Keep my files is a Windows reset option, not a guarantee that your working environment will be unchanged. Microsoft describes it as reinstalling Windows while retaining personal files and removing applications and settings. A document can survive while the software needed to use it needs reinstalling.

Before resetting, list essential applications and how you will obtain them again. Check licences, sign-ins and application-specific data exports. A folder of documents is only part of a working setup if you also depend on accounting databases, specialist tools or locally stored archives.

Separate the choices on screen

Keep my files versus Remove everything controls the broad data-retention choice. Cloud download versus Local reinstall controls where the installation files come from. Choosing a cloud download does not itself back up your personal documents, and it does not override a decision to remove them.

Make an independent backup and open samples from it before starting. If the device is encrypted, ensure you can retrieve its recovery key. A recovery key is sensitive information; keep it available to you without placing it in a public support message.

Read the final summary carefully. If it does not match the intended outcome, stop before confirming. Do not choose reset as the first response to drive errors or physical damage merely because the option is visible.

Allow completion, then rebuild deliberately

Keep reliable power connected. Microsoft warns that the display can remain black for an extended period and that manually restarting during reset can make it fail. Follow the process rather than assuming every quiet interval is a freeze.

After Windows starts, verify your files before removing the backup. Reinstall required software from trusted sources, restore application data through its supported method and check device functions such as printing and audio. Finish with a normal work task and a fresh backup check. A successful reset screen is the start of that acceptance process, not proof that every old workflow has returned.

Reference: Microsoft Support.