How to Turn System Restore On or Off in Windows (7, 8.1, 10, 11)

Turn System Restore On or Off in Windows, lets Windows roll a machine back to a previous state — undoing a bad driver install, a failed update, or a misbehaving application — without touching your personal files. It's on by default on most systems, but it's worth knowing how to turn it off (it consumes disk space) and back on (when you're about to make a risky change) across every supported version of Windows.

This guide covers Windows 7, 8.1, 10, and 11 using three methods: the graphical System Properties dialog, Command Prompt, and PowerShell.

 

 

Before You Start Turn System Restore On or Off

• You need an administrator account to change System Restore settings.
• Turning System Restore off deletes all existing restore points on that drive. If you might need to roll back later, create a fresh restore point first, or skip disabling it.
• System Restore only protects system files, installed programs, and the registry — it is not a backup for personal documents, photos, or a substitute for a full disk image.

Method 1: Turn System Restore On or Off via System Properties (GUI)

This method is identical in Windows 7, 8.1, 10, and 11 — only the way you open System Properties differs slightly.

Step 1: Open System Protection settings

• Windows 11 / 10: Right-click Start → System → Advanced system settings (under Related settings) → System Protection tab.
• Windows 8.1: Right-click Start → System → Advanced system settings → System Protection tab.
• Windows 7: Right-click Computer → Properties → System protection (left-hand pane) → System Protection tab.
• All versions (fastest route): Press Win + R, type SystemPropertiesProtection.exe, and press Enter.

Step 2: Configure protection for the drive

1. Under Protection Settings, select the drive (usually C:).
2. Click Configure.
3. To turn System Restore on: select Turn on system protection, set a max disk space allocation (2–5% of the drive is typically enough), then click OK.
4. To turn System Restore off: select Disable system protection, click OK, then confirm the prompt warning that existing restore points will be deleted.

Repeat for any additional drives you want protected — System Restore is configured per-drive, not system-wide.

Method 2: Turn System Restore On or Off via Command Prompt

Useful for scripting or remote administration when you don't have GUI access.

Check current status

vssadmin list shadowstorage

If this returns no entries for a volume, System Restore is off for that volume.

Turn off (disable) via WMIC

wmic /namespace:\\root\default Path SystemRestore Call Disable "C:\"

Turn on (enable) via WMIC

wmic /namespace:\\root\default Path SystemRestore Call Enable "C:\"

Replace C:\ with the target drive letter. Run Command Prompt as Administrator, or these commands will silently fail.

Note: WMIC is deprecated as of Windows 11 22H2 and later builds may not include it by default. If wmic isn't recognized, use the PowerShell method below instead.

Method 3: Turn System Restore On or Off via PowerShell

The current recommended method on Windows 10/11 now that WMIC is being phased out.

Turn on (enable)

Enable-ComputerRestore -Drive "C:\"

Turn off (disable)

Disable-ComputerRestore -Drive "C:\"

Check status

Get-ComputerRestorePoint

If this returns an empty result (and doesn't error), no restore points exist — either System Restore is off, or it's on but hasn't created a point yet. Run PowerShell as Administrator for all of the above.

Creating a Restore Point Manually

Once System Restore is on, Windows creates restore points automatically before major changes (driver installs, Windows Updates). To create one manually before a risky change:

Checkpoint-Computer -Description "Before driver update" -RestorePointType "MODIFY_SETTINGS"

Or via GUI: System Properties → System Protection tab → Create button.

Common Issues

• "System Restore is disabled by your system administrator" — check Group Policy: gpedit.msc → Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → System Restore. This message appears when a GPO enforces the setting, typically on domain-joined machines.
• Restore points disappear faster than expected — Windows automatically purges old restore points once the allocated disk space (set in Method 1, Step 2) is reached. Increase the allocation if you need a longer history.
• "Disable-ComputerRestore : Cannot find drive" — the drive letter must include the trailing backslash and colon exactly as shown above ("C:\", not "C" or "C:").

FAQ

Does turning System Restore off speed up my PC?
Marginally, at best — it frees the disk space reserved for restore points and removes a small amount of background snapshotting overhead. It is not a meaningful performance fix.

Is System Restore on by default in Windows 11?
No — unlike Windows 7 and 10, Windows 11 ships with System Protection off by default on the system drive for new installs. You need to turn it on manually using Method 1 above if you want it.

Does System Restore protect against ransomware?
No. Modern ransomware routinely deletes shadow copies (the mechanism System Restore relies on) before encrypting files. Use it for driver/update rollback only — not as a security control.