Installation and Upgrade Cloud Rebuild Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to use Cloud rebuild to perform a full clean reinstall of Windows 11.

Starting with Windows 11 build 26300.8772 (Experimental 26H2) for Insiders, Microsoft is introducing Cloud rebuild, a new recovery option that restores a Windows 11 PC to a clean, known-good state by performing a full OS reinstall, even when Windows won't boot. Unlike Reset this PC, Cloud rebuild downloads both the target Windows image and the device's drivers from Windows Update, so the device comes back fully functional without USB media, without a custom image, and without depending on the health of the currently installed OS.

Reference:



Here's How:

1 Boot to Advanced Startup (WinRE).

2 Click/tap on Troubleshoot. (see screenshot below)


3 Click/tap on Cloud rebuild. (see screenshot below)


4 Cloud rebuild attempts to connect to the network. If the device is connected to Ethernet, the connection completes automatically. If only Wi-Fi is available, select a WPA-Personal network and provide the passkey when prompted. (see screenshot below)


5 Wait for Cloud rebuild to finish preparing. Cloud rebuild contacts Windows Update to determine the target Windows build and to download the device's networking drivers. (see screenshot below)


6 Review the rebuild target state. Confirm that the displayed Windows build, edition, and language match the expected target, and click/tap on Continue when ready. (see screenshot below)


7 Click/tap on Install when ready to start the Cloud rebuild. (see screenshot below)

Cloud rebuild reformats the system disk and removes all locally stored files, accounts, apps, and settings. Data stored in cloud services such as OneDrive is not affected.

8 Cloud rebuild will now prepare, download, and install Windows 11 in phases. The device may restart one or more times during this process. (see screenshots below)

Keep the device connected to power until Cloud rebuild is complete. Do not manually restart or power off the device while Cloud rebuild is preparing, downloading, or installing Windows. Interrupting the process can leave Windows unable to boot.

This will take a while to finish.

9 When the Cloud rebuild completes, the device boots into the Windows out-of-box experience (OOBE) to set up Windows 11. Continue at step 13 in the tutorial below to finish setting up Windows 11.



That's it,
Shawn Brink