A factory reset is a software restore process performed to reinstate the Acer laptop to its initial state. Acer laptops, though handy, are prone to all sorts of issues in the user’s hand. If you encounter any such mishap, you can factory reset the Acer laptop (without password or CD) and restore it to its original state.
This guide will teach you how to factory reset the Acer laptop without password. You will also learn how to remove the Acer laptop password and restore it to factory settings.
Scroll down to find the best and easiest way to reset the Acers laptop to factory settings without password.
Method 1. Factory Reset Acer Laptop without Password Using Alt + F10 on Startup
You can use the Alt + F10 keys to factory reset the Acer laptop without password or cd and restore the operating system.
You will not need the administrator password as you don’t have to access the operating system. Instead, you’ll have to press Alt+F10 when the laptop boots up.
Follow these simple steps to restore the Acer laptop to factory settings without password:
Step 1: Hold the Power button for 5 seconds to turn off the Acer laptop.
Step 2: Turn on the Acer laptop by pressing the Power button; as soon as you see the Acer logo, press Alt+F10 (simultaneously).
Step 3: If executed correctly, a Please Wait message will appear, and the Acer laptop will boot to a blue screen displaying— Choose an option. Select Troubleshoot.
Step 4: Then select the Reset this PC option.
Step 5: Now, you will see two options:
- Keep my files
- Remove everything
Choose “Remove everything” to factory reset Acer Laptop.
Step 6: Again, you’ll have two options: Just remove my files and Fully clean my drive. Select Just remove my files.
Step 7: After selecting, you will see a message—Resetting will remove the following. Select the Reset option.
After selecting that, the Acer laptop will begin the reset process. Usually, it takes 20-30 minutes to complete the initial resetting process. Once finished, the Acer laptop will begin the Windows installation process, which will take another 30 minutes, restarting several times.
Step 8: After the final restart, you’ll see the first-time setup of Windows. You can progress by entering all the details as preferred.
By completing this step, you’ll restore the Acer laptop to factory settings without a password.
Why is Alt+F10 not working?
- You have to enter the Alt + F10 keys when the Acer logo appears; it will not work after the operating system starts.
- You might have deleted the recovery partition without knowing.
- You might have made changes to the partition type, partition size, etc. —any such change will result in Alt + F10 not working.
Method 2. Restore Acer Laptop to Factory Settings without Password from Logging in
As mentioned, sometimes Alt + F10 keys might not be responsive. If so, you can factory reset the Acer Laptop by logging in.
Since log-in (to Windows) is critical for this method, you will need the administration password. But rest easy if you do not have the password. As the heading shows, you can still restore the Acer laptop to the factory settings.
You can easily remove the Acer laptop password using PassFab and then initiate this method to factory reset the Acer laptop. Besides, you can also access necessary data from the laptop before resetting using PassFab 4WinKey.
This method is a two-step process that requires you to:
- Remove Acer laptop Password using PassFab 4WinKey
- Log in to factory reset the Acer Laptop
Follow these steps to reset your Acer Laptop to the factory setting without a password.
2.1 Remove Acer laptop Password using PassFab 4WinKey
Step 1: Download and Install the PassFab 4Winkey application on another laptop by visiting PassFab 4WinKey’s official site. You will also need a formatted USB flash drive.
Insert the USB drive on the computer that has PassFab 4Winkey installed on it. Open PassFab; from the main menu, choose the USB device, and click Next.
After clicking Next, PassFab 4WinKey will initiate the Burning process. After completion, Eject the portable device.
Step 2: Now, insert the USB into your Acer Laptop to remove the password. After inserting, restart the Acer laptop from the login screen and press F12 at restarting. This will open the Boot Menu options.
From there, use the arrow keys to move and highlight the Boot menu to see the list of all drives.
Highlight the inserted device using the arrow keys and move it to the top by pressing F6.
After selecting, press Enter; press Enter again to save and exit BIOS settings.
Step 3: Your Acer laptop will restart upon exiting BIOS. Then, select the Windows System (the installed version) from the PassFab interface.
Choose the desired User Account. Then, select Remove Account Password and click on Next (in the bottom right corner).
Step 4: After a while, your login password will be removed successfully from the Acer Laptop. And, you’ll see a tab with the Reboot toggle. Click on it.
Upon selecting Reboot, the Acer laptop will restart. You can now remove the portable USB device.
And you can successfully log in to Acer laptop without password. The next part shows you how to restore the Acer laptop to factory settings from logging in.
2.2 Login to Factory Reset Acer Laptop
After logging in to Windows, follow these simple steps to factory reset the Acer Laptop.
Note: Factory reset restores the Windows system to its initial state—removing all the files and programs and returning settings to their defaults.
Back up any necessary files on the Acer laptop before proceeding.
Step 1: Open Settings and choose Update & Security.
Step 2: On the left side, select Recovery and click on Get Started under the recovery section.
Step 3: On the next screen, you will see two options:
- Keep my files (to reset the System drive to default settings—only removes installed applications and settings).
- Remove everything (reset all the drives on the Acer laptop to factory defaults—erasing everything).
Choose an option accordingly.
Step 4: Opt for how you would like to reinstall the option. An Additional Settings window will pop up—giving you the option to remove (or not remove) specific settings. Click Next if you do not want to make any additional changes.
Step 5: You will see a message window. Click on the Reset option.
Upon clicking Reset, Windows will start the resetting process. It will take some time to complete the factory reset. Your Acer laptop will restart multiple times on its own and reinstall Windows.
After the final restart, follow the instructions to complete the restore to factory settings successfully.
Bonus: Reset Acer Laptop to Factory Settings with Installation or Repair Disk
You can also factory reset Acer laptop and access the System Restore at boot using Installation or repair disk.
Follow these simple steps to factory reset Acer laptop with an installation or repair disk:
Step 1: Insert the Windows installation media.
Step 2: Restart the Acer laptop, and when the logo appears, press F2. The BIOS settings menu will open. Use arrow keys on your laptop to highlight the Boot menu and move the Installation device to the top by highlighting it and pressing the F6 key.
After selecting the Installation device, press Enter and choose Save and Exit by pressing Enter again.
You’ll see the Install screen instead of the lock screen. Select Next after entering the required details.
Step 3: After selecting Next, click on Repair your computer on the bottom-left.
Step 4: Select the Troubleshoot option.
Step 5: On the next screen, Choose Repair Your PC.
Step 6: On the next screen, you will see two options:
- Keep my files
- Delete everything
The first option, as mentioned earlier, will reset only one drive to factory settings, whereas the latter—Delete Everything—will restore the Acer laptop to factory settings (cleaning everything and will set it to its factory default state).
Choose an option that best suits your needs.
Step 7: Choose the Operating System (that was previously installed on the Acer laptop).
Step 8: You will again have two choices:
- Only the drive where Windows is installed
- All drives
It’s up to you to decide. Pick one that best suits your needs.
Step 9: On the next screen, again, you will have two options:
- Just remove my files
- Fully clean the drive
Use the first one if you’ll use the Acer laptop. The latter—Fully clean the drive—if you’re selling the laptop, it takes several hours to clean the drive via this option.
Step 10: On the next screen, choose Reset.
Follow the instructions after the final restart. This will reset the Acer aspire laptop to factory settings.
Conclusion
Factory reset, as you have read, is not difficult at all. Whatever the issue: operating slowly, making strange noises, or forgotten Acer laptop passwords, you can easily factory reset the Acer laptop following the steps in this guide.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely to restore any crucial files if you factory reset the Acer laptop without password. Nonetheless, if you must log in to Windows to restore critical files, use PassFab 4Winkey to remove the password and factory reset the Acer laptop.
PassFab 4Winkey is the best Windows recovery tool to help you easily remove or reset the administrator password.