Guide

How to Reinstall Windows Without Losing Your Programs and Settings

Updated: July 14, 2026 · ~6 min read

A clean Windows install is the best fix for a slow, cluttered PC — but almost nobody does it, because the aftermath costs a weekend. You reinstall dozens of apps one by one, redo every Explorer and taskbar setting, hunt down GPU and chipset drivers, re-import bookmarks, and re-tune every game. This guide covers three ways to reinstall Windows without losing that setup — from a free manual checklist to a one-pack tool that restores everything in minutes.

Why "Reset this PC → Keep my files" isn't enough

Windows' built-in reset with Keep my files preserves your documents, but it still removes your installed desktop programs and most of your customisation. And because it doesn't wipe the drive cleanly, it often carries the same junk and corruption you were trying to escape. For a real fresh start you want a clean install — which means planning ahead so your apps and settings come back on the other side.

Option 1 — The manual checklist (free)

Before you format, save each of these somewhere off the system drive (a USB stick or another disk):

This works and costs nothing — but it's tedious and easy to forget something, and after the reinstall you still have to reinstall and reconfigure everything by hand.

Option 2 — A disk image (Macrium, Acronis)

Imaging tools clone your entire drive so you can roll back. They're great as a safety net, but they're the opposite of a fresh start: the image brings back everything — including the bloat, leftover services and corruption you wanted gone — and the files are huge (often 100–300 GB). You also can't easily restore just your apps and settings onto a clean install; it's all or nothing.

Option 3 — Capture the setup, not the disk (Rebuildr)

Rebuildr was built for exactly this. Instead of a giant disk image, it captures your setup — your apps list, safe Windows tweaks, driver sources, browser bookmarks, and Steam/game configs — into one small encrypted .rebuildr pack before you format. After a clean install you load the pack and tick exactly what should come back. Apps reinstall from their official sources, your settings return, your game configs and profiles are put back, and you're productive again in minutes instead of days. Everything is encrypted on your own PC first (zero-knowledge), and every restored change is reversible.

Step by step

  1. Capture — open Rebuildr before you format and build one encrypted pack of your apps, settings, drivers and game configs.
  2. Format — boot from a Windows 10/11 USB and do the clean install, following the built-in checklist so you don't forget BIOS settings like EXPO/XMP or Secure Boot.
  3. Restore — open Rebuildr on the fresh install, load your pack, and pick exactly what returns. Minutes, not days.

Frequently asked questions

Can I reinstall Windows without losing my programs?

Not by default — a clean install wipes the drive. But if you back up your apps list and settings first, you can reinstall your programs and restore your setup automatically afterwards instead of losing them.

Does resetting Windows keep my apps?

Reset this PC → Keep my files keeps personal files but removes installed desktop apps and most settings. For a truly clean install that also brings your apps and setup back, capture them beforehand and restore after.

Will I lose my game settings if I reformat?

Only if you don't save them. Game configs, Steam/CS2 settings, keybinds and your NVIDIA/RGB profiles all live in files you can back up and restore — Rebuildr does this automatically so you don't re-tune everything.

Rebuildr is launching soon. Format once, restore your whole Windows PC in minutes — apps, settings, drivers and game configs from one encrypted pack, plus an AI Assistant that diagnoses problems from your real settings. Join the launch list →