Click it and you're done.Ĭhromebooks are the easiest to refresh. Find the laptop that you're gifting on the list of devices, and at the bottom of the listing, you'll see the option to remove the device. Sign in to your account from another computer and click on the Devices tab at the top of the page. If you used a Microsoft account to sign in to the laptop, the last thing you'll want to do is remove the laptop from that account. You can then stop and shut it down for a fresh-out-of-the-box experience or do some setup, which is a nice touch, especially if it's going to a family member so they can use it right away. When it's done, the laptop will start in its setup assistant mode. After that, Windows cleans the drive of all software, settings and data. From there, you can select to reinstall Windows from the local drive or download it from the cloud. Click on Get Started and select Remove Everything from the box that appears. At the top of the window, you'll see Reset this PC. Ready to clean the drive and reinstall Windows? Go to Settings > System > Recovery. Basically, if it's got personal account information, sign out.
If you use a browser other than Edge, such as Chrome or Firefox, sign out of those as well. If you need those product keys to re-register software on a new laptop, be sure to save that information. Before you wipe your laptop's storage, sign out of any accounts and deregister software licenses (if possible). Below, you'll find everything you need to know and do before giving your laptop a second life.Ī lot of paid software requires you to sign in with an account, a product key or both. It's the actual step-by-step procedure that differs depending on the type of laptop you're dealing with. The big-picture steps you take to refresh a laptop are the same regardless of whether it's a Windows laptop, Apple MacBook or Chromebook - save your old data, remove all personal information, then go for a factory reset. (Although that's something you should definitely do before you gift it.) How much data scrubbing you need to do, however, will likely depend on the recipient. Wiping the computer of all your apps, files, folders and other personal information isn't necessarily as straightforward as just wiping down the laptop screen. Even if you're giving it as a gift to a friend or relative, you'll still want to clean out the laptop and give it a fresh start. A full factory reset can help an older laptop run a little faster - but it's absolutely crucial that you do it before you give a laptop away or take it to be recycled.
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