Use System restore to make restore points when you install a new app, driver, or Windows update, and when you create a restore point manually. Restoring won’t affect your personal files, but it will remove apps, drivers, and updates installed after the restore point was made.

Create a system restore point. In the search box on the taskbar, type Create a restore point, and select it from the list of results. On the System Protection tab in System Properties, select Create. Type a description for the restore point, and then select Create. Was this information helpful?

System Restore takes a "snapshot" of the some system files and the Windows registry and saves them as Restore Points. When an install failure or data corruption occurs, System Restore can return a system to working condition without you having to reinstall the operating system.

Download and create a factory recovery image for your Surface. Before you begin. A recovery drive lets you reset your Surface to its factory settings and can help you troubleshoot and fix problems with your Surface device. Windows comes with a built-in tool to create a USB recovery drive.

Use the Quick Assist web app to get help with your computer directly from Microsoft support agents. The app connects your computer with the Microsoft support agent’s computer using a remote connection.

Create a recovery drive so you can reinstall Windows 10 or Windows 11 in case you experience a major issue such as hardware failure.

To reset your PC, go to Start > Settings > System > Recovery . Next to Reset this PC , select Reset PC. Then, select Keep my files, choose cloud or local, change your settings, and set Restore preinstalled apps? to No. Open Recovery settings.

If you're having problems with your Surface Pro model, Surface 3, Surface Studio, or Surface Book, try fresh start, restoring, refreshing, or resetting it to its factory settings.

If your PC won’t start, you can use a recovery drive to restore from a system restore point or recover your PC. For info on how to create a recovery drive on a working PC, see Create a recovery drive.

If you're having problems with Windows 11 on your PC or you want a fresh copy of Windows 11 without the clutter of old files or apps, you can reinstall Windows 11 to try and fix your issues and return your PC to a cleaner state.