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Point-in-time restore is a Windows 11 recovery feature that saves a restore point of the whole system about once a day and can roll the PC back to one of them. Microsoft’s Learn page for point-in-time restore, last updated Oct. 15, 2026, says each restore point holds the operating system, apps, settings and local files, and that points are kept for 72 hours by default. In preview, a restore can be started only from the Windows Recovery Environment, known as WinRE. This guide covers which PCs have the feature turned on, the steps to restore, how it differs from System Restore, and the limits Microsoft lists.
What point-in-time restore saves and for how long
Microsoft says point-in-time restore uses Volume Shadow Copy Service to capture the state of the PC at a set time. A restore returns the whole system to that moment, so anything changed afterward is lost. The restore points are stored locally, and they draw on system reserved storage, which Windows uses only when the disk runs low.
The defaults are simple. A new restore point is created roughly every 24 hours, and each one is kept for 72 hours. Windows deletes restore points, oldest first, in several cases:
- A restore point is older than 72 hours.
- The storage set aside for shadow copies goes over its maximum.
- Free disk space falls to 20 GB or less.
- The device reports a low-space condition that makes the shadow copy service evict points.
If the service cannot keep earlier data, for example because the disk is full or memory cannot be allocated, Microsoft says all restore points are removed. Timing is not guaranteed either, because capture and deletion vary with power state, recent restarts and full disks.
Which PCs have point-in-time restore turned on
The default depends on the edition and on whether the PC is managed.
| Device | Default |
|---|---|
| Windows 11 Home, OS volume of 200 GB or more | On |
| Windows 11 Pro, not domain joined and not managed by an organization, 200 GB or more | On |
| Smaller devices | Off by default, but can be turned on |
| Enterprise and Education | Off |
| Pro that is domain joined or managed | Off |
Home, Pro and Enterprise can turn the feature on or off and set a maximum disk usage. The default maximum is 2% of the disk, with a floor of 2 GB and a ceiling of 50 GB. Only Enterprise can change how often restore points are created, with options of 4, 6, 12, 16 or 24 hours, and how long they are kept, with the same options plus 72 hours. IT teams can set these through the Recovery configuration service provider, using nodes named EnablePointInTimeRestore, SetMaxDiskUsage, SetRestorePointFrequency and SetRestorePointRetention. Microsoft’s page documents no Group Policy settings.
How to restore a PC with point-in-time restore
Microsoft’s page says that during the preview, a restore can start only in WinRE. Windows opens WinRE on its own after repeated boot failures, or it can be reached from Settings, then Recovery, then Advanced startup. From there the steps are:
- Select Troubleshoot, then Point-in-time restore.
- Enter the BitLocker recovery key when asked.
- Select a restore point from the list.
- Select Continue to acknowledge the risks and limitations.
- Review the restore point, the OS version and the data-loss warning.
- Select Restore. The PC starts Windows again when the restore finishes.
Microsoft advises against switching the PC off during a restore, and recommends plugging in, since a restore on battery is possible but not advised. The page shows a System recovery settings screen where users can see the total space the restore points use and the time each was taken. It gives no step-by-step instructions for changing the on or off setting in Settings, and it does not describe a way to create a restore point by hand.
Point-in-time restore compared with System Restore
Windows still has the older System Restore tool, and the two differ in several ways, according to the Learn page.
| Item | Point-in-time restore | System Restore |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is set up | System Settings | Control Panel |
| What creates a restore point | A schedule, automatically only | Events or a manual request |
| How long points last | 72 hours at most | No fixed limit, subject to disk space |
| Scope | Full system state | System files and settings; coverage of apps and user data varies |
| Storage impact | Lower, helped by reserved storage | Higher |
| Remote management | Robust | Limited |
Both tools share the shadow copy storage pool. Microsoft warns that point-in-time restore cannot reserve its own space, so it competes with System Restore and with non-Microsoft rollback software.
What gets restored and what does not
A restore covers the volume that holds the operating system, including user files, apps, settings, passwords, certificates and keys. On a PC with more than one volume, other volumes are not touched. Data in cloud services such as OneDrive is not affected, though Microsoft links to troubleshooting for OneDrive version conflicts. Changes made after the chosen restore point are lost, and recent security updates and policies may be rolled back too, so Microsoft tells users to check them afterward.
Restore points cannot be exported or mounted as separate images. Points made under one edition also stop working after an upgrade to another, so Home restore points are no longer available after moving from Home to Pro. Files encrypted with the Encrypting File System can block a restore.
Storage and failure risks Microsoft lists
A restore needs free space at least equal to the total size of all restore points. When free space is 20 GB or less, the feature takes a new snapshot and then removes older ones until more than 20 GB is free, and it checks at the same pace as the restore point schedule. Microsoft names four risks: losing changes made after the restore point, a restore point that was never captured because of low space, heavy disk activity or an unstable shadow copy writer, a restore that fails for similar reasons or because of a power loss mid-restore, and a PC that does not boot after a rollback.
The page also lists three known issues:
- Outlook may report an outdated .ost file. The fix is to close Outlook, rename or delete the .ost file in
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Outlook, and restart Outlook so it rebuilds from the server. - Recall is turned off after a restore and asks the user to confirm presence before it is turned back on. Earlier snapshots stay, but no new one is made until then.
- If a snapshot was taken before BitLocker was turned on, or before a data volume was encrypted, auto-unlock settings are not kept, and the volume stays locked until the recovery key is entered.
Manual restore points with System Protection
Anyone who wants to create a restore point by hand can use System Protection, a separate and older Windows feature. Microsoft’s System Protection support page says it is off by default and recommends turning it on. The steps it gives are:
- Select Start, type “Create a restore point”, and choose that result, or press the Windows logo key and R and run
systempropertiesprotection.exe. - On the System Protection tab, select Configure.
- Select Turn on system protection, set the maximum disk space with the slider, and select Apply.
- To make a restore point now, select Create, enter a description and select Create again.
The support page does not walk through restoring from these points. It names System Restore for that.
Before relying on a restore point
These checks are the Jolt Journal’s own suggestions and not Microsoft’s. Find the BitLocker recovery key first, since the restore asks for it. Keep the PC plugged in. Treat a 72-hour restore point as a short undo button, not a backup, because it sits on the same disk as the files it protects. A real backup copy elsewhere still matters, and the Jolt Journal’s guide to backing up a phone explains the 3-2-1 rule that applies to PCs as well. Ransomware is one reason, as the Jolt Journal’s report on Synology NAS ransomware shows for network storage.
What the point-in-time restore documentation leaves open
The Learn page says the preview limits starting a restore to WinRE, but it does not say whether the whole feature is still in preview or when a restore from inside Windows might arrive. Its metadata names Windows 10 while its text names only Windows 11, and it gives no step-by-step way to switch the feature on or off in Settings. Nor does it say how many restore points a typical PC holds at once.
Editor’s take
Point-in-time restore fills a gap that System Restore left: an automatic, full-system rollback that needs no setup on a typical Home or Pro PC with a large disk. Its short 72-hour window and the WinRE-only start in preview make it a tool for recent mistakes, such as a bad driver or an update that broke sign-in. Anyone who keeps BitLocker keys somewhere safe and keeps real backups can treat it as one more layer.
This is general information. Microsoft’s documentation has the final word on availability, defaults and steps.
