How to Delete System and Point-in-time Restore Points in Windows 11

System Restore points in Windows 11 save snapshots of your system files and settings so you can roll your PC back to a working state if a bad update breaks things. Windows 11 uses two main types: standard System Restore points, which delete old backups automatically when disk space runs low, and Point-in-time restore, which keeps backups of your entire system for about 72 hours using reserved disk space.

Deleting these saved restore points frees up valuable space on your hard drive when they pile up over time. You can clear them out quickly using built-in Windows tools to get that storage back.

Option 1Delete All Restore Points Using System Protection

System Protection settings let you wipe every restore point at once, freeing up disk space and clearing out old recovery clutter. This action removes every restore point created on your computer simultaneously. Clearing backups quickly helps reclaim valuable storage.

1. Open the Settings app. You can do this by pressing the Win+I.
2. Click on System in the menu on the left. Then, click on About on the right side.
3. Click on the System protection link. This will open a new window. You can close the Settings app ⚙️ now if you wish.
4. Under Protection Settings, choose a drive that has protection turned on. This is the drive where you want to delete all restore points. Then, click the Configure button.

   • Restore points from Point-in-time restore are only on your main system drive (C:).
   • Restore points from System Restore can be on any drive that has protection turned on.
5. Click the Delete button.
6. Admin privilege required: Click Continue to confirm that you want to delete them.
7. Click Close when the process is finished.
8. Click OK.
9. You will see that the “Current Usage” for the selected drive is now “0 bytes”. This means all restore points on that drive have been deleted.
10. Click OK again.

Option 2Delete All Restore Points on All Drives Using Command Prompt

Command Prompt commands requiring administrator privileges wipe out restore points across all drives simultaneously. System-wide recovery point removal provides a fast method for managing backups when clearing everything becomes necessary.

1. Admin privilege required: Open Windows Terminal (Admin). Then, choose Command Prompt from the menu.
2. Copy and paste one of the commands below into Windows Terminal (Admin). Then, press the Enter key.

   • This command will ask you to confirm before deleting:
   • vssadmin delete shadows /all
   • Or, this command will delete without asking for confirmation:
   • vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet

Option 3Delete All Restore Points on a Specific Drive Using Command Prompt

Targeting a specific drive via Command Prompt removes associated System Restore backups on that single volume. Managing disk space on a particular drive happens efficiently without disturbing other partitions.

1. Admin privilege required: Open Windows Terminal (Admin). Then, choose Command Prompt from the menu.
2. Type one of the commands below into Windows Terminal (Admin). Press the Enter key.
   

   • This command will ask you to confirm before deleting:
   
   vssadmin delete shadows /For=(drive letter): /all
   
   • Or, this command will delete without asking for confirmation:
   
   vssadmin delete shadows /For=(drive letter): /all /quiet
   

   📝Important

   In the commands above, replace (drive letter) with the actual letter of the drive (for example, “C”) where you want to delete restore points.

   
   
   • Restore points from Point-in-time restore are only on your main system drive (C:).
   
   
   • Restore points from System Restore can be on any drive that has protection turned on.

   For example, to delete all restore points on the C: drive:

   
   vssadmin delete shadows /For=C: /all /quiet
   

Option 4Delete the Oldest Restore Point on a Specific Drive Using Command Prompt

Command Prompt execution removes only the oldest restore point on a chosen drive for precise storage management. Targeted deletion frees up space and aids troubleshooting while preserving newer recovery points.

1. Admin privilege required: Open Windows Terminal (Admin). Then, choose Command Prompt from the menu.
2. Type one of the commands below into Windows Terminal (Admin). Press the Enter key.
   

   • This command will ask you to confirm before deleting:
   
   vssadmin delete shadows /For=(drive letter): /oldest
   
   • Or, this command will delete without asking for confirmation:
   
   vssadmin delete shadows /For=(drive letter): /oldest /quiet
   

   
   

   📝Important

   In the commands above, replace (drive letter) with the actual letter of the drive (for example, "C") where you want to delete the oldest restore point.

   
   
   • Restore points from Point-in-time restore are only on your main system drive (C:).
   
   
   • Restore points from System Restore can be on any drive that has protection turned on.
   
   

   For example, to delete the oldest restore point on the C: drive:

   
   vssadmin delete shadows /For=C: /oldest /quiet
   

Option 5Delete a Specific Restore Point Using Command Prompt

Targeted deletion of a single restore point in Windows 11 via Command Prompt requires retrieving its unique ID beforehand. Listing available backups identifies the target before removal.

1. Admin privilege required: Open Windows Terminal (Admin). Then, choose Command Prompt from the menu.
2. Copy and paste the command below into Terminal (Admin). Press the Enter key.
3. vssadmin list shadows
4. You will see a list of all available restore points, each with its own unique "Shadow Copy ID".

   • A "ClientAccessible" type means it's a restore point from Point-in-time restore.
   • A "ClientAccessibleWriters" type means it's a restore point from System Restore.
5. Write down the "Shadow Copy ID" of the restore point you want to delete. For example, it might look like {c034d8e3-9e5b-47ed-8e56-fd50708045bd}.
6. Type one of the commands below into Windows Terminal (Admin). Press the Enter key.
   

   
   
   • This command will ask you to confirm before deleting:
   
   vssadmin delete shadows /Shadow=<Shadow Copy ID>
   
   • Or, this command will delete without asking for confirmation:
   
   vssadmin delete shadows /Shadow=<Shadow Copy ID> /quiet
   

   
   

   Important: In the commands above, replace <Shadow Copy ID> with the actual Shadow Copy ID you noted in step 4. Remember to include the curly braces {}.

   
   

   For example, if your Shadow Copy ID is {c034d8e3-9e5b-47ed-8e56-fd50708045bd}, the command would be:

   
   vssadmin delete shadows /Shadow={c034d8e3-9e5b-47ed-8e56-fd50708045bd} /quiet

Summary

Restore points function as saved snapshots of your computer. They help resolve problems by rolling back to an