How to create restore point on Windows 11

You can fix many problems on Windows 11 using the System Protection feature, and here's how.

Windows 11 create restore point
Windows 11 create restore point
  • To create a system restore point on Windows 11, open the “System Protection” settings, select the drive and click on “Confiture,” and select the “Turn on system protection” option. Then on “System Protection,” select the drive to protect and click on “Create.”
  • To recover Windows 11 with a restore point, open the “System Protection” settings, click on “System Restore,” select the restore point and apply it to the computer.

System Restore is a feature available on Windows 11 that lets you create a copy of the system state as a “restore point” to protect the hard drive’s data. The feature automatically creates a restore point when it detects system changes, such as installing a new update or driver. However, you can always create a copy of the working state of your computer manually. 

In the event that something happens, you can use System Restore to recover Windows 11 to a good working state by applying one of the available restore points. You can think about this feature as an option to undo system changes. Also, when using this feature, your files won’t be affected.

This guide will teach you the steps to create and restore a restore point to fix problems on Windows 11.

Create system restore point on Windows 11

To create a restore point on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Start on Windows 11.

  2. Search for Create a restore point and click the top result to open the app.

  3. Under the “Protection Settings” section, select the system drive (C) and click the Configure button.

    Protection settings on Windows 11

  4. Select the “Turn on system protection” option.

    Enable system protection

  5. Click the Apply button.

  6. Click the OK button.

  7. Click the Create button to create a restore point on Windows 11.

    Create Registry backup

  8. Confirm a name for the restore point.

  9. Click the Create button.

  10. Click the Close button.

Once you complete the steps, the system will create a restore point that includes system files, installed applications, system settings, and a backup of the Registry.

Recover Windows 11 with system restore point

System Restore offers different ways to recover Windows 11. If you have access to the desktop, you can use a restore point to recover the system to a previous working state. If you don’t have access to the desktop, you can use the recovery tool in Safe Mode or Advanced Startup settings.

You can use these steps to start your computer in Safe Mode and then continue with the steps below. If you can’t start the device, use these instructions to access the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). Then open Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > System Restore, and continue with step 4 below.

To recover Windows 11 with a restore point, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for Create a restore point and click the top result to open the app.

  3. Click the System Restore button.

    System Restore recovery

  4. Click the Next button.

  5. Select the restore point to recover Windows 11 to a good working condition.

    Select Registry backup

  6. Click the Next button.

  7. Click the Finish button.

After you complete the steps, the computer may need a restart to finish recovering Windows 11. 

The restore part can take a long time when using the System Restore, and it will depend on the system configuration.

Disable system restore point on Windows 11

To disable System Restore on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for Create a restore point and click the top result to open the app.

  3. Under the “Protection Settings” section, select the system drive (C) and click the Configure button.

    Protection settings on Windows 11

  4. Select the “Disable system protection” option to disable System Restore on Windows 11.

    Disable system protection

  5. Click the Apply button.

  6. Click the OK button.

  7. Click the Yes button.

  8. Click the OK button again.

Once you complete the steps, Windows 11 will disable the System Restore feature.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.