The hottest news of the moment is that Microsoft broke Fresh Start on Windows 10 May 2020 Update, despite calls from Windows Insider to take note of the issue and fix it prior to release.
An even hotter news is that this feature is not actually broken.
Instead, Redmond simply removed the feature from Windows Security and moved it where it should have been from the start. It has been merged with the ‘Reset this PC’ option under Recovery settings, so that users have all that they need in a single screen.
The company also quietly updated its device and performance health support page to clarify.
Anyway, this is what Microsoft has to say about this.
If the “Restore preinstalled apps?” option is not available then that means that the PC does not have any OEM applications that will be restored after resetting the computer. Following these steps will net the same results as Fresh Start on Windows 10 version 1909 and earlier.
The main takeaway is that users running Windows 10 version 2004 or later that want to use the Fresh Start option will need to follow the steps below.
- Navigate to Settings > Update and Security > Recovery > Reset this PC > Gets Started > Keep my files
- Depending on your preferences, select either Cloud download or Local reinstall
- Click No when asked Restore preinstalled apps
The change makes sense to take it from where it was before, and put it in its current location. But this is something the software titan should have done a better job spelling out when it rolled out Windows 10 version 2004.
Would have saved everybody a ton of confusion.
