How to Clean Install Windows 11: A Comprehensive Guide

Clean install refers to the process of installing Windows in a clean, blank state. This means removing all of the previous data and installed apps, and starting over with the new Windows operating system. Clean installation is different from a system upgrade where you can still retain your data in the new operating system version.

There are some cases where you need to do a clean installation, such as:

• System performance issues that can’t be fixed with regular methods
• Your computer system is under attack by computer viruses and malware
• You’re selling your computer and you need to wipe out all of your data

If you’re looking to clean install Windows 11 but still unsure how to start, this article will get you covered! Read through the preparation checklist, the guide on how to perform a clean install, and what to do after a clean installation below.

What to do before clean installing Windows 11

Pre-clean install to-do list

Before doing a clean install of Windows 11, you need to make sure the following:

• Ensure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements to run Windows 11 by running a compatibility check using the PC Health Check app
• Back up your important data, preferably using a 3-2-1 backup strategy. This basically means that you need to create three data copies on two types of storage (such as using a USB flash drive and cloud storage service) in at least one off site location
• Have a stable internet connection
• Have an admin access
• Have a bootable USB drive which contains a Windows media creation tool. The USB drive should have at least 8GB of storage and is preferably a blank USB drive because any data that remains in the drive will be deleted during the creation process
• Take note of the current Windows 11 installed on your computer. You can do this by going to the System menu > select System > select About. You should find your Windows 11 edition under the Windows specifications menu. Once you find it, make sure that the Windows edition you’re going to clean install matches your old edition

Create Windows 11 Media Creation Tool

Creating an installation media using the Windows Media Creation tool is an important step in the clean installation process. Here’s how you can do it:

• Download Windows 11 media creation tool from its official website
• Once it’s done, you can run the Media Creation Tool file
• Read through the Microsoft Software License Terms and if it looks good for you, click the “Accept” button

• Select the language and edition of Windows 11 > click the “Next” button

• Select which external drive you want to choose as an installation media. You can use a blank USB flash drive with at least 8GB storage or an ISO file (you’ll need to burn the ISO file to a DVD later) > click the “Next” button. Bear in mind that if you opt for a blank USB flash drive, the device will be formatted and all of the data inside will be deleted

• Choose the target drive from the list and click the “Next” button. Then wait for the media creation download process

• Once it’s done, click the “Finish” button. Now you have a bootable installation media

How to do Clean Install Windows 11

Here’s how you can do a clean install of Windows 11:

• Plug in the external drive where you saved the Media Creation Tool. This could be a bootable USB drive from the previous step, for example
• Enter Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) by clicking the Windows button > selecting “Power” > holding down the Shift Key + clicking the “Restart” option
• In Windows Recovery Environment, select “Use a device” > select the bootable USB flash drive

• From here, you’ll be redirected to the Windows Setup page where you can choose the language settings. Once you’re done, click the “Next” button

• Select keyboard settings and click the “Next” button

• Select “Install Windows 11” and tick the “I agree everything will be deleted including files, apps, and settings” option then click the “Next” button

• If you’re reinstalling the same edition of Windows, select the “I don’t have a product key” option. This will automatically activate the copy of your Windows once you reconnect your Microsoft account

• Choose the Windows edition you got from the previous pre-install checklist > click the “Next” button

• Read through the Microsoft Software License Terms and if it looks good for you, click the “Accept” button

• Choose the drive where you want to clean install Windows 11 then select the “Next” button

• Review the recap, and if everything looks good, click the “Install” button

• Wait for the installation process

• When the Windows installation process is done, your computer will restart. Wait until it fully boots
• After your computer fully boots, select the region and then click the “Yes” button

• Select the keyboard layout and then click the “Yes” button. You can add a second keyboard layout on the next screen, otherwise, you can click the “Skip” button

• Wait until Windows finishes checking for updates

• In the new screen, you can give a name to your device. Otherwise, you can choose the “Skip for now” option

• Your computer will restart, wait for it to fully boot
• In the new screen, select the set up option and click the “Next” button

• Windows will check for and install updates. Wait until the installation process finishes

• Once it finishes, Sign in to your Microsoft account by clicking the “Sign in” button

• Create a PIN by clicking the “Create PIN” button

• Review and choose privacy settings. Click the “Accept” button once it’s done

• In the new screen, you’ll be asked whether you want to restore from your PC backup. You shouldn’t do this because you want to clean install your computer. Instead, you’ll need to click “More options” > select “Set up as a new PC”
• You’ll be asked to reconfirm your choice, select the “Set up as a new PC” option again

• In the new screen, choose whether you want to customize your experience. If you do, tick the options you want and click the “Accept” button. Otherwise, you can click the “Skip” option

• Choose whether you want to link your mobile device with your computer. If you do, follow the instructions on the screen and click the “Next” button, otherwise select “Skip”

• Choose whether you want to back up your phone’s photo in OneDrive. You can follow the instructions to do so, otherwise you can skip the step by clicking the “Skip” button

• You’ll be asked whether you want to keep your browsing data history on Microsoft Edge. Click the “Accept” button if you do, otherwise you can click the “Not now” option

• Lastly, you’ll be given information about Microsoft 365. You can click the “Next” button or ignore the message
• Your clean install process has been completed

What to do after clean install Windows 11

After clean installation, you need to do the following to ensure your system runs in peak conditions:

• Run initial system updates and then regularly check for new updates by accessing the “Windows Update” menu from settings. You can also adjust how and when you want to install updates under the ‘More options’ menu in Windows Update
• Make sure that you have the latest driver updates. You can do this from Windows Update > More options > Advanced options > Additional options > Optional updates then download and install device driver updates from there. You can also do this from the Device Manager menu
• Make sure that Windows Security is activated. You can check this by accessing the Privacy & Security menu > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection. You can check for current threats by clicking the “Quick scan” button in the virus & threat protection menu

Conclusion

Clean Install Windows 11 is an alternative you can try if you want to fix performance issues, or when you want to run Windows 11 in a fresh state.

You can easily perform a clean installation using a bootable USB drive which contains Windows Media Creation and the steps to do it are quite straightforward as described above.

However, you need to do some preparation before clean installation and perform some extra steps after installation to make sure your system runs smoothly.

If you find this article useful, please consider sharing this on your social media and browse through our Tips & Tricks section for more information to make your Windows experience better.