Learn how to create a recovery drive in Windows 11 or Windows 10 with a USB drive of at least 16 GB. A recovery drive is a backup of your system files that can help you reinstall Windows 11 if your PC ever experiences a major issue.

Create a recovery drive with a downloaded factory image. If you're able to use your Surface or you have another Windows PC, visit our Download a recovery image for your Surface page. From there, select your Surface and download a recovery image .zip file for the device you selected.

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

Learn more. The System Recovery Options menu contains several tools, such as Startup Repair, that can help you recover Windows from a serious error. This set of tools is on your computer's hard disk and on the Windows installation disc. Note: You can also create a system repair disc that contains the System Recovery Options menu.

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