If your Windows 10 computer is having issues due to a new app installation or a recent driver upgrade, simply trying to uninstall or roll back the driver won’t always work. This is where Windows 10 System Restore comes in, as it essentially allows you to jump back to a previous time when Windows was running just fine.
But how does this work, you ask? Well, it does this by creating “restore points” from time to time, usually when you install new software or Windows 10 updates. Plus, it creates one every week anyway, and you can do it manually at any time.
Windows 10 restore points are actually images of important Windows content, system files, registry settings, and hardware drivers themselves. It doesn’t take into account any of your personal documents, so this isn’t a backup by any means. Depending on your system settings, a small portion of the hard drive is dedicated to storing these restore points, and it automatically clears the old ones to make room for the new ones. You still need to back up all your personal data yourself, but Windows 10 restore points can help resolve software issues on your Windows PC.
When you open System Restore, you will see available restore points, which will allow you to go back to a specific time in the past. Simply put, Windows 10 System Restore allows you to get your computer back to a working state.
Before using this feature, you should understand how it affects your computer. Since Windows 10 System Restore doesn’t back up your personal documents, restoring your system won’t change any of them. Instead, it keeps track of all the apps you have, so once you select a point, any apps installed thereafter will disappear, while uninstalled apps will come back.
Once the process is complete, you will need to re-run the installer/uninstaller to properly remove the programs you don’t need. Thankfully, Windows 10 does provide you with a list of affected programs, making the process much simpler.
How to set up System Restore on Windows 10
By default, the Windows 10 System Restore option is turned on only for the main drive, which contains all necessary Windows files. If you’d like to expand your coverage, follow these steps:
- beat startand then enter “restore”.
- choose Create restore point.
- exist System protection tab, down Protection settingsyou will see a list of drives available on your computer, containing exist or leave labels next to them.
- Select the appropriate drive and click Configuration.
- choose Turn on system protection Enable system restore. By default, C: should be open.
- In the same dialog box, adjust Maximum usage Slider as you wish. The more space you free up, the further you can choose to go later.
How to create a restore point on Windows 10
In some cases, you may need to create a restore point yourself, for example if you are installing an application or new driver from an unconfirmed source. The specific method is as follows:
- beat startand then enter “restore”.
- choose Create restore point.
- exist System protection tab, down Protection settingsclick create.
- Then, give it a memorable name and click create.
- After less than a minute, you will see a success message. Click closure.
How to use System Restore on Windows 10
Hopefully you never have to worry about this. But if that unsettling day comes, here’s how you can restore your system to an earlier point in time:
- beat startand then enter “restore”.
- choose Create restore point.
- exist System protection tab, down system recoveryclick system recovery.
- A new dialog box will provide you with a brief description of System Restore. choose Next.
- On the next page, you’ll see the available restore points, each with a date next to it. Select the desired one and click Scan for affected programs.
- In the new dialog box, you will have two different lists – the top list shows the programs that will be removed, and the bottom list shows the programs that will be restored. Once you’ve noted down something important, click closure.
- When you are ready, select the appropriate restore point and click Next.
- Windows 10 will ask you to confirm. Browse the details and click Finish.
- In the final dialog box, System Restore will inform you that it “cannot be interrupted.” Click Yes start.
The Windows 10 recovery process will take over your computer and complete in approximately 15 minutes, depending on your CPU and hard drive speed. After restarting, you can log in to see if everything is working properly. If the expected results are not achieved, you can revert to the latest system settings since System Restore always creates another restore point before starting.
Do you have any questions about Windows 10 System Restore? Share them in the comments below. For more tutorials, visit our how-to section.