# How to Fix "There Was a Problem Resetting Your PC"

URL: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-there-was-a-problem-resetting-your-pc-windows-11/
Published: 2026-07-26 | Author: Ankit Kumar
Tags: Windows 11, Troubleshooting, System, Fix, Data Recovery
Summary: Windows 11 reset failing with "There was a problem resetting your PC"? Repair the recovery image, use a cloud reset, and get the reset to complete step by step.
Recommended app: RecoverPro — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/data-recovery-pro/ (Microsoft Store: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9MZ613NS5TNN?hl=en-us&cid=mytechnician-web). Optional; every step below uses built-in Windows tools.

## The Problem
You start **Reset this PC**, it runs for a while, then reports **There was a problem resetting your PC. No changes were made.** Sometimes it also says **Undoing changes**, and you land back on the desktop exactly as before.

Reset needs a healthy **recovery environment (WinRE)** and a valid **recovery image**. If either is missing, damaged, or disabled, the reset aborts before it can do anything. Nothing was deleted — you have time to fix this properly.

> **Back up first.** Every step here is safe, but you are one command away from a full wipe. Start with [set up automatic backups](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/set-up-automatic-backups/) or copy your files to an external drive.

## Symptoms
* **There was a problem resetting your PC. No changes were made.**
* **Could not find the recovery environment.**
* Reset gets to a percentage, then reboots and rolls back.

## Step 1: Back Up Before Anything Else
1. Copy **Documents**, **Pictures**, **Desktop**, and **Downloads** to an external drive or OneDrive.
2. Note which apps you will need to reinstall and where your licence keys are.
3. If Windows will not boot, pull the files from the Recovery **Command Prompt**, or see [how to recover deleted files](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-recover-deleted-files-windows/).

## Step 2: Check That the Recovery Environment Is Enabled
1. Open **Terminal (Admin)** and run:
   ```
   reagentc /info
   ```
2. Read **Windows RE status**. If it says **Disabled**, enable it:
   ```
   reagentc /enable
   ```
3. Run `reagentc /info` again and confirm it now reports **Enabled** with a valid location.
4. If enabling fails, continue to Step 4 — the WinRE image itself is damaged.

## Step 3: Repair System Files
Reset reads from the component store. Corruption there stops it immediately.

1. In **Terminal (Admin)**:
   ```
   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
   ```
2. Then:
   ```
   sfc /scannow
   ```
3. Restart and try the reset again. Details: [repair Windows 11 with SFC and DISM](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-run-sfc-dism-repair-windows-11/).

## Step 4: Use a Cloud Download Instead of Local Reinstall
This is the single most effective fix — it ignores the damaged local image entirely.

1. **Settings** → **System** → **Recovery** → **Reset PC**.
2. Choose **Keep my files** or **Remove everything**.
3. When asked how to reinstall, pick **Cloud download** rather than **Local reinstall**.
4. You need a working internet connection and roughly 4 GB of download.

## Step 5: Free Up Disk Space
Reset needs several gigabytes of working room and fails quietly without it.

1. **Settings** → **System** → **Storage**.
2. Clear **Temporary files**, including **Windows Update Cleanup** and any **Previous Windows installation(s)**.
3. Aim for **at least 20 GB free** on C:. See [free up disk space when C: is full](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/free-up-disk-space-c-drive-full-windows-11/).

## Step 6: Try the Reset from the Recovery Environment
Running it outside a live Windows session avoids apps and drivers blocking the process.

1. Hold `Shift` while clicking **Restart** from the Start menu power button.
2. Choose **Troubleshoot** → **Reset this PC**.
3. Pick **Cloud download** again if offered.
4. If you cannot boot at all, force-restart during the logo three times to reach the same menu — see [how to enter Safe Mode in Windows 11](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-enter-safe-mode-windows-11/).

## Step 7: Rebuild WinRE from the Windows Image
Use this when `reagentc /enable` refuses.

1. Download the **Windows 11 ISO** from Microsoft on any working PC.
2. Double-click the ISO to mount it — note the drive letter, for example `E:`.
3. In **Terminal (Admin)**:
   ```
   reagentc /disable
   ```
4. Copy a fresh `winre.wim` into place:
   ```
   xcopy /h E:\sources\install.wim C:\Windows\System32\Recovery\
   ```
   If your ISO ships `install.esd` instead, skip to Step 8 — the in-place upgrade is simpler.
5. Re-enable and verify:
   ```
   reagentc /enable
   reagentc /info
   ```

## Step 8: Do an In-Place Upgrade Repair Instead
This replaces every Windows file while keeping your apps, settings, and data — and it fixes the reset problem as a side effect.

1. Download the **Windows 11 ISO** from Microsoft and double-click to mount it.
2. Run **setup.exe** from inside Windows, not from a boot menu.
3. Choose **Keep personal files and apps**.
4. Allow 30-60 minutes. Full guide: [reinstall Windows without losing data](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/reinstall-windows-without-losing-data/).

## Step 9: Clean Install as the Last Option
If the goal was a wipe anyway, install fresh instead of fighting the reset.

1. Create installation media with the **Media Creation Tool** on another PC.
2. Boot from the USB drive and delete the existing partitions during setup.
3. **This erases everything** — confirm your backup from Step 1 is complete and readable before you start.
4. Step-by-step: [how to clean install Windows 11](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-clean-install-windows-11/).

## What Not to Do
* **Don't retry the same failing reset repeatedly.** Each attempt can leave more partial state behind.
* **Don't delete the recovery partition** to free space. That is what reset depends on.
* **Don't wipe the drive before the backup is verified.** Open a few of the copied files and confirm they actually open.

## Still Not Working?
If cloud reset, WinRE repair, and an in-place upgrade all fail, suspect the drive. Check it with [SSD and hard drive health](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/check-ssd-hard-drive-health-windows-11/) — a failing drive causes exactly this pattern, and a clean install onto it will fail too.

Related: [how to factory reset Windows 11](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-factory-reset-windows-11/), [fix the automatic repair loop](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-automatic-repair-loop-windows-11/), and [fix INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-inaccessible-boot-device-windows-11/).

---
Source: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-there-was-a-problem-resetting-your-pc-windows-11/ — My Technician, free Windows 10/11 troubleshooting guides.
Related tool: RecoverPro (Windows data recovery software to recover deleted files, restore formatted drives, and rescue data from corrupted partitions on Windows 10 and 11.) — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/data-recovery-pro/
More guides: https://www.mytechnician.tech/llms.txt