Microsoft is testing a new Windows 11 recovery option that could make the old “find a USB stick and reinstall Windows” much less necessary.
Windows Insiders on the latest Beta Preview Build 26220.9343 can now find a Cloud Rebuild option inside the Windows Recovery Environment.
This feature can perform a complete Windows reinstall even when the operating system won’t boot, downloads a fresh Windows image and the device’s drivers through Windows Update, so you don’t need installation media or a separate custom recovery image.
This will be useful when Windows is seriously corrupted, you can’t boot it and need a clean installation.
The problem is that this isn’t a “keep my files” reset, Cloud Rebuild is a full reinstall, so local files, apps and settings are removed, You’ll also need an internet connection for the download