Microsoft is expanding the recovery options for Windows 11. IT administrators will soon be able to completely reinstall a PC remotely using Cloud Rebuild. During such a reinstallation, a device’s storage can also be securely wiped. These features are currently being tested in an Insider build.
The features have been added to Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26340.9502, which Microsoft released on September 18. Cloud Rebuild completely reinstalls Windows from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). Both Windows and the necessary drivers are downloaded via Windows Update. The existing Windows installation does not need to be functional for this process.
Remote reinstallation
For business environments, the integration with the Recovery CSP is particularly relevant. Administrators can use it to remotely configure and initiate a Cloud rebuild. They can choose to reinstall the Windows build already on the device or specify a different target build.
With such a customized reinstallation, parameters such as the build, Windows edition, system language, and cumulative update version can be specified. An unattended installation file can also be provided. This allows an organization to reinstall a PC without an administrator needing to be physically present at the device.
Cloud Rebuild deletes all locally stored files, accounts, applications, and settings. After installation, the device goes through the Windows setup process again. Microsoft is also working on more comprehensive backup and recovery options for business Windows 11 systems. Managed systems can then be reconfigured using tools such as Windows Autopilot and Intune.
Securely wiping drives
Another new feature is the ability to erase storage media during a Cloud rebuild. In addition to “Remove files,” Windows offers the “Remove & sanitize files” option. The latter uses the storage hardware’s erase function to remove data before Windows is reinstalled. The process cannot be undone.
This option is intended, among other things, for computers that are being returned, recycled, or assigned to another employee. Selecting “Remove files” alone deletes local data without this additional erasure procedure.
Build 26340.9502 also includes several changes to Windows 11’s accessibility features. Magnifier gains a contrast mode that can darken the interface without simultaneously inverting the colors of photos, videos, and graphics. The existing color inversion remains available.
Live Captions also gains a setting that allows audio from screen readers such as Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA to be excluded from the transcript. Microsoft has also fixed an issue with Hyper-V where Windows folders shared via Plan9 were not visible or accessible in Linux VMs. A bug that caused File History to incorrectly report that no usable drives were available has also been resolved.
The changes are being tested in the Windows Insider Experimental Channel and are based on Windows 11 26H2. Microsoft emphasizes that features from this channel are still subject to change or may not ultimately be included in a regular Windows release.