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Enable self-service reset from Microsoft Intune admin center → Devices → Cloud PC Settings → Create → User settings. Turn on Enable users to reset their Cloud PCs, assign the setting to a Microsoft Entra ID user group, and have targeted users sign out and back in. The action then appears in the Windows App and the Windows 365 web portal.
Reset is a destructive, irreversible rebuild: it removes files stored locally on the Cloud PC, installed applications, Windows customizations, and saved restore points. Require an approved backup before granting access.
What Cloud PC Reset does
A user-initiated reset reinstalls Windows on the existing Cloud PC. Microsoft states that the operation removes personal files, locally installed applications, user-made Windows settings changes, and saved restore points. It cannot be undone. See Microsoft’s Cloud PC reset guidance.
- The Cloud PC is unavailable while the reset runs.
- Only data already synchronized or copied to an approved location remains available after the rebuild.
- A reset does not grant local administrator rights; local admin is a separate user-settings control.
- Walkthroughs commonly report roughly 25–30 minutes, but that is an operational estimate, not a Microsoft completion guarantee. See the Prajwal Desai walkthrough.
Tell users to move important files to approved OneDrive, SharePoint, or other organizational storage first. Do not assume that every application synchronizes all local data.
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Supported editions and provisioning modes
Support is not universal across every Windows 365 offering. Microsoft’s Windows App settings documentation lists the user-settings workflow for the following scenarios:
| Windows 365 offering or mode | How to treat self-service reset |
|---|---|
| Enterprise | Primary scenario for the documented user-settings control. |
| Flex Dedicated | Listed as supported for the relevant Windows App settings workflow. |
| Flex Shared | Has separate device-action and session behavior. Do not assume it behaves like a personal Cloud PC wipe; consult Device actions in Windows App and the applicable Flex documentation. |
| Reserve | Listed in the current Windows App settings documentation for the relevant user settings. |
| Business | Administrators can reset Business Cloud PCs, but identical self-service user-settings availability is not established by the Enterprise workflow. Check Business remote management. |
| Government | Verify availability and labels in your Government tenant before promising parity. |
Flex Shared can use different reset semantics, including snapshot-based behavior documented at Windows 365 Flex snapshot-based reset. Treat that as a separate design rather than extending the personal-Cloud-PC procedure automatically.
Prerequisites and governance
- An Intune or Windows 365 administrator account with permission to create and assign Cloud PC user settings.
- A supported Windows 365 Cloud PC assigned to each target user.
- A Microsoft Entra ID security group containing only approved users.
- A documented backup requirement and help-desk process for destructive actions.
- The Windows App or the supported web experience. Microsoft does not identify the traditional Remote Desktop Connection client (
mstsc.exe) as the supported daily-access method for Windows 365 users.
Use a narrowly scoped group such as W365-SelfServiceReset-Approved or W365-Developer-ResetUsers. Pilot with developers, application-packaging staff, lab users, or other technically capable users whose local data is backed up. Avoid broad assignment where users keep business-critical files, certificates, development keys, test databases, or manually installed applications locally.
Keep reset access separate from local administrator access. You can enable one without enabling the other. Avoid overlapping user-settings policies for the same users unless your organization has tested and documented the resulting assignment behavior.
Configure self-service reset in Intune
- Sign in to the Microsoft Intune admin center.
- Select Devices.
- Open Cloud PC Settings in the Windows 365 management area.
- Select Create, then choose User settings.
- Enter a descriptive name, for example
Allow Cloud PC Reset - Developers. - Turn on Enable users to reset their Cloud PCs.
- Configure any other settings required by your design, such as Enable local admin or Allow user to initiate restore service. Do not enable unrelated rights merely to expose Reset.
- Select Next. On Assignments, select Add Groups and choose the Microsoft Entra ID group for the approved users.
- Continue through Next, review the configuration, and select Create.
Older 2023 articles and screenshots may show Devices → Windows 365 → User Settings. Microsoft’s current documented navigation uses Devices → Cloud PC Settings → Create → User settings; use the labels displayed by your tenant.
Make the assignment take effect
- Confirm the intended user is a member of the assigned Entra group.
- Confirm the user has a supported Cloud PC and that the policy was created successfully.
- Allow assignment and service processing to complete.
- Ask a user who was already signed in to sign out of the Windows App or web portal.
- Have the user sign back in and inspect the Cloud PC action menu.
Microsoft notes that user settings can be assigned before or after Cloud PC assignment, but an already signed-in user must sign out and back in before a changed setting appears. The action should be visible only for users covered by the assignment and supported scenario.
How an end user performs a reset
Windows App
- Open Windows App and select the Devices tab.
- Find the Cloud PC and open its action menu, usually the three-dot menu.
- Select Reset.
- Read the warning, confirm the acknowledgement checkbox, and select Reset again.
These labels and the supported device actions are documented in Device actions in Windows App.
Windows 365 web portal
- Sign in to the current Windows 365 web experience at windows.cloud.microsoft as directed by Microsoft’s access documentation.
- Locate the Cloud PC card and open its action or gear menu.
- Select Reset, review the warning, acknowledge it, and confirm.
Older walkthroughs may refer to windows365.microsoft.com; do not treat that older hostname as the only current route.
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Reset, Restart, Restore, and Reprovision compared
| Action | What it does | Data and recovery impact |
|---|---|---|
| Restart | Reboots the Cloud PC. | Normally preserves data; unsaved application changes can still be lost. |
| Restore | Returns the Cloud PC to a selected restore point. | Changes made after that point are lost and the restore cannot be undone. See Restore overview. |
| Reset | Reinstalls Windows on the existing Cloud PC. | Deletes local files, applications, settings changes, and saved restore points; irreversible. |
| Administrator reprovision | Deletes and rebuilds the Cloud PC using the current provisioning policy. | Destructive and disruptive; removes user state and is an administrative operation. See Reprovision a Cloud PC. |
Use Restore when the goal is an earlier known-good state. Use Reset when a clean operating-system rebuild is justified and the user’s data is backed up. Reprovision is an administrator-controlled rebuild and is not the same permission as self-service Reset.
Monitor completion
During the operation, the user cannot use the Cloud PC. In Intune’s Windows 365 area, an expected status sequence in some tenants is Provisioned → Provisioning → Provisioned. Treat this as a useful indicator rather than a guaranteed label or timing pattern for every tenant. If the status remains abnormal, inspect device-action and provisioning details before taking another destructive action.
A reset rebuilds from the current Windows 365 configuration. If the underlying provisioning policy, base image, network configuration, application deployment, or identity setup is faulty, the same problem can return after reset. Administrator reprovisioning also uses the current provisioning policy, so neither action fixes a flawed policy by itself. See Provisioning in Windows 365.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot a missing or failed Reset action
Reset is not visible
- Verify that the user is in the assigned Microsoft Entra group.
- Verify that the user-settings policy assignment succeeded.
- Check the Cloud PC’s edition and provisioning mode against the support distinctions above.
- Have the user sign out and sign back in; test both the Windows App and the current web portal.
- Check for overlapping user-settings policies affecting the same user.
- Confirm that the Cloud PC is not in a state where device actions are temporarily unavailable.
Reset is visible but cannot be completed
- Refresh or restart the Windows App, then re-authenticate.
- Try the web portal to rule out a client-session problem.
- Check whether another operation is already running.
- Inspect provisioning and device-action status in Intune.
- Escalate backend or assignment errors to the administrator; do not repeatedly confirm a destructive action.
The user wants files back
Reset is not a recovery method. If the reset has not started, stop and check approved backups. If the objective is to return to an earlier state, evaluate Point-in-Time Restore first, while remembering that Restore also discards changes made after the selected restore point.
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Operational best practices
- Start with a pilot group and expand only after users demonstrate that their data is synchronized or backed up.
- Publish a short warning explaining that Reset deletes local files, apps, settings changes, and restore points.
- Keep Reset and local-admin policies separate for easier review and least-privilege control.
- Document who may approve reset access for production users.
- Train help-desk staff to recommend Restart or Restore when those actions fit the problem better.
- Record the current provisioning policy and image so a recurring post-reset fault can be investigated rather than repeatedly reset.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Reset delete files in OneDrive or SharePoint?
It deletes files stored only on the Cloud PC. Files successfully synchronized to approved OneDrive, SharePoint, or other organizational storage remain subject to that service’s retention and recovery policies; verify synchronization before resetting.
Can a user undo a Cloud PC reset?
No. Microsoft describes Reset as irreversible. Restore points are deleted as part of the reset, so they cannot be used afterward to reverse it.
Does Reset change the Windows 365 license?
No license change is described by the reset operation. It rebuilds the Cloud PC experience; licensing and assignment remain separate administrative controls.
Can users reset from Remote Desktop Connection?
Use the Windows App or supported Windows 365 web experience. The traditional Remote Desktop Connection client is not the supported daily-access method identified in Microsoft’s access guidance.
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How long should users wait?
Third-party walkthroughs commonly observe about 25–30 minutes, but actual duration varies and Microsoft does not publish that range as a universal guarantee.
What should an administrator do if Reset keeps failing?
Check group assignment, supported edition or mode, sign-in state, policy overlap, current Cloud PC status, and provisioning errors. Use administrator reprovisioning only after confirming that required data is backed up.
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