The short answer is , but with a very important "it depends" regarding how you configure the setup. The Short Answer: It Only Wipes What You Tell It To
By default, a clean installation of Windows or macOS is designed to target the (usually your C: drive). It does not automatically reach out and "sanitize" your secondary D: drive, external backup disks, or secondary SSDs unless you manually intervene during the partition process. How a Clean Install Works does clean install wipe all drives exclusive
A clean install does automatically wipe all drives ; it typically only affects the specific drive or partition you select for the operating system installation. While it "cleans" the target location by removing existing system files and applications, other physical drives and separate partitions generally remain untouched unless you manually choose to format or delete them during the setup process. How Drives Are Affected The short answer is , but with a
An hour later, Leo was back at his desktop. The wallpaper was the default blue ribbon. The icons were gone. He held his breath and opened File Explorer. How a Clean Install Works A clean install
Note the size of your C-Drive (e.g., 476 GB) so you don't accidentally click the wrong one.