How to Create a System Restore Point in Windows 11

Before installing a major piece of software, updating your hardware drivers, or making edits to the Windows Registry, you should always create a System Restore Point. A restore point acts as a “save state” for your computer’s operating system.

If an update causes your computer to crash or behave erratically, you can use the restore point to roll back Windows 11 to the exact state it was in before the problem occurred, completely undoing the damage. Importantly, System Restore only affects system files and settings; it will not delete any of your personal documents or photos.

Step 1: Enable System Protection

By default, Windows 11 often ships with the System Restore feature disabled to save storage space on smaller hard drives. You must turn it on before you can create a restore point.

1. Click the Start button on your taskbar, type restore, and select Create a restore point from the search results.
2. The System Properties window will open on the System Protection tab.
3. Look at the “Protection Settings” box. You will see a list of your hard drives. Click on your primary system drive (usually labeled Local Disk (C:) (System)).
4. Click the Configure… button.
5. In the new window, select the radio button next to Turn on system protection.
6. Under the “Disk Space Usage” section, drag the Max Usage slider to allocate between 5% and 10% of your hard drive. This tells Windows how much space it is allowed to use for storing multiple restore points.
7. Click Apply, then click OK to return to the previous window.

Step 2: Create a Manual Restore Point

Now that the feature is enabled, Windows will automatically create restore points before installing major system updates. However, you can (and should) manually create one whenever you are about to do something risky.

1. In the System Properties window (which should still be open), ensure your C: drive is highlighted.
2. Click the Create… button near the bottom.
3. A prompt will ask you to type a description to help you identify the restore point later. Type something specific, such as “Before installing new Nvidia drivers” or “Before editing Registry”. (Windows will automatically add the date and time, so you do not need to include that).
4. Click the Create button.
5. Windows will take a few moments to snapshot your registry and system files. Once finished, a message will confirm the restore point was created successfully. Click Close.

How to Use a Restore Point (Rolling Back)

If your computer starts acting up days or weeks after you created the restore point, here is how you use it to travel back in time.

1. Open the System Properties window again by searching for “Create a restore point” in the Start menu.
2. Click the System Restore… button near the top of the window.
3. The System Restore wizard will open. Click Next.
4. You will see a list of all available restore points. Select the one you created prior to the issue occurring.
5. Optional but recommended: Click the Scan for affected programs button. This will show you exactly which apps and drivers will be uninstalled or restored if you proceed with this rollback.
6. Click Next, confirm the details, and click Finish.
7. Windows will warn you that the process cannot be interrupted. Click Yes to begin.

Your PC will restart and begin the restoration process. This can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. Once it boots back to the desktop, a message will appear confirming that your system has been restored, and your computer should be running smoothly once again.