[Tip] What is Cloud Download Feature in Windows 10? How to Use it?

Windows 10 comes with a built-in recovery tool called “Reset This PC“. This feature can be used to reinstall Windows 10 in a device if the user is facing issues while using the operating system.

“Reset This PC” feature can be considered as factory reset which allows users to completely format the system drive (C: drive) where Windows 10 is installed and then reinstall Windows 10 from scratch. So after using “Reset This PC” feature, you get a fresh and clean Windows 10 copy installed in your computer system.

You can access this feature by opening Windows 10 Settings using Start Menu or by pressing WIN+I keys together and then navigate to “Update & Security -> Recovery” section. Now click on “Get Started” button present under “Reset This PC” option. Alternatively, You can directly launch Recovery page using “ms-settings:recovery” command in RUN dialog box as mentioned here.

“Reset This PC” wizard allows you to keep or remove your personal files. If you want to keep your personal files such as photos, videos, documents, etc stored in your User Profile folder, you can select the option “Keep my files” while using “Reset This PC” feature. If you don’t want to keep anything and want to install a fresh copy of Windows 10, you can select “Remove everything” option. “Reset This PC” feature formats the C: drive, deletes all files and folders (if selected by the user), uninstalls all installed programs and apps, removes all user customized settings and then reinstalls fresh Windows 10 copy in the device.

It’s an excellent feature for general users who don’t have much tech knowledge and want to reinstall Windows 10 in their devices. Users don’t need Windows 10 ISO or installation disc and don’t need to execute any command to delete or format the drive. “Reset This PC” takes care of everything.

In older versions of Windows 10, “Reset This PC” feature used local Windows 10 installation files to restore fresh copy of Windows 10 in the device. Sometimes the local copy might be corrupted and can’t be used to reinstall Windows 10. In such situations, users were unable to use “Reset This PC” feature to reinstall Windows 10.

To address this issue, Microsoft has added a new option called “Cloud Download” to “Reset This PC” feature in newer versions of Windows 10.

“Cloud Download” option automatically downloads fresh copy of Windows 10 from official Microsoft servers. Since “Cloud Download” grabs a copy of Windows 10 setup files from online servers, it consumes lots of Internet data. Microsoft claims that the option can use more than 4 GB of data which is quite true as Windows 10 ISO is also of same size approx.

Remember “Cloud Download” option DOESN’T download latest version of Windows 10. It downloads same version and build of Windows 10 which is currently installed in user’s device. Some users will find it good decision as it’ll not cause any compatibility issue. Some users may find it disappointing as they might want to install latest available version of Windows 10 using this tool.

One more thing! “Cloud Download” downloads the same edition of Windows 10 which is currently installed in user’s computer. For example, if you have Windows 10 basic or core edition installed, it’ll download the same edition. Similarly if you have Windows 10 Professional edition, it’ll download Pro edition from Microsoft servers.

“Cloud Download” option will be beneficial if you have a faster Internet connection. Downloading Windows 10 setup files from Microsoft servers on a high-speed Internet connection will take very less time compared to extracting Windows 10 installation files from local storage.

Also if you don’t want to reinstall Windows 10 from local storage and want to download a fresh copy of Windows 10 from official Microsoft servers, “Cloud Download” is the best option for you.

So in future, if you face problems and issues in your Windows 10 device and you decide to format and reinstall Windows 10, “Cloud Download” and “Reset This PC” are the best options for you.

Also Check:

[Tip] Get Direct Download Links of Windows 10 Offline ISO Files from Microsoft

Official Tool to Download Windows 10 Offline ISO File for Clean Install or Upgrade

How to Download and Upgrade to Windows 10 Feature Updates

[Guide] Things to Do After Installing Feature Update in Windows 10