01
Open the System Properties window
Click the taskbar search box, type Create a restore point, and open the result. A small System Properties window opens on the System Protection tab. This is the same window on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Recovery
Create a restore point before you need one
A restore point is a snapshot of your Windows settings, drivers and installed programs. Making one takes under a minute and it is the difference between undoing a bad install and rebuilding the machine. This guide creates one, then uses it. About five minutes.
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Why Bother
A minute now, or an evening later
You cannot make a restore point after the thing goes wrong. That is the entire argument for making one before you install anything you have not installed before.
A restore point records the state of Windows itself: system files, drivers, registry settings, and which programs are installed. It does not copy your documents or photos. Creating one is fast because it is a snapshot rather than a copy, and Windows keeps several, deleting the oldest as the space you allocate fills up.
The habit worth building is small. Before you install a driver you found on a support site, before a firmware or utility package from a manufacturer, before any software you are not certain of, create a point and name it after what you are about to do. If the machine boots strangely afterward, or a device stops working, you roll back to a Windows that worked twenty minutes ago instead of trying to reverse the change by hand.
It is important to be clear about the limit. System Restore is not a backup, and it will not bring back a deleted file, a corrupted document or a drive that has failed. Those need a real copy of your data kept somewhere else, which is a separate job covered in our guide on how to back up your files. Treat restore points as an undo button for Windows, and backups as insurance for everything you would actually miss.
System protection may be switched off
On some machines, particularly ones set up by a manufacturer, protection is off by default and no restore points exist at all. Check it now rather than discovering it on the day you need one, because the setting only starts protecting from the moment you turn it on.
Step by Step
Create one, then use it if you have to
Steps one to three take about a minute. The rest are there for the day something goes wrong.
02
Turn protection on for the system drive
In the Protection Settings list, select the drive marked C: (System) and check what it says. If it says Off, click Configure, choose “Turn on system protection”, drag Max Usage to somewhere around five to ten percent of the drive, and click OK. That space limit is what determines how many points Windows keeps.
03
Create a point and name it clearly
Back on the System Protection tab, click Create. Type a description you will recognize later, such as the name of the program you are about to install, and click Create again. Windows adds the date and time itself. Wait for the confirmation message, which usually takes well under a minute.
04
Install whatever you were going to install
Go ahead with the driver, utility or program. If everything works normally afterward, do nothing further. The restore point sits there costing you a little disk space and will eventually be replaced by newer ones.
05
Roll back with System Restore
If something breaks, reopen System Properties the same way and click System Restore, then Next. Select the point you created, click “Scan for affected programs” to see exactly what will be removed or restored, then click Next and Finish.
06
Let it finish without interrupting
The computer restarts and does the work outside of Windows, which takes several minutes and sometimes longer. Do not power it off during this. When it comes back you get a message telling you whether the restore succeeded, and you can undo the restore from the same screen if it did not help.
07
Use recovery mode if Windows will not start
If the machine no longer boots, power it off during startup three times in a row to reach the recovery screen, then choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore. The same restore points are available there, which is exactly the situation they exist for.
Know the Limits
What System Restore will and will not do
The boundaries matter, because people rely on this for things it was never designed to cover.
It does not restore personal files
Documents, photos, downloads and email are left exactly as they are. A restore will not bring back something you deleted yesterday, and it will not undo an edit to a spreadsheet. That is what a backup is for, and the two are not interchangeable.
It removes programs installed after the point
Anything installed between the restore point and now is uninstalled by the rollback. That is the point of it, but it also means you may need to reinstall something you wanted to keep. The “Scan for affected programs” button lists this before you commit.
Restore points expire quietly
Windows deletes the oldest points as new ones are made and the allocated space fills. If you set a small Max Usage, you may only keep one or two. A point from three months ago is unlikely to still be there when you go looking.
A restore can be undone
If rolling back does not fix the problem, or makes something else worse, open System Restore again and choose Undo System Restore. Windows keeps a point from immediately before the restore ran, so the operation is reversible in either direction.
For a bad Windows update, uninstall the update instead
Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates removes a specific update without touching anything else. That is a narrower and safer fix than a full restore when the timing points clearly at an update, and it is covered further in our guide on how to update Windows.
Reset this PC is the level above
Settings > System > Recovery holds Reset this PC. It reinstalls Windows, with an option to keep your files, and it removes every program you have installed. It is a last resort, not a troubleshooting step, and it should never be the first thing tried on a machine with data on it.
Restore point questions
Does a restore point back up my documents?
No. It captures Windows system files, drivers, settings and the list of installed programs. Your personal files are neither saved nor changed by it. Keep a separate backup of anything you would be upset to lose, because System Restore offers no protection for data at all.
How much disk space do restore points use?
As much as you allow in the Configure screen, and no more. Five to ten percent of the drive is a reasonable setting on most computers. When that space is full, Windows deletes the oldest points to make room for new ones, so it never grows beyond the limit you set.
There are no restore points listed. What happened?
Almost always system protection was off, so none were ever created. It can also mean the allocated space filled and older points were removed, or that a cleanup tool deleted them. Turn protection on now and create one manually, because Windows will not retroactively create points for the past.
Is System Restore safe to run?
Yes, on a machine that still boots. It does not touch your files and it can be undone afterward from the same screen. The main thing to know is that programs installed since the point will be gone, so check the affected programs list before you start and make sure the computer stays powered during the restart.
When should I use Reset this PC instead?
When Windows is damaged badly enough that restoring does not help, and only after your data is safely copied elsewhere. Reset reinstalls Windows and removes your installed programs even when you choose to keep files. It is a rebuild, so treat it as the end of the road rather than a quick fix.
An undo button for Windows, set up in under a minute.
If a machine is already broken and there is no restore point, do not reset it yet. Talk to us first.
Talk to Your Pod
If System Restore will not run or will not fix it, stop before you reset.
A reset removes your programs, and there is often a less drastic route. Call or text (602) 677-0779 before you take that step.
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