How to Reinstall Windows 11 Without Losing Data and Apps

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Written By Larious

Larious is the Executive Editor of LowkeyTech. He is a tech enthusiast and a content writer. 

 

 

 

 

Last Updated on October 31, 2026 by Larious

While reinstalling Windows 11 is easy, what about the data & apps installed on your device? If you reinstall Windows 11 without proper planning, you may lose all your apps & data. You can back up your important data to cloud services to minimize data loss, or you can force Windows 11 to reinstall itself without deleting your apps or data. You can perform an in-place upgrade to reinstall Windows 11 without losing data or deleting any apps.

Below, we have shared a few simple ways to reinstall Windows 11 without deleting any apps or data. Hence, if you want to reinstall Windows 11 without losing any data, you may find this guide helpful. Let’s get started.

Reinstall Windows 11 Without Deleting Apps Using a Bootable USB

This method will use a Bootable USB flash drive to reinstall Windows 11 without deleting apps.

  1. Plug in your Windows 11 Bootable USB flash drive. Once done, open File Explorer and run the setup.exe file.Windows 11 Bootable USB flash driveWindows 11 Bootable USB flash drive
  2. On the Install Windows 11 wizard, click Change how setup downloads updates.Change how setup downloads updatesChange how setup downloads updates
  3. Select the Not at the moment option and click the Next button.Not at the momentNot at the moment
  4. Accept the terms and conditions and click Next.Accept the terms and conditionsAccept the terms and conditions
  5. Select Keep personal files and apps and click the Next button on the Choose what to keep screen.Keep personal files and appKeep personal files and app
  6. Review all your settings on the Ready to install Window and click on the Install button.

Repair Windows 11 Installation Using Image File

In this method, we can use a Windows 11 ISO file to repair the Windows installation. For that, follow some of the simple steps we have shared below.

  1. Download the Windows 11 ISO file and save it on your computer.
  2. Once downloaded, right-click on the Windows 11 ISO file and select Mount.MountMount
  3. Open your PC’s File Explorer and your newly mounted virtual drive.mounted virtual drivemounted virtual drive
  4. In the Windows 11 Setup Wizard, click on the Change how setup downloads updates option.Change how setup downloads updatesChange how setup downloads updates
  5. On the next screen, select Not at the Moment and click Next.Not at the momentNot at the moment
  6. Accept the terms & conditions, and on the Ready to Install Window, select Change what to keep.
  7. On the next screen, select the Keep personal files and apps option and click Next.Keep personal files and appKeep personal files and app

Reinstall Windows 11 Using Windows Settings

You can also use Windows 11’s Settings app to reinstall Windows 11 without deleting your files and apps.

  1. Click on the Windows 11 search and select Settings.SettingsSettings
  2. Select Windows Update on the left sidebar of the Settings app.Windows UpdateWindows Update
  3. On the right side, click on Advanced Options.Advanced OptionsAdvanced Options
  4. Now scroll down to Additional Options and click on Recovery.RecoveryRecovery
  5. In the Recovery options, click on Reset PC.Reset PCReset PC
  6. On the Choose an option Window, select Keep my files.Keep my filesKeep my filesNote: Keep my files option will only keep your files but will remove apps and settings.
  7. You will be asked to select how you’d like to reinstall Windows. If you have the ISO file, you need to choose Local reinstall. Select the Cloud download option if you want to download the latest files from the internet.Local reinstallLocal reinstall
  8. Click the Reset button on the Ready to Reset this PC screen.

Now you need to wait until the process completes. Once completed, you will have a fresh installation of Windows 11 with your files. You will need to download your apps again.

Also read: Windows 11 ISO Free Download Full Version

These are the three best ways to reinstall Windows 11 without losing any data. All three methods worked at the time of writing. If you need help reinstalling Windows 11, let us know in the comments below.

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