How to enable or disable System Restore on Windows

System Restore on Windows is a feature that reverts your computer to a previous state when everything was working properly. Windows creates system restore points at specific points in time. System Restore is usually enabled by default for the Windows installation drive. Starting with the Windows security update KB5060842, Windows 11 24H2 will retain restore points for up to 60 days. If disabled, Windows will no longer create system backups. Below are instructions on how to enable or disable System Restore on Windows.

 

How to enable/disable System Restore via Group Policy Editor

This applies to Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions and should be done with administrator privileges .

Step 1:

Type gpedit.msc into the search bar , then access the site using the link below.

 

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > System Restore

Step 2:

Look at the content next to it and double-click on the "Turn off System Restore" setting as shown in the image to proceed with the adjustment.

 

To enable System Restore by default for the drive, check the Not Configured box and then click OK to save the changes.

To disable System Restore , click Enabled .

 

How to enable/disable System Restore using Registry Editor

This method applies to all versions of Windows, including Windows Home.

We open Windows Terminal as administrator to do this.

To enable System Restore with default settings, enter the command below.

reg delete "HKLMSOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows NTSystemRestore" /v DisableSR /f

To disable system restore, enter the following command:

reg add "HKLMSOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows NTSystemRestore" /v DisableSR /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

The System Restore feature is enabled by default in Windows. You can turn it off and on again as needed. When it's off, you cannot access the System Restore Wizard or change System Restore settings.

Disabling System Restore will not delete existing restore points on your computer. You can still use restore points at startup or in PowerShell immediately after re-enabling it.