What happens if I factory reset my PC that switched from Windows to Linux?

In the future, it's a good idea to create backup media right after getting your PC. Some manufacturers offer a recovery USB stick for a fee, which can save you a lot of trouble if you decide to switch to another OS later.

If you still have the original Windows recovery partition intact, you might be able to restore from that. Otherwise, grab the Windows ISO from Microsoft's site and do a fresh installation. If your Windows license was linked to a Microsoft account, it should activate automatically upon reinstallation.

If your PC originally came with Windows pre-installed, sometimes there’s a recovery partition that might still be there. Check your manufacturer’s website for tools to create a backup image on USB, but do note that these tools are generally only functional on Windows.

There really isn’t a straightforward factory reset option available if you've wiped everything. If you did erase both the Windows system and recovery partitions, you'll need to get Windows installation media separately to get back to a Windows environment.

If you deleted your Windows installation, there's nothing to revert to. Unfortunately, you'll need to reinstall Windows from scratch. Just keep in mind that if you accidentally wiped out the Windows recovery partition along with it, you won’t be able to restore it like a factory reset would normally do.