Point-in-time restore is a new system restore feature in Windows 11 designed to let you quickly revert your PC to a previous state. It creates automatic, frequent full system snapshots for quick recovery, while System Restore relies on manually or event-triggered restore points focused mainly on system files and settings. The good thing is you can continue to use both features for extra peace of mind, so follow along as we teach you how to use the new Point-in-Time Restore feature on Windows 11.

Takeaways:

  1. Learn how to use the new Point-in-Time Restore feature on Windows 11
  2. What is the difference between Point-in-Time Restore and System Restore on Windows 11?

What is Point-in-time Restore on Windows 11?

Point-in-time restore uses the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to create restore points automatically at set intervals, usually every 24 hours by default. These snapshots are created offline in the background and stored locally, allowing fast recovery without interrupting your work. Currently, Point-in-time restore is available in preview for Windows Insiders but will be included in the stable Windows 11 release soon. Putting it simply, Point-in-time restore creates automatic, frequent full system snapshots for quick recovery, while System Restore relies on manually or event-triggered restore points focused mainly on system files and settings.

How is Point-in-time Restore different from System Restore?

Although both features use Volume Shadow Copy to roll back the system to a previous state, there are important differences:

Triggering restore points: Point-in-time restore creates restore points automatically at scheduled intervals. System Restore relies on manual creation or event-triggered restore points.

Configuration: Point-in-time restore settings are managed through the Windows Settings app. System Restore uses the older Control Panel interface.

Retention period: Point-in-time restore keeps restore points for a maximum of 72 hours. System Restore points may remain indefinitely, subject to disk space and cleanup policies.

Scope: Point-in-time restore captures a full system snapshot, including OS, apps, settings, and user data. System Restore primarily focuses on system files, registry settings, and installed programs, with variable coverage of user data.

Management: Point-in-time restore is designed with modern management in mind, including remote management capabilities. System Restore lacks modern management features.

How to Enable Use Point-in-time Restore in Windows 11

Point-in-time restore is enabled by default on devices with at least 200 GB of disk space. As always, there are two different ways you can enable this feature, though the Settings App method is by far the easiest.

Using the Settings App

  • Press Win + I to open the Settings app.
  • Click System.
  • Select Recovery from the right pane.
  • Under Recovery options, click Point-in-time restore.
  • Toggle the switch to On.

Enable Use Point-in-time Restore on Windows 11

To disable, simply toggle the switch back to Off.

Using the Registry Editor

Before editing the registry, back it up to avoid any unintended issues. Then follow these steps:

  • Press Win + S, type regedit, and press Enter.
  • Go to the key
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\Recovery\PITR\Settings
  • If the Settings key does not exist, create it by right-clicking on PITR, selecting New > Key, and naming it Settings.
  • Inside the Settings key, locate or create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named Active_UX.
  • Set the value data of Active_UX to 1.
  • Click OK and close the Registry Editor.

To disable Point-in-time restore via Registry Editor, either delete the Active_UX value or set it to 0.

How to Configure Point-in-time Restore in Windows 11

Once enabled, the configuration options become available in Settings. To adjust these:

  • Open the Settings app (Win + I).
  • Go to System > Recovery.
  • Expand the Point-in-time restore section.

You can then customise the following:

Restore Point Frequency: Choose how often restore points are created. Options include every 4, 6, 12, 16, or 24 hours (default).

Restore Point Retention: Set how long restore points are kept before automatic deletion. Choices range from 6 to 72 hours (default is 72 hours).

Disk Usage Limit: Adjust the maximum disk space allocated for storing restore points. The default minimum is 2% of your disk space, and it can be increased up to 50 GB.

Keep in mind, the disk usage limit is a maximum cap, not a reserved allocation. The Volume Shadow Copy Service will use up to this limit as needed, leaving any unused space available for other purposes. When the limit is reached, older restore points are deleted in the order they were created. Restore points may also be removed if disk errors occur or if the disk is full. Choose your disk usage setting carefully to avoid unexpected loss of restore points. Since this feature is new I would still be using the old System Restore Point as well, just to be safe.