A Complete Guide to Using System Restore in Windows 11

Did you make an unexpected change to your Windows 11 PC and don’t know how to revert it? Or perhaps you want your computer to work after a failed system update? Fortunately, you don’t need to reinstall Windows 11 from scratch and risk losing important files to fix that. Windows includes a System Restore feature that allows you to revert your computer to its last usable version.

System Restore keeps taking snapshots of Windows on your PC to create a ‘restore point’ where everything works fine. We’ll share more about what system restore is, how it works, and how to use it on your Windows 11 PC to undo changes or fix software-related problems.

What is system restore and how does it work?

System Restore is an old feature included in Windows 11 to protect and revert your system to a specific restore point if something goes wrong. It creates a snapshot of your current system state, which is saved as a ‘restore point’ whenever your computer detects significant changes or you manually create one. to ensure the security of your system.

Suppose something went wrong after installing a faulty software update or accidentally changing important system parameters in the registry. In that case, you can use System Restore to restore your PC to a previous working state. Additionally, the System Restore process does not affect personal files such as your photos or documents. However, it will remove all the applications, drivers and even updates that you installed on the system after Windows created the system score.

How to Configure and Enable System Restore in Windows 11

By default, Windows does not enable System Restore. You will need to enable this feature for your Windows computer manually. Here’s how you can manually enable and configure System Restore Point on your Windows 11 PC:

Step 1: Click Search on the Windows 11 taskbar, type Create restore point and select the Open button below the “Create restore point” result.

Step 2: Select the Hard Drive partition on which you want to create a System Restore Point and click Configure.

Step 3: In the next window, select the ‘Turn on system protection’ option to enable System Restore. Adjust the Maximum Usage slider to allocate the disk space required to store the System Restore Point.

Step 4: Click the Apply button to save the changed options.

How to Create a System Restore Point in Windows 11

After enabling System Restore, it will automatically create a new restore point every week or when you install apps/system updates. However, we recommend that you choose to create a System Restore point regularly or before making significant changes to the registry and system preferences. Here’s how you can manually create a System Restore Point in Windows 11:

Step 1: Open the ‘System Properties’ window to create a System Restore Point (check the steps in the previous section). Click Create.

Step 2: In the ‘Create restore point’ dialog box, give the restore point a name and click Create.

Step 3: Click Close to complete the process.

How to use System Restore on your PC

Now that you know how to enable and create a system restore point, here’s how you can use it to restore your Windows PC to a previous stage if something goes wrong and you can still boot/boot move your PC:

Step 1: Open the ‘System Properties’ window again (follow the steps in the first section) and click the System Restore button.

Step 2: Click Next to start the restore process.

Step 3: Select a restore point that you want to use. (we selected the ‘Edit the registry in August 2022’ created for this tutorial). If required, click ‘Scan affected programs’ to see the changes made to the system before the restore point was created. Then click Next.

Step 4: Confirm the restore point to which you want to revert your system. Once verified, click Finish to initiate the automatic restore process.

How to use System Restore when the computer won’t start

If you’re trying to revert from a failed update, you can most likely boot/login to your PC to initiate the System Restore process. However, if you cannot boot into your PC, here is how you can access System Restore from the advanced Startup options. Check out our guide on different ways to access Advanced Startup Options in Windows 11

If not, you can follow these steps:

Step 1: Start the computer and press and hold the power button when you see the Windows logo and wait for the computer to restart.

Step 2: Force restart your PC up to 4 times until you see the Automatic Repair screen. Then click Advanced options.

Step 3: Click Troubleshoot.

Step 4: Select Advanced Options.

Step 5: Click System Restore.

Step 6: The computer may ask you to enter the Administrator password. Then click the Continue button.

Step 7: Select the restore point you want to revert to in the System Restore window. If required, click ‘Scan affected programs’ to see the changes made to the System before the restore point was created. Then click Next.

Step 8: Confirm the restore point you want to use. Once verified, click Finish to initiate the system restore process.

Let the system restore take over and do its job

Give your PC time to apply all the changes and it will reboot to boot and run Windows. Please note that this process may take half an hour or more, depending on various factors such as the size of the restore point, the age of the PC hardware, etc. So try not to turn off or use the machine. your computer while the restore is in progress.

Once the restore is complete, your PC will reboot and a window will appear stating that you have successfully restored your PC. The best part of System Restore is that you don’t have to lose important files or installed apps. If you run into difficulties or have specific questions about System Restore, feel free to share them in the comments section below.

Categories: How to
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