How to Factory Reset the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

Factory reset the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon running Windows 11 to remove all personal data and restore defaults.

Steps

1. 1

   Back up all important data to an external drive or cloud storage.

2. 2

   Open the Start menu and click Settings.

3. 3

   Go to System > Recovery.

4. 4

   Click Reset PC next to Reset this PC.

5. 5

   Choose Remove everything to wipe all data.

6. 6

   Select Cloud download (recommended) or Local reinstall.

7. 7

   Under Additional settings, choose to Clean the drive for a more secure wipe if selling the device.

8. 8

   Click Reset and keep the laptop plugged in. The process takes 30–60 minutes.

Last verified: September 15, 2025