7 Best Ways to Reset Windows Settings to Default on Restart

Windows 10 lets you customize it to your liking with wallpapers, color themes, Taskbar location and app icon shortcuts, Action Center, and more. Unfortunately, several users are seeing their Windows settings reset after restarting the computer. Changing settings over and over would be a huge waste of time.

So why did this happen? Causes can include corrupted system files, Windows failing to preserve settings after reboot, and several other reasons. We will help you troubleshoot and fix the Windows settings reset to default after restarting the computer problem.

Let’s start.

1. New User Profile

Windows allows users to create different profiles to keep their work and private lives separate. Many people also use it when sharing their computers with other family members. Settings in user profiles are specific to each user. You can create a Standard or Admin user profile.

System files associated with your user profile may be compromised or corrupted. One way to test this theory is to simply create a new user profile. This is easy to do and we covered the steps in the link shared above.

2. SFC and DISM Scans

SFC or System File Checker is a command line tool that will look for corrupted system files and then attempt to repair them. The DISM or Deployment Image Servicing and Management command is used to service the Windows image file.

Stage 1: Press Windows key+S to open Windows Search and type CMD. Click Run as administrator to open Command Prompt with administrator rights.

Step 2: Type the following commands one by one. Wait for the first command to run its route before issuing the next command.

sfc /scannow 

dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth

dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth 

Restart your computer after running these commands to check if the settings are still reset.

3. Uninstall Recently Installed Apps

Have you recently installed an app? Does the application have administrator rights? It is possible that the application in question is fighting Windows for dominance over how Windows Settings works. Uninstall these apps using Revo Uninstaller to make sure you also remove any remaining files. You can always reinstall these apps.

4. Uninstall Recent Windows Updates

Microsoft often pushes Windows updates and these updates can break a few things for your setup. Rolling back an update may fix the problem until you find out which component is changing your settings.

Stage 1: Press Windows key+I to open Windows Settings and go to Update & Security, select Windows Update in the left sidebar and click View update history.

Step 2: Click on Uninstall updates at the top.

Stage 3: A new popup will present you with a list of all recent updates by date. Select the latest update and click Uninstall to uninstall it.

Check again if the Windows settings have been reset. Uninstall any other update, but you should only do that for the last few updates.

It’s worth noting that this is temporary and Windows will reinstall these updates with the next major build release.

5. Clean Boot

Clean Boot is another diagnostic method that involves disabling apps and services from running automatically at startup. One of the available apps or services can cause the Windows Settings to reset.

6. Run Startup Repair

As the name suggests, the Startup Repair tool helps fix boot-related problems in Windows 10. We recommend that you save all your work, as it will require restarting the computer several times.

Stage 1: Hold down the Shift key and then restart the computer from the Windows Start menu > Power options.

Step 2: You should be greeted with a screen with a blue background. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair. Choose a user account. Select the one with administrator rights and enter the password to confirm. Let Startup Repair run. Once complete, it will automatically restart your computer.

7. Restore Point and Reset

These are two separate concepts that we have examined in detail earlier. First, try restoring your computer to a time when it was working properly. Every restore point has a date and timestamp so you know when it was created. This will not cause data loss.

If restoring the Windows PC fails and after a reboot you find that the Windows Settings are still resetting, a reset is the only option. The reset will wipe everything on the internal drives, reinstalling a fresh copy of the Windows operating system. We generally do not recommend resetting the computer unless there is another way out.

Window to a New World

Resetting Windows settings is not a critical error. You should be able to keep working, especially if you use web apps. However, trying to customize the settings from scratch takes time out of users’ busy schedules.

I hope it gets resolved, but until then, what you can do is put your computer into hibernation. Avoid shutting down Windows until you have had enough time to fix the problem.

Next: Wondering how to find an alternative to the boring Start Menu in Windows 10? We may have found what you were looking for. Here is Start10.