How to Restore Windows 11 to a Previous Date

To restore Windows 11 to a previous date, select Start, type restore point, and open Create a restore point. On the System Protection tab, select System Restore, select Next, choose a restore point from before the problem started, and select Next > Finish. Your PC restarts and undoes recent changes to apps, drivers, and settings. Your personal files aren’t changed.

Newer Windows 11 PCs may also have point-in-time restore, which rolls back the whole PC, including files, to a point in the last few days. It’s covered further down.

Applies to: Windows 11.

Before you start

• System Restore only works if a restore point exists from before the problem. Windows creates them automatically before updates and driver installs, but only if System Protection is turned on.
• Apps and drivers installed after the restore point will be removed. You can reinstall them afterward.
• Your documents, photos, and other personal files aren’t affected. It’s still a good idea to back up anything important first.
• If the PC uses BitLocker or device encryption, have your recovery key ready in case Windows asks for it.

Restore to an earlier date

1. Select Start, type restore point, and select Create a restore point from the results.
2. On the System Protection tab, select System Restore.
3. Select Next. To see older points, check Show more restore points.
4. Select a restore point dated before the problem began. Select Scan for affected programs to see which apps and drivers will be removed.
5. Select Next, then Finish, and confirm with Yes. The restore takes several minutes, and the PC restarts. Don’t turn it off while it runs.

When the PC restarts, Windows shows whether the restore worked. If it says System Restore didn’t complete, try an older restore point, or run it from the recovery screen as shown below.

If Windows won’t start normally

You can run System Restore from the Windows Recovery Environment:

1. Go to Settings > System > Recovery, and next to Advanced startup, select Restart now. If Windows won’t load at all, it usually opens the recovery screen by itself after it fails to start twice.
2. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore.
3. Follow the same steps to pick a restore point.

Undo a restore

If the restore makes things worse, open System Restore again and select Undo System Restore, then follow the prompts. This isn’t available if you ran the restore from the recovery screen.

Use point-in-time restore (newer PCs)

Point-in-time restore is a newer Windows recovery feature. Unlike System Restore, it takes a snapshot of the whole PC on a schedule, usually every 24 hours, and keeps them for up to 72 hours.

• It reverts everything, including files you created or changed after the restore point, apps, settings, and passwords. Files stored in OneDrive or other cloud services aren’t affected.
• To check whether it’s on, go to Settings > System > Recovery > Point-in-time restore and select View or edit. It’s turned on automatically on personal PCs with a large enough system drive (200 GB or more). On work or school PCs it may be off.
• To use it, open the recovery screen as shown above and select Troubleshoot > Point-in-time restore. Enter your BitLocker recovery key if asked, choose a restore point, and confirm.

Because it can remove recent files, copy anything you’ve worked on since the restore point to OneDrive or a USB drive first. Use System Restore if you only want to undo an app, driver, or update.

If there are no restore points

The System Restore button is grayed out when System Protection is off. To use it next time:

1. Open Create a restore point again.
2. Select your system drive (usually C:) and select Configure.
3. Choose Turn on system protection, set Max Usage to around 5% to 10%, and select OK.
4. Select Create to make a restore point now. Naming and managing points is covered in creating a restore point in Windows 11.

If you need to fix Windows today and there’s no restore point, open Settings > System > Recovery. Fix problems using Windows Update reinstalls Windows and keeps your files and apps. Reset this PC is the last resort. It reinstalls Windows and lets you keep your files, but removes your apps.

If System Restore doesn’t finish

If you see System Restore did not complete successfully, nothing was changed. Try these, in order:

• Choose a different, older restore point.
• Run System Restore from the recovery screen instead of from inside Windows, as described above. Fewer files are in use there.
• Temporarily turn off any third-party antivirus program, then try again.
• Open Terminal as an administrator, run sfc /scannow to repair Windows files, restart, and try once more.

Other ways to roll back Windows 11

If you have no usable restore point, these can still undo a recent change:

• Uninstall a recent update: open Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates.
• Go back to the previous version: for about 10 days after a feature update, Settings > System > Recovery shows a Go back button.

Frequently asked questions

How far back can I restore Windows 11?

As far back as your oldest restore point. Windows deletes the oldest points when System Protection runs out of the space you gave it, so there may only be a few weeks of points.

Will System Restore remove a virus?

Not reliably. It doesn’t scan or remove malware, and some malware hides in personal files it leaves alone. Run a full scan in Windows Security instead.

Can I restore Windows 11 to Windows 10?

Not with System Restore. You can go back within 10 days of upgrading from Settings > System > Recovery > Go back, if the option is still there.

When no restore point fixes the problem, the next step is to reset Windows 11. A restore point doesn’t save your personal files, so it’s worth setting up a backup of Windows 11 to an external hard drive too.

Using Windows 10? The menus differ a little: restoring Windows 10 to a previous date. Every recovery option is described in Microsoft’s Recovery options in Windows and Point-in-time restore for Windows articles.