Why Reset This PC Removes Some Apps and How to Predict Which

Quick fix: “Keep my files” reset preserves data but removes all installed apps and resets settings. To see exactly which apps will go, before resetting, open Settings → System → Recovery → Reset this PC → Get started, pick “Keep my files,” then click View apps to be removed — Windows shows the full list as a text file at C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Notifications\appdb.dat equivalent in the reset wizard.

You’re about to use “Reset this PC” to fix a sluggish or broken Windows install. The wizard says it’ll keep your files but the app list it removes is opaque. After reset, you discover apps you needed are gone — Office, a CAD tool, niche drivers. The fix: preview the list before pulling the trigger, and back up app-specific data (license keys, config files) for the ones you can’t lose.

What causes this

Reset This PC uses the Windows component store and ISO source files to lay down a fresh Windows install. Everything outside the Windows package — including all installed software, registry tweaks, drivers, and per-app settings — gets removed. The exception is “Keep my files”: the user’s Documents, Pictures, Videos, Downloads, and Desktop folders are preserved, plus Microsoft Store apps that came with Windows.

The distinction matters: Inbox apps (Calculator, Notepad, Microsoft Store itself, Photos) are reinstalled cleanly. Store apps you installed (Spotify, Netflix) typically get re-registered for your account but may need re-download. Win32 apps (Chrome installer, Office, Adobe Reader, custom utilities) are completely removed. Drivers from manufacturer installers may revert to Microsoft’s generic versions.

Method 1: Preview the “apps to be removed” list

The first step before any reset.

1. Open Settings → System → Recovery.
2. Under Reset this PC, click Reset PC.
3. Choose Keep my files.
4. Next, choose how to reinstall Windows: Cloud download (fresh from Microsoft, ~4 GB) or Local reinstall (uses existing files, faster but inherits any corruption). For best results, pick Cloud download.
5. On the “Additional settings” or “Ready to reset” screen, click View apps that will be removed or Apps that will be removed.
6. A list appears with every installed Win32 app. Microsoft Store apps you’ll re-download; Win32 apps you’ll need to reinstall manually.
7. Take a screenshot or note down installers you’ll need: their names, license keys, and where to download them.
8. Cancel the reset at this point. Now you have the list — back up app data, license keys, and download links before running the actual reset.

This preview step is the most important pre-reset action.

Method 2: Generate a more detailed app inventory pre-reset

For when the reset wizard’s list isn’t enough detail.

1. Open Terminal (Admin).
2. List all installed Win32 apps with version and install date:

   Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*, HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, Publisher, InstallDate | Where-Object DisplayName -ne $null | Sort-Object DisplayName | Format-Table -AutoSize

   This shows every entry from the Windows uninstall registry, which is broader than the Settings UI shows.

3. Export to CSV: pipe the same command to Export-Csv installed-apps.csv -NoTypeInformation.
4. List Microsoft Store apps separately:

   Get-AppxPackage | Where-Object { $_.SignatureKind -eq "Store" } | Select-Object Name, Version | Format-Table -AutoSize

5. For driver inventory: Get-WindowsDriver -Online | Where-Object { $_.OriginalFileName -notlike "*Microsoft*" } | Format-Table OriginalFileName, ProviderName, Date. Lists third-party drivers (Nvidia, Realtek, OEM utilities).
6. Save all three lists. Print or save to OneDrive so the lists survive the reset.

This gives a complete record of what you’ll need to reinstall.

Method 3: Back up app data and licenses before reset

For apps that store data locally outside of My Documents.

1. For browsers: Edge/Chrome sync to your Microsoft/Google account — bookmarks, passwords, history all return after re-sign-in. Verify sync is on before reset.
2. For email clients (Thunderbird, Outlook): back up the profile folder.
   • Thunderbird: %AppData%\Thunderbird\Profiles\
   • Outlook PST files: %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Outlook\

   Copy these folders to OneDrive or external drive.

3. For chat apps: WhatsApp Desktop, Discord — data syncs from servers on re-login.
4. For games via Steam/Epic/Xbox Game Pass: games are large, but installs persist in the launcher cloud — you re-download but don’t lose saves (which are typically in cloud sync). Steam: verify Steam Cloud is enabled for important games.
5. For productivity apps: back up app-specific config folders. Common locations:
   • %AppData% — roaming app data (most apps)
   • %LocalAppData% — local app data
   • %ProgramData% — system-wide app data

   Don’t blindly back up the entire AppData; instead, target specific app subfolders.

6. For license keys: many apps display them in About or Help dialogs. Software like Belarc Advisor (free) extracts license keys from registry into a single report. Run before reset.
7. For drivers: download the latest from manufacturer sites in advance (especially Wi-Fi, GPU, and printer drivers) to a USB drive. After reset, install before connecting to the internet to avoid Windows pushing generic drivers.

This is the discipline that separates a smooth reset from a 3-day recovery.

How to verify the fix worked

• After cancelling the wizard at the preview step, your PC is in its original state — nothing has changed yet.
• Compare your generated app inventory (Method 2) against the wizard’s “apps to be removed” list (Method 1). The wizard’s list should be a subset of your full inventory.
• Test that backup files (Method 3) are readable: open a copied Thunderbird profile in a portable Thunderbird app, or verify CSV files open in Excel.

If none of these work

If the wizard’s “View apps that will be removed” link is missing or fails to load, the recovery infrastructure is partially broken. Run reagentc /info to check Windows Recovery Environment status; if disabled, re-enable it. As fallback, the wizard’s list isn’t actually authoritative anyway — the rule is simple: every Win32 desktop app (anything that was installed from an EXE/MSI, not Microsoft Store) will be removed. Microsoft Store apps with your account will reinstall automatically. Drivers may revert to Microsoft generic. Better alternative to Reset: In-Place Upgrade via the Windows 11 ISO. Mount the ISO, run setup.exe, choose “Keep personal files and apps.” This reinstalls Windows alongside your apps — same end result as Reset but apps are preserved. Use this when Reset’s app-removal is too aggressive. Even safer: create a full disk image (Macrium Reflect Free) before any reset. If Reset goes badly, restore the image and try a different approach.

Bottom line: Reset → Keep my files removes all Win32 apps but preserves personal documents. Preview the list in the wizard, generate a fuller inventory via PowerShell, and back up app-specific configs before pulling the trigger.