How to Get a Dell Laptop Back to the Factory Settings (8 Steps)

By Lyan Uaha

i Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images

A Dell laptop can be easily restored back to factory settings using the System Recovery Options. This option is inbuilt in the Dell laptop and does not require you to use any additional software. Restoring the laptop will permanently delete all the files on it. You should have administrator privilege on the laptop that you want to restore to factory settings.

Step 1

Start your Dell laptop. Press and hold the “F8” key on your laptop keyboard until you see the Advanced Boot Options menu.

Step 2

Select the “Repair Your Computer” option using the arrow keys on your keyboard from the Advanced Boot Options menu and then press “Enter.”

Step 3

Choose the language that you want to use from the "Select a language" drop-down box on the "System Recovery Options" dialog box and then click “Next.”

Step 4

Type the administrator user name in the “User name” box and password in the “Password” box Click “OK.”

Step 5

Click to select the “Dell Factory Image Restore” option.

Step 6

Click “Next” on the welcome screen of the "Dell Factory Image Restore" dialog box that opens.

Step 7

Select the “Yes, reformat hard drive and restore system software to factory condition” check box on the "Confirm Data Deletion" dialog box and then click “Next.” This will start the restoration process.

Step 8

Click the “Finish” button after the restoration process is completed.

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