Tech Tip – How To Make Sure All Data Is Removed When Re-Setting A Windows Device

If you need to use the “Remove everything” option to reset a Windows device, and don’t want to leave any data behind (a known current issue), here’s the latest workaround from Microsoft:

– Sign out or unlink OneDrive before resetting the Windows device. Instructions can be found in the “Unlink OneDrive” section of the Microsoft support pages: Turn off, disable, or uninstall OneDrive. 

– Take the following steps to mitigate the issue on devices that have already been reset: KB5012334—Delete the Windows.old folder using Storage sense in the Settings app.