs if not) and <\/span><b>made a backup copy <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">just in case (not mandatory, but recommended), you have to download the installation tool. To do this, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/go.microsoft.com\/fwlink\/?LinkID=817236\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">you only have to click here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once you start, the standard <\/span><b>Licence terms<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&nbsp;will pop up. Read and accept everything to continue with the installation. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When you complete the previous step, a new message will show up on the screen. This is where you will select what you want to keep; if you want to save your personal files, click on <\/span><b>Keep only personal files.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Instead, if you want to delete everything, click <\/span><b>Nothing.&nbsp;<\/b><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2017\/10\/Windows-10-1024x597.jpg\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">5 Tricks to Speed up Windows 10 Start Time<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/5-tricks-to-speed-up-windows-10-start-time\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Read Now<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/5-tricks-to-speed-up-windows-10-start-time\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Click the<\/span><b>&nbsp;Ok<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&nbsp;button and start the installation. From here on, the process is completely automatic, though you can cancel it if you get scared. When can you do this? Well right before the computer restarts. If it does, your previous operating system will be completely wiped. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After a few minutes, you\u2019ll have your Windows 10 cleanly activated. Remember to go to <\/span><b>Settings -&gt; Updates and security -&gt; Windows update&nbsp;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">if you\u2019re missing a driver (which we bet will happen at some point, we admit). Also, don\u2019t forget to visit the company websites to install the latest drivers, especially having to do with those coveted graphics cards.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you currently have a PC that isn&#8217;t running the latest version of Windows, you probably want to update your device. So, do you know how to install Windows 10 cleanly? In today\u2019s article, we\u2019ll give you some pointers on how to install Windows 10 on your PC cleanly and safely, i.e., without any hiccups. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/how-to-install-windows-10-cleanly\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;How to perform a clean install of Windows 10&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9091,"featured_media":97820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[2441],"tags":[2351],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-97633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-app-subdomain-redirectionwindows-10"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9091"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97633"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":328236,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97633\/revisions\/328236"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97633"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=97633"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=97633"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=97633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}