- On Windows 11, an upgrade means switching from an older to a newer version of the operating system and preserving your files, settings, and apps.
- A clean install means erasing the hard drive and installing a fresh copy of Windows 11 without preserving settings, apps, and files.
- Usually, a clean installation is better than an upgrade for new setups, upgrades, or reinstalls.
There are at least two ways to install Windows 11, including a clean install and an in-place upgrade.You’re not alone if you’re having trouble deciding between them. To assist you in making a decision, we will examine the distinctions between the two in this tutorial.
Windows 11 upgrade vs. clean install
Installing a new version of Windows 11 on top of the old one while keeping your files, settings, and apps intact is typically known as an upgrade. When upgrading from version 21H2 to 22H2, for instance. The procedure of removing everything from the hard drive and then installing a new version of Windows 11 is known as a “clean installation.” Your files, settings, and programs are not preserved during this process. You can upgrade to a new version, reinstall Windows 11 to fix problems, or utilize a clean installation to set up the operating system temporarily.
Upgrade
The most common way to install a new operating system version—in this case, Windows 11—is through an upgrade or in-place upgrade. As it migrates your settings, apps, and files, it will make a copy of the current installation and replace it with a more recent version.
As you won’t have to reinstall your apps or reapply your settings, you can typically utilize the in-place upgrade to upgrade to a newer version of Windows while saving time if the present installation is functioning well. (This is the quickest upgrade procedure.)
The setup can immediately revert to the prior installation if there is an issue during the update, allowing you to troubleshoot the problem and continue using the device.
Additionally, you have ten days to revert to the prior version if you don’t like the new system or run into issues that you can’t fix after installation. (However, following the upgrade, this option will not retain any installed apps or system modifications.)
Custom configurations, outdated drivers, and incompatibilities with particular applications (like outdated or badly designed programs) from the present installation, on the other hand, can make an upgrade problematic.
It’s also important to keep in mind that the setup will attempt to transfer everything from the old installation to the new one, which could lead to some issues during the upgrade. For instance, the setup might move files, programs, and Registry entries you don’t require. Additionally, viruses and other malware may be introduced into the newly installed version of Windows 11 during the upgrade process.
Additionally, you will usually need to manually fix or adjust something following an upgrade.
Microsoft provides two options for system upgrades. Using the Windows Update settings, you can upgrade to a new version in-place. As an alternative, you can utilize the Windows Update-like Installation Assistant tool. But when the Windows Update settings aren’t functioning, the application was made to upgrade systems.
These techniques are limited to upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 or from an earlier version of Windows 11 to a more recent one, like 21H2 to 22H2.
Clean install
For new installations, upgrades, or reinstalls, a clean Windows 11 installation is always advised. Although this technique is the most time-consuming and does not preserve your files, settings, or apps, it has a higher chance of successfully completing the installation.
You can apply a fresh version of Windows 11 by doing a clean installation, which involves wiping out and formatting the hard drive.
You won’t experience driver or program incompatibilities that would prevent the installation from succeeding because the process erases everything on the drive.
You must finish the out-of-box experience (OOBE) after installation in order to select your preferences and register.
Additionally, a clean installation fixes battery and performance issues, system and compatibility difficulties, and more by preventing the setup from attempting to import anything from the previous version. Additionally, this procedure can assist you in getting rid of almost all spyware from the computer.
The fact that a fresh setup just includes the essential apps from the original Windows 11 image and excludes any bloatware is another justification for upgrading to a clean installation version.
Since there is no rollback option, you will need to have a complete system backup in order to restore the prior version if you run into problems. You will have to manually restore your files from a backup. All of your apps will also need to be reinstalled and reconfigured, which could take a while.
Following installation, you might need to look for and install any missing drivers that Windows 11 was unable to find on its own. This may be done easily on branded devices, though, by using the Windows Update settings or the driver assistant program that most manufacturers provide.
Microsoft provides various ways to install Windows 11 cleanly, but the ideal way is to make a bootable USB drive that you can use to turn on your computer.
You can use the Microsoft Media Creation Tool or the third-party program Rufus to produce a Windows 11 bootable USB media if you wish to do a clean install. These steps can be used to install Windows 11 cleanly from a USB drive and any other available method.
Additionally, Windows 11 has the Reset this PC option, which allows you to wipe the drive and start over from scratch. This procedure does not, however, update the system to a more recent version. Rather, it is a feature that allows problems to be fixed by reinstalling the same operating system version. Like the update procedure, this approach may also lead to issues.
Lastly, because the old setup is deleted before the new installation, the clean installation issues will upgrade any compatible system to Windows 11 regardless of the prior operating system version, including Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 7, Vista, XP, Linux, etc.
Installation method you should choose
You should always attempt to use the clean installation approach for Windows 11. Although it takes the longest, you can be sure that you will be utilizing a malware-free and bloatware-free setup.
Since the in-place update process is the simplest and fastest upgrading technique (if everything goes as planned), you can choose it if you are short on time and everything is functioning well or if you are not a technical user.