How to Find My Restore Point in Windows 11: A Step-by-Step Guide

One day, your computer is working fine, and the next, it’s not booting at all. Windows 11 now has a feature called System Restore that can restore your PC to an earlier state — fixing things like outdated drivers, failed updates, or other software problems. Yet many users have trouble with one simple question: “How do I locate my restore points in Windows 11?”

Read: How to Stop Annoying Pop-Ups on Windows 11

In this post, we’ll take you through what restore points are and why they’re important and show you how to find, manage, and use them effectively.

What Is a Restore Point in Windows 11?

A restore point is a representation of your Windows system files and settings.

Consider it a “snapshot” of your computer at a given time.

When you make a restore point, Windows copies system files, installed applications and drivers, as well as registry settings, deleting none of that personal stuff like your photos or documents. If something later goes wrong, you can “restore” your system to the state it was in at that point.

When Windows Creates Restore Points Automatically

• Before installing major Windows updates.
• Prior to the installation of drivers or other software.
• If you create one manually via System Properties.

Why It Matters to Know How to Find Restore Points

Knowing where your restore points are — and that they exist — can save you future headaches. Here’s why it matters:

• Quick Recovery: Recovers Windows crashes, driver errors, or bad updates quickly.
• Saves Time: No need to reinstall or reset your PC.
• Safe Rollback: Roll back system changes while saving your files.

How to Find Restore Points in Windows 11

Follow these simple steps to view your available restore points:

Step 1: Open the Control Panel

1. Press Windows + S and type Control Panel.
2. Select Control Panel from the search results.

Step 2: Go to System and Security

1. Click System and Security.
2. Then click System on the next screen.

Step 3: Access System Protection

1. In the left sidebar, click System Protection.
2. You’ll see the System Properties window appear.

Step 4: View Restore Points

1. Under the System Protection tab, click System Restore.
2. Select Choose a different restore point and click Next.
3. You’ll now see a list of all available restore points, along with their date, time, and description.

💡 Pro Tip: If no restore points appear, it means the feature is turned off — you’ll need to enable System Protection (explained below).

How to Enable or Create a Restore Point (If None Exist)

If you don’t see any restore points, don’t worry. You can manually enable and create one easily:

Step 1: Enable System Protection

1. In the System Properties window, stay on the System Protection tab.
2. Under Protection Settings, select your system drive (usually C:).
3. Click Configure → choose Turn on system protection.
4. Adjust the Max Usage slider (5–10% is ideal).
5. Click Apply → OK.

Step 2: Create a Restore Point Manually

1. Back in the System Protection tab, click Create.
2. Enter a descriptive name (e.g., “Before installing new GPU driver”).
3. Click Create again.
4. Wait a few moments until Windows confirms the restore point was created successfully.

How to Use a Restore Point in Windows 11

If your PC starts behaving oddly after a new driver or update, you can roll it back:

1. Open Control Panel → System and Security → System → System Protection.
2. Click System Restore → Next.
3. Choose your preferred restore point from the list.
4. Click Next → Finish.
5. Your system will restart and restore your Windows configuration.

⏳ The process usually takes 5–10 minutes. After that, your system should be back to normal.

Pro Tip: Maintain Regular Restore Points

Don’t allow problems to take root! Make a restore point every few weeks or before important updates. You can even do this with PowerShell or Task Scheduler and have the restore point creation process automated.

Conclusion

Locating your system restore points in Windows 11 is easy — and knowing how to use them can protect you from a couple of common concerns: system crashes, bad drivers, and failed updates.

With the ability to look at, create and manage restore points in here, you’ve basically added an insurance policy on your PC’s overall health.

Whether you’re battling a problem or just want to be ready for the worst, it’s one of the underappreciated features Windows 11 has — make sure it’s enabled on your PC!