What is Windows 11’s System Restore & How To Use It

Whether you’re using a PC for work, for school, or just for leisure, it is always a good idea to have some backup measures in place, just in case any kind of problems arise with your system. Most tech companies recommend this – such as TechQuarters, a company we spoke with who provide managed IT services London companies use. TechQuarters are Microsoft Partners, which means that backup system they recommend is Window’s own System Restore feature.

What is System Restore

In Windows, the System Restore is a useful function that essentially backs up your PC’s software, driver configuration, and registry at a specific point in time – this backup is referred to as a restore point. Once you have a restore point saved, you can restore your PC to that point in time – it’s sort of like digital time travel.

Let’s say that, somehow, a virus had invaded your system, and you were unable to remove it with an antivirus. Using System Restore, you can essentially dial the clock back to a time before the virus was on your system. Everything that was created, downloaded, or saved to your PC after the restore point will be erased. While this does mean you could potentially lose some work, you still retain much of your system, which would not be possible if you had to perform a full reset of your machine.

System Restore has been around since the year 2000 (starting with Windows Me), and has improved in leaps and bounds, especially during Windows 10. Now that Windows 11 is here, see how to set it up and use it with the latest version of Windows:

Setup System Restore

To use System Restore, you must ensure it has been enabled on your PC. You can set this up yourself. The following steps will show you where to find System Restore and how to set it up:

• In Windows 11, open Search, and type in Control Panel. According to Microsoft, this is the best way to find System Restore.
• Open the Control Panel app, and in the search field (in the top-right corner), search Recovery.
• Select Recovery from the search results, then choose Configure System Restore. A new window called System Properties will appear.
• In the new window, go to Protection Settings, and select your available drive (it should be the C: drive, which is your main internal storage).
• With your drive selected, click Configure. A new window called System Protection for OS will appear.
• In the new window, go to Restore Settings, and make sure Turn on system protection is selected. When you are done, click Apply, and then OK.

Create a Restore Point

Once you have configured System Restore for your PC, as per the above steps, it is recommended that you immediately create a restore point.

• Back in the System Properties window, under the System Protection tab, go down to the bottom and click Create.
• In a new window, you will be asked to type a description for the restore point you are created. The date at which you created the restore point is automatically added.
• When you have added a description, click Create.

Use a Restore Point

So, you’ve got setup and have created a restore point. Imagine you download something that disrupts the normal running of your system. You can now use your restore point to undo that mistake.

• In Windows 11, open Search, and type in Control Panel. According to Microsoft, this is the best way to find System Restore.
• Open the Control Panel app, and in the search field (in the top-right corner), search Recovery.
• Select Recovery from the search results, then choose Open System Restore.
• In the new window, click Next. You will then see all the restore points you have created (each one will have the date it was created listed).
• Choose the restore point you want to use, and click Scan for affected programs. This will show you any Programs and drivers that will be deleted, as well as ones that will be restore. Close that window and click Next.
• The last page will show you a summary of the restore point you are using, the drives it will affect, and a message advising you to create a password reset disk if you have recently changed your Windows password.
• If you are ready to restore the system, click Finish.