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Recovery options in Windows 10

If your PC isn’t running as quickly or reliably as it used to, try one of these recovery options. The following table can help you decide which one to use.

Problem See this section

Your PC isn’t working well and you recently installed an app, driver, or update.

Restore from a system restore point

Your PC isn’t working well and it’s been a while since you installed anything new.

Reset your PC

You want to reinstall your previous operating system.

Go back to your previous version of Windows

Your PC won’t start and you’ve created a recovery drive.

Use a recovery drive to reinstall Windows

Your PC won’t start and you haven’t created a recovery drive.

Use installation media to reinstall Windows

Resetting lets you choose whether to keep your files or remove them, and then reinstalls Windows. To get started, go toSettings > Update & security > Reset this PC > Get started and choose an option.

Option What it does

Keep my files

  • Reinstalls Windows 10 and keeps your personal files.

  • Removes apps and drivers you installed.

  • Removes changes you made to settings.

  • Removes any apps your PC manufacturer installed. (If your PC came with Windows 10, apps from your PC manufacturer will be reinstalled.)

Remove everything

  • Reinstalls Windows 10 and removes all your personal files.

  • Removes apps and drivers you installed.

  • Removes changes you made to settings.

  • Removes any apps your PC manufacturer installed. (If your PC came with Windows 10, apps from your PC manufacturer will be reinstalled.)

If you’re planning to donate, recycle, or sell your PC, use this option and choose to fully clean the drive. This might take an hour or two, but it makes it harder for other people to recover files you’ve removed.

Restore factory settings

  • Reinstalls Windows 10 and removes your personal files.

  • Removes apps and drivers you installed.

  • Removes changes you made to settings.

  • Reinstalls any apps your PC manufacturer installed on your PC.

This option isn’t available on all PCs.

Note

  • If you reset your PC within a month of your upgrade to Windows 10, the option in Settings that lets you go back to your previous version of Windows will no longer be available.Go back to your previous version of Windows

For a month after you upgrade to Windows 10, you’ll be able to go back to your previous version of Windows from Settings> Update & security > Recovery. This will keep your personal files, but it’ll remove apps and drivers installed after the upgrade, as well as any changes you made to settings.

To go back, you’ll need to:

  • Keep everything in the windows.old and $windows.~bt folders after the upgrade.

  • Remove any user accounts you added after the upgrade.

  • Know the password you used to sign in to Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 (if you used one).

  • Have the USB drive you used to upgrade to Windows 10 (if you used one).

Note

  • If you go back to Windows 8.1, some apps that came with Windows, like Mail and People, might not work anymore. To fix them, reinstall them from the Store.

If go back isn’t available

  • Check to see if you can restore your PC to factory settings. This will reinstall the version of Windows that came with your PC and remove personal files, apps and drivers you installed, and any changes you made to settings. Go to Settings > Update & security > Recovery > Reset this PC > Get started and look for Restore factory settings.

  • If you have installation media and a product key for your previous version of Windows, you can use them to go back. Get the details in the Use installation media to reinstall Windows section of this topic.

Info for Windows Insiders

If you’re an Insider and the current preview build isn’t working for you, go to Settings > Update & security > Recovery >Go back to an earlier build. This won’t remove your personal files, but it’ll remove recently installed apps and drivers, and change settings back to their defaults.

Going back to an earlier build won’t remove you from the Insider Program. When the next preview build is ready, it’ll be installed on your PC.

Use a recovery drive to reinstall Windows

If your PC won’t start, you can use a recovery drive to restore from system restore point, reset your PC, or use advanced troubleshooting options (including safe mode). For info on how to create a recovery drive on a working PC, see Create a recovery drive.

If you’re using a recovery drive created on Windows 10:

  1. Connect the recovery drive and turn on your PC.

  2. On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot, and then select an option. If you don’t see the Choose your option screen, your PC might not be set up to boot from a drive. Check your PC manufacturer’s website for info on how to change your PC’s boot order.

    • Restore from a system restore point by selecting Advanced Options > System Restore. This will remove recently installed apps, drivers, and updates that might be causing your PC problems, but it won’t affect your personal files.

    • Select Reset this PC and then choose to keep or remove your files. For info on how resetting affects your apps and settings, see the Reset your PC section of this topic.

      If resetting doesn’t work, you can also Recover from a drive. This will reinstall Windows 10 (unless your PC came with Windows 8/8.1 and a recovery partition from your PC manufacturer, in which case it’ll reinstall the version of Windows that came with your PC). It’ll also remove your personal files, apps and drivers you installed, and changes you made to settings.

    • Use advanced troubleshooting options (including safe mode) by selecting Advanced Options > Startup Settings >Restart, and then following the steps on the screen. If you’re not familiar with these advanced options, try restoring from a system restore point, resetting your PC, or using installation media to reinstall Windows.

Note

  • If you chose not to back up system files when you created your recovery drive, Reset this PC and Recover from a drive won’t be available.

If you’re using a recovery drive created on Windows 8.1:

  1. Connect the recovery drive and turn on your PC.

  2. On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot, and then select an option. If you don’t see the Choose your option screen, your PC might not be set up to boot from a drive. Check your PC manufacturer’s website for info on how to change your PC’s boot order.

    • Restore from a system restore point by selecting Advanced Options > System Restore. This will remove recently installed apps, drivers, and updates that might be causing your PC problems, but it won’t affect your personal files.

    • Select Reset your PC > Yes, repartition the drive to reinstall Windows 8.1. This will remove all your personal files, apps and drivers you installed, and changes you made to settings. Apps from your PC manufacturer will be reinstalled and the drive’s default partitions will be restored.

    • Use advanced troubleshooting options (including safe mode) by selecting Advanced Options > Startup Settings >Restart, and then following the steps on the screen. If you’re not familiar with these advanced options, try restoring from a system restore point, resetting your PC, or using installation media to reinstall Windows.

Note

  • If you’re using a Windows 8.1 recovery drive on a PC that was upgraded to Windows 10, Refresh your PC and Reset your PC > No, keep existing partitions won’t work. Try selecting Reset your PC > Yes, repartition the driveinstead.

    If you chose not to copy the recovery partition when you created your recovery drive, Reset your PC > Yes, repartition the drive won’t be available.

 

Restore from a system restore point

This option takes your PC back to an earlier point in time, called a system restore point. Restore points are generated when you install a new app, driver, or Windows update, and when you create a restore point manually. Restoring won’t affect your personal files, but it will remove apps, drivers, and updates installed after the restore point was made.

  1. Right-click (or press and hold) the Start button, and then select Control Panel.

  2. Search Control Panel for Recovery.

  3. Select Recovery > Open System Restore > Next.

  4. Choose the restore point related to the problematic app, driver, or update, and then select Next > Finish.

Note

  • If you’re not seeing any restore points, it might be because system protection isn’t turned on. To check, go to theControl Panel, search for Recovery, and then select Recovery > Configure System Restore > Configure and make sure Turn on system protection is selected.

Use installation media to reinstall Windows

If your PC won’t start, you can use installation media to restore from a system restore point, reset your PC, get to advanced troubleshooting options (like safe mode), or perform a clean installation of Windows 10 or a previous version of Windows.

To restore from a system restore point, reset your PC, or get to advanced troubleshooting options from installation media:

  1. On a working PC, go to the Microsoft software download website and create Windows 10 installation media.

  2. Insert the installation media you created, and then restart your PC.

  3. On the Install Windows screen, select Repair your computer. (If you’re not seeing this screen, your PC might not be set up to boot from a drive. Check your PC manufacturer’s website for info on how to change your PC’s boot order, and then try again.)

  4. On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot. From there, you can:

    • Restore from a system restore point by selecting Advanced options > System Restore. This will remove recently installed apps, drivers, and updates that might be causing your PC problems. Restoring from a restore point won’t affect your personal files.

    • Select Reset this PC to reinstall Windows 10. This will remove apps and drivers you installed and changes you made to settings, but lets you choose to keep or remove your personal files.

    • Use advanced troubleshooting options (including safe mode). Select Advanced Options > Startup Settings >Restart, and then follow the steps on the screen. If you’re not familiar with these advanced troubleshooting options, try restoring from a system restore point, resetting your PC, or performing a clean installation of Windows.

If the other recovery options didn’t work for you, you can perform a clean installation of Windows 10 (or a previous version of Windows). This will remove your personal files, apps and drivers you installed, and changes you made to settings. Here’s how to do it:

  1. On a working PC, go to the Microsoft software download website to create installation media for the version of Windows you want to install: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, or Windows 7.

  2. Insert the installation media you created, restart your PC, and then follow the setup instructions.

Note

  • If setup doesn’t start automatically after you restart your PC, it might not be set up to boot from a drive. Check your PC manufacturer’s website for info on how to change your PC’s boot order, and then try again.

Create a recovery drive

Applies to Windows 10

A recovery drive can help you troubleshoot and fix problems with your PC, even if it won’t start. To create one, all you need is a USB drive.

  1. From the taskbar, search for Create a recovery drive and then select it. You might be asked to enter an admin password or confirm your choice.

  2. When the tool opens, make sure Back up system files to the recovery drive is selected and then select Next.

  3. Connect a USB drive to your PC, select it, and then select Next > Create. A lot of files need to be copied to the recovery drive, so this might take a while.

  4. When it’s done, you might see a Delete the recovery partition from your PC link on the final screen. If you want to free up drive space on your PC, select the link and then select Delete. If not, select Finish.

Back up and restore your files

It’s always good to have a backup. Keep copies of your files on another drive in case something happens to the originals.

Set up your backup

Select the Start Start icon button, then select Settings > Update & security > Backup > Add a drive and choose an external drive or network location for your backups.

Backup page in Settings

All set. Every hour, we’ll back up everything in your user folder (C:\Users\username). To change which files get backed up or how often backups happen, go to More options.

Change startup settings in Windows 10

To start Windows in safe mode or another advanced troubleshooting mode:

  1. Search for Settings from the taskbar and select it from the search results.

  2. Select Update & security > Recovery.

  3. Go to Advanced startup and select Restart now.

  4. After your PC restarts to the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.

  5. After your PC restarts, select a startup setting by pressing the corresponding number.