How to Delete Old Restore Points in Windows 11

What Are Restore Points?

Windows automatically saves restore points. These help you undo changes if something goes wrong. Think of a restore point like a “save” button for your computer. If a problem happens, you can return to that saved state.

Learn more about how to create restore points in Windows 11.

How to Delete Old Restore Points and Keep the Latest One

We will use the built-in Disk Cleanup tool. This deletes old restore points safely. Follow these simple steps:

1. Open the ⊞ Start Menu — Click the ⊞ Start button. Or press the Windows key on your keyboard.
2. Search for Disk Cleanup — Type Disk Cleanup in 🔍 the search box.
3. Open Disk Cleanup — In 🔍 the search results, click on the Disk Cleanup app.
   
   
   
4. Click “Clean up system files” — When Disk Cleanup opens, click the Clean up system files button. [REQUIRES ADMIN PRIVILEGES]
   
   

   

   
   
5. Go to the More Options tab — After the scan finishes, click the More Options tab at the top.
6. Delete old restore points — Under System Restore and Shadow Copies, click the Clean up… button.
   
   

   

   
   
7. Confirm the deletion — A message will ask: “Are you sure you want to delete all but the most recent restore point?” Click Delete.
   
   

   

   
   
8. Final confirmation — Another message will ask if you want to perform the actions. Click Yes to finish.

That’s it! You have successfully deleted all old restore points. Only the latest one remains. This will free up space on your computer.

Why Should You Do This?

• Deleting old restore points helps free up disk space.
• Keeping the latest restore point ensures you still have a backup if something goes wrong.
• It helps your system run more smoothly and prevents storage problems.

For more tips on managing restore points, check out these guides:

Change how often restore points are created

See all available restore points

Summary

Old restore points take up storage space on your computer. Windows 11 lets you delete them using the Disk Cleanup tool. This tool safely removes old restore points while keeping the newest one. You need admin privileges to do this. By deleting old restore points, you free up disk space and help your computer run faster. You still stay protected because the latest restore point remains as a backup.