A Lenovo laptop is a reliable and versatile device that can help you with various tasks, such as work, study, entertainment, and more. However, sometimes, you may need help with your laptop such as slow performance, virus infection, system errors, or corrupted files. In these cases, you should reset your laptop to factory settings and restore it to its original state.
Resetting your laptop can help you solve many issues and improve your laptop’s functionality. However, it also means losing all your data and installing programs on your laptop. Therefore, before you reset your laptop, you should back up your important files to an external hard drive or a cloud storage service.
Two ways to reset a Lenovo are using Windows settings or the NOVO button. The Windows settings method suits most Lenovo laptops running Windows 10 or 11. The NOVO button method is specific for some Lenovo models, such as IdeaPad or ThinkPad laptops. Here are the steps for both methods:
How to Reset a Lenovo Laptop Using Windows Settings
This method allows you to reset your laptop from within Windows. You can keep your files or remove everything when you reset your laptop. Here are the steps for Windows 11:
- Go to the Windows Start Menu and select Settings.
- Select Recovery.
- Select Reset PC.
- Choose Keep My Files to save your documents, or Remove Everything if you want to wipe out everything on your laptop.
- Pick how you want to reinstall Windows. Choose Cloud Download if you want to download the latest version of Windows from the internet, or Local Reinstall if you want to use the existing version of Windows on your laptop.
- Select Next to begin the reset process.
Here are the steps for Windows 10:
- Go to the Windows Start Menu and choose Settings.
- Select Update & Security.
- Choose Recovery, and under Reset this PC, select Get Started.
- Choose Keep My Files or Remove Everything, depending on your preference.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the reset process.
How to Reset a Lenovo Laptop Using the NOVO Button
This method allows you to reset your laptop using a special button on your laptop called the NOVO button. The NOVO button is small and circular, usually near the power button or on the laptop’s left side. Some laptops may have a recovery pinhole instead of a button, which you can activate with a paper clip. This method will use the Lenovo OneKey Recovery mode to restore your laptop to factory settings. Here are the steps:
- Turn off your laptop completely.
- Press the NOVO button or insert a paper clip into the recovery pinhole for 10 seconds.
- The system will power on and display the NOVO Button Menu.
- Use your arrow keys to select System Recovery and press Enter.
- The system will boot to the recovery partition on your hard drive and show the OneKey Recovery screen.
- Choose Restore from the initial backup if you want to use the image created at the factory or the user’s backup if you have created a backup image on a different partition or an external hard drive.
- Select Next to start the restoration process.
Conclusion
Resetting your Lenovo can help you fix many problems and improve your laptop’s performance. However, it also means losing all your data and installing programs on your lap. Therefore, before you reset your laptop, you should back up your important files to an external hard drive or a cloud storage service.
Two ways to reset a Lenovo are using Windows settings or the NOVO button. The Windows settings method suits most Lenovo laptops running Windows 10 or 11. The NOVO button method is specific for some Lenovo models, such as IdeaPad or ThinkPad laptops.