System Protection
Applies To
Windows 11 Windows 10Support for Windows 10 will end in October 2025
After October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10. Your PC will still work, but we recommend moving to Windows 11.
System protection in Windows is a recovery feature designed to help you safeguard your system settings. It primarily involves creating and managing restore points, which are snapshots of system files, installed applications, Windows Registry, and system settings at a specific point in time.
While not enabled by default, it's recommend enabling system protection. This feature provides an added layer of security and peace of mind, ensuring that you can quickly and easily resolve issues without losing important data.
This article describes how to configure System Protection and create restore points.
Configure System Protection
To open System Protection, you can use one of the following methods:
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From the Control Panel, select Recovery > Open System Restore
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Use the keyboard shortcut +R, type systempropertiesprotection.exe and press Enter
Turn on System Protection
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To turn on System Protection, select Configure...
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Select Turn on System Protection
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Use the slider to specify the maximum amount of disk space that can be used by System Protection
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Select Apply
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System Protection will create restore points automatically, when needed
Create a restore point
To create a restore point manually:
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Open System Protection
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Select Create...
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Specify a description for the restore point and select Create
Apply a restore point
To revert Windows to a restore point, use System Restore.
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