How to List Windows 11 Restore Points

This guide explains how to view the System Restore points saved on your Windows 11 computer. System Restore is a vital feature that acts as a safety net for your operating system.

Why do this? Sometimes your computer runs into errors after a new update or a software installation. Knowing how to see your restore points helps you identify if you have a safe “checkpoint” to return to.

What happens when done? You will see a list of dates and times when your computer saved its settings, allowing you to choose a point in time to undo recent changes.

When a drive is added to System protection, Windows creates restore points so you can revert unneeded changes and go back to a previous good state. A restore point is a snapshot of your computer that Windows saves to help you fix problems if a disaster happens. Windows creates these automatically every 24 hours, though you can change this setting if Windows doesn’t skip creating restore points. Learn more at the official Microsoft System Restore documentation.

How to see restore points in Settings

1. Open the Windows Settings app. Press Windows + I on your keyboard.
2. Go to System, then click About.
3. Click the System protection link.

4. In the window that opens, click the System Restore button.

5. Check the box that says Show more restore points. You will now see a list of dates you can choose from to revert your computer.

How to see restore points using PowerShell

You can use PowerShell to see these points quickly. Note: You must open the Windows Terminal app as an administrator to run these commands.

[ADMIN REQUIRED] Right-click the Start button and select Terminal (Admin). Type this command:

Get-ComputerRestorePoint | Format-Table -AutoSize

The system will display a table showing the date, time, and description of each saved point.

Troubleshooting missing restore points

If you do not see any restore points, it is often because System Protection is disabled. Check the System Protection tab in the System Properties window. Ensure your system drive (usually C:) has protection set to On. Additionally, the Volume Shadow Copy Service must be running for these snapshots to occur.

Managing disk space for restore points

Restore points take up storage. To manage this, go to the System Protection tab, select your drive, and click Configure. You can adjust the Max Usage slider. Allocating 5% to 10% of your disk space is usually sufficient for most users.

To delete old restore points and free up space, click the Delete button within the same Configure menu. You can also use the Disk Cleanup utility to remove older shadow copies.

Summary

You can view your Windows 11 restore points through the Settings menu or by using PowerShell. These points act as a safety net. If your computer fails, you can roll back to a healthy state. Always ensure System Protection is enabled and disk space is managed to keep your snapshots available.