Cloud rebuild (Preview)

Important

Cloud rebuild is in preview. Use it for evaluation on non-production devices only. Features, UX, and command-line options may change before general availability.

Cloud rebuild enables IT administrators and users to restore a Windows 11 PC to a clean, known-good state by performing a full operating system reinstall. Unlike Reset your PC, Cloud rebuild downloads both the target Windows image and the device's drivers from Windows Update, so the device comes back fully functional, without USB media, without a custom image, and without depending on the integrity of the installed operating system. After the rebuild completes, the device proceeds through the out-of-box experience (OOBE), and managed devices can re-provision automatically through Windows Autopilot, Microsoft Intune, Backup for Organizations, and OneDrive.

How it works

In the Windows Insider preview release, Cloud rebuild can be initiated from the WinRE troubleshooting menu by a user with physical access to the device, or from an elevated command prompt in Windows by a local administrator. Remote initiation from an enterprise endpoint management solution, such as Microsoft Intune, will be available in a later release. The subsections below describe the prerequisites and the step-by-step instructions for each preview entry point.

Prerequisites

Before initiating Cloud rebuild, confirm the following on the target device:

  • The device is running Windows 11 and has a healthy Windows Recovery Environment. You can confirm WinRE is enabled by running reagentc /info from an elevated command prompt.
  • The device manufacturer has included a compatible networking driver in the Windows Recovery Environment, and the device can reach the internet from WinRE through either a wired Ethernet connection or a personal (WPA-Personal) Wi-Fi connection.
  • The device meets Windows 11 minimum hardware requirements.

Start Cloud rebuild from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)

  1. Enter the Windows Recovery Environment. This happens automatically after repeated boot failures, or the user can launch it manually from Windows by going to Settings > System > Recovery and selecting Restart now next to Advanced startup.

Screenshot of the Settings > System > Recovery page with the Advanced startup option highlighted.

  1. On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot, and then select Cloud rebuild.

Screenshot of the WinRE Choose an option screen with Troubleshoot highlighted, followed by the Troubleshoot screen with the Cloud rebuild tile highlighted.

  1. Cloud rebuild attempts to connect to the network. If the device is connected to Ethernet, the connection completes automatically. If only Wi-Fi is available, select a WPA-Personal network and provide the passkey when prompted.

Screenshot of the Cloud rebuild Connecting to network status screen.

  1. Wait for Cloud rebuild to finish preparing. Cloud rebuild contacts Windows Update to determine the target Windows build and to download the device's networking drivers.

Screenshot of the Cloud rebuild Getting things ready status screen.

  1. Review the rebuild target state. Confirm that the displayed Windows build, edition, and language match the expected target before continuing.

Screenshot of the Cloud rebuild target state confirmation screen showing build, edition, and language.

  1. Review and acknowledge the data loss warning, and then select Continue to start the rebuild.

Warning

Cloud rebuild reformats the system disk and removes all locally stored files, accounts, apps, and settings. Data stored in cloud services such as OneDrive is not affected.

Screenshot of the Cloud rebuild warning and confirmation screen.

  1. Cloud rebuild moves through the preparation, download, and install phases. Progress is displayed on screen. The device may restart one or more times during this process. Do not power off the device.

Warning

Keep the device connected to power until Cloud rebuild is complete. Do not manually restart or power off the device while Cloud rebuild is preparing, downloading, or installing Windows. Interrupting the process can leave Windows unable to boot. If this happens, recover the device by using Recovery Drive - Microsoft Support, Reinstall Windows with the installation media - Microsoft Support, or recovery media provided by the device manufacturer.

Screenshot of the Cloud rebuild preparation, download, and install progress screens.

  1. When the rebuild completes, the device boots into the Windows out-of-box experience (OOBE).

After the rebuild completes

After Cloud rebuild finishes, the device boots into the Windows out-of-box experience (OOBE). For unmanaged devices, the user completes OOBE just as they would on a new PC. For Microsoft Entra–joined and Intune-managed devices that are registered with Windows Autopilot, the device automatically reconnects to Microsoft Intune, Intune redeploys the apps and policies assigned to the user or device, Backup for Organizations restores user settings, and user files are available through OneDrive once the user signs in.

Troubleshooting

If Cloud rebuild fails, the WinRE UX displays an error code on the failure screen. Use the following section to diagnose issues.

Cloud rebuild fails with error code 0x800704C6

Error code 0x800704C6 indicates that the device has no network connection. Cloud rebuild requires internet access to download the target Windows image and the device's drivers from Windows Update. To resolve this error:  

  1. Ensure that the device has either an active Ethernet connection or an available Wi-Fi connection. At this time, only WPA-2 Personal Wi-Fi connections are supported in the WinRE environment.
  2. Select Cancel on the error screen.
  3. Select Troubleshoot, and then select Cloud rebuild.
  4. Connect to Ethernet with an active internet connection, or on the Let's connect you to a network screen, select an available Wi-Fi connection and complete the connection.
  5. Continue and complete the Cloud rebuild process.

Cloud rebuild fails with error code 0xc1900200

Error code 0xc1900200 indicates either that the device does not meet the Windows 11 minimum hardware requirements, or that a required driver for the device is missing from Windows Update. The most common cause is that the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is not enabled. To resolve this error:

  • Confirm that the TPM is enabled in firmware. Restart the device, enter the UEFI/BIOS setup, locate the security or trusted computing menu, and verify that TPM (sometimes labeled PTT, fTPM, or Security Device) is enabled. Save the settings and restart.
  • From Windows, verify the TPM is detected by pressing Windows key + R, running tpm.msc, and confirming the status is The TPM is ready for use.
  • Retry Cloud rebuild.
  • If Cloud rebuild still fails with the same error code after TPM is confirmed enabled, the issue is most likely a missing driver. Contact the device manufacturer to confirm that all required drivers for the device, in particular networking and storage drivers, are published on Windows Update. Cloud rebuild downloads drivers from Windows Update during the rebuild, and missing drivers will cause the operation to fail with this error code.

Report a Cloud rebuild failure to Microsoft

If Cloud rebuild fails, you can collect logs from the device and report the problem to Microsoft through Feedback Hub. To gather the logs and submit a report:

  1. Open a Command Prompt in WinRE. On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot, then Advanced options, and then Command Prompt.
  2. Copy the following log files and folders from the device to an external drive:
    • X:\$Windows.~BT\Sources\Panther
    • X:\Windows\Logs\MoSetup
    • X:\Windows\Logs\Rebuild
  3. If the device is able to boot successfully to Windows, boot to Windows and open Feedback Hub. Select Report a problem, and under the Select a category drop-down, select Cloud rebuild, and then submit the report.
  4. If the device is not able to boot successfully to Windows, use another PC to open Feedback Hub. Select Report a problem, and under the Select a category drop-down, select Cloud rebuild. Attach the log files gathered in step 2 to the feedback report, and then submit the report. Then recover the non-booting device by using Recovery Drive - Microsoft Support, Reinstall Windows with the installation media - Microsoft Support, or recovery media provided by the device manufacturer.
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