Repair Windows 11 Without Losing Your Apps

You want Windows repaired rather than replaced, and the advice you found starts with Reset this PC. That one takes your programs with it.

There is a third option on the same Settings page that keeps them, and Microsoft added it quietly. Almost nobody has pressed it.

I checked this machine met the requirement before writing, and it did, on a build plenty of people are already running.

The button, and what Microsoft says it keeps

The whole point of this page, in Microsoft's own words.

Documented by Microsoft on its reinstall page: the route is "Select Start > Settings > System > Recovery", and the button is labelled Reinstall now.

What it does, quoted: it "Repairs system files and components" and "Preserves your apps, files, and settings."

⭐ Read that middle word again. Apps. Reset this PC does not keep those, and that is the difference people are looking for.

⚡ It reinstalls the same version you already have. No upgrade, no downgrade, no product key, no USB stick.

Where it actually sits

Thirty seconds, because the wording on screen is not obvious.

⭐ Settings, System, Recovery. The section is called Fix problems using Windows Update, and the button beside it says Reinstall now.

⚠️ It reads like an update option rather than a repair option. Which is why so few people notice it.

⛔ Microsoft's own warning is short and it matters: "Keep your PC connected to a power source and the internet during the entire reinstallation process."

Ours: what this machine reported

The check that tells you whether the button will be there.

Ours, and this is what the PC here reported. Edition Home, version 25H2, build 26200.9168, with 82 GB free on the system drive.

Microsoft's stated requirement is Windows 11 with the 2022 annual update or later, plus the February 2024 optional update.

⚡ Name your own build with one line. It only reads:

Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" |
  Select-Object DisplayVersion, CurrentBuild

⭐ Anything on 22H2 or newer that has kept up with updates will have it. A machine that stopped updating in 2023 will not.

What it will not fix

Being straight, because "repair" promises a lot.

⛔ It does not touch your files or your installed programs, which also means a corrupted program stays corrupted.

⛔ It will not fix failing hardware. A drive or memory fault produces the same symptoms and none of this helps.

⚠️ And it will not undo a bad driver on its own. Rolling back to a point from before it went in is the tool for that, and it takes minutes rather than an hour.

⭐ Ours, and marked as ours: this is the right move when Windows itself is misbehaving on your machine. Search broken, Settings crashing, features that vanished, components that will not install.

The older route, when the button is missing

For anyone on a build that never got it.

⭐ Download the ISO, open it, and run setup.exe from inside Windows. Not from a boot menu. From the desktop, with Windows running.

⚡ Windows 8 and later mount an ISO by double-clicking it. No burning software, no blank disc. The file appears as a drive in File Explorer.

⚠️ Choose Keep personal files and apps when the installer asks you. That option is what makes it a repair rather than a reinstall, and it is easy to click past.

⛔ Get the ISO from Microsoft and nowhere else. There are three official tools and they are not interchangeable.

Reset, and why it is heavier

The comparison people actually want.

⭐ Reset this PC keeps your files and removes every program. Reinstalling those is usually the whole afternoon.

⚡ The repair above keeps both, so the machine comes back looking exactly as you left it.

⚠️ Reset is still the answer when Windows will not start at all, because you can reach it from the recovery environment. The full comparison is a separate job.

Before you press anything

Five minutes that occasionally save a weekend.

⭐ Copy anything irreplaceable somewhere else first. The process is designed to keep your files and it is still a full reinstall of the operating system.

⚡ Plug the laptop in and leave it alone. Expect twenty minutes to an hour. Several restarts too, and they look alarming.

⚠️ Have your sign-in details to hand. A machine that comes back and asks for a password you have never typed is a bad evening.

Status: read against Microsoft's reinstall page 25 August 2026, on Windows 11. Microsoft's page gives the Settings, System, Recovery route, the Reinstall now button, the statements that it repairs system files and components and preserves apps, files and settings, the power and internet warning, and the version requirement. The edition, version, build and free space are from the PC here.

Can I repair Windows 11 without losing my programs?

Yes. Settings, System, Recovery has a Reinstall now button under Fix problems using Windows Update. Microsoft states plainly that it preserves your apps, files and settings while repairing system files and components.

What is the difference between this and Reset this PC?

Reset keeps your personal files and removes every installed program. The repair keeps both, because it reinstalls the same version of Windows over the top rather than starting fresh. Reset is heavier and it is what you use when Windows will not boot.

Why can I not see the Reinstall now button?

Because your build is older than the requirement. Microsoft lists the 2022 annual update or later, plus the February 2024 optional update. Check your version in Settings, System, About, or with the one line above.

How long does a repair install take?

Twenty minutes to an hour on most machines, with several restarts. Keep the PC plugged in and connected to the internet throughout, which is Microsoft's own instruction rather than a suggestion.

Do I need a product key or a USB stick?

Neither, for the Settings route. Windows reinstalls the version already activated on that machine. The older ISO method does not need a key either, and the file can be opened from your desktop without any stick at all.

The Short Version

• Settings, System, Recovery holds a Reinstall now button most people never see.
• Microsoft says it preserves your apps, files and settings while repairing Windows.
• It needs the 2022 annual update or later plus the February 2024 optional update.
• This machine read Home, 25H2, build 26200.9168, with 82 GB free.
• Reset this PC keeps files and removes programs, which is the heavier option.
• Without the button, mount a Microsoft ISO and run setup.exe from inside Windows.
• Choose Keep personal files and apps, or it stops being a repair.
• Keep the PC plugged in and online for the whole thing. That is Microsoft's warning.

Where to Next

Open Settings, System, Recovery and look for Fix problems using Windows Update. Thirty seconds tells you whether the easy route is available to you.

If the button is there, copy anything irreplaceable somewhere else and then use it. It is far lighter than anything else with the word repair on it.

If it is not, check your version first. A machine too old for this button is usually a machine that has stopped updating, which is its own problem.

Should a repair install have fixed something you had given up on, say what it was in the comments. Those cases are worth collecting.