Windows 10 Creators Update is the upcoming major update to Windows 10. It is expected to bring a lot of new features to the operating system. Insider Preview builds, and especially the recently released Windows 10 build 14986, have already got plenty of improvements and changes to Windows apps, system features and the overall user experience. One of the lesser known changes in Windows 10 build 14986 is a new Clean Up function that is part of the updated System Reset mechanism.
As of this writing, the Reset this PC feature in current, stable builds of Windows 10 allows you to choose between removing everything or reinstalling Windows while preserving your personal files. Starting with Windows 10 build 14986, a third option is available. Here is how you can try it out in action.
The Clean Up PC Feature in Windows 10 Creators Update
Before you continue, you should keep in mind that this function is experimental in Windows 10 build 14986. This is the reason it is not present in the options related to 'Reset My PC' functionality. So it is a good idea to try it out in a test lab environment like a virtual machine.
To launch the Clean Up PC feature, do the following.
- Press Win + R keys together to open the Run dialog. Tip: See the ultimate list of all Windows keyboard shortcuts with Win keys).
- Type or copy-paste the following command
systemreset -cleanpc
This will launch the following wizard:
According to its description, the Clean Up feature will do the following:
- Remove all installed apps and programs.
- Restore all settings to their defaults.
- Install all released feature and cumulative updates to bring the operating system up to date.
Your personal files won't be removed. Once you click the "Clean" button, the process will be started, and then your PC will restart automatically.
Credits for this discovery go to Inside Windows blog.
So what do you think about this new feature? Do you think it is really necessary to have such an option? Or existing options are enough to restore and repair the PC?
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I think this is a really cool feature to see when Creators Update is released. Does this clean up feature also removed preinstalled programs that came with my PC like Foxit Reader came preinstalled on my PC when I bought it from from Best Buy?
It is not clear yet. The function was not officially announced. From my point of view, it will remove everything expect “native” Windows apps.
Will Internet Explorer be completely removed in future builds and is it possible that Windows 10 might only have Microsoft Edge browser in future builds while Internet Explorer is being completely removed?
IE will remain as long as it needed by Enterprise customers to their internal solutions which depend on IE. There are plenty of them. I don’t think that the app will be removed soon.