
It also creates a restore point right before a major system event, like installing a new device driver, app, or running Windows update. You can create a restore point at any time, though Windows automatically creates a restore point once per week. Restore points are snapshots of your Windows system files, certain program files, registry settings, and hardware drivers. It does this by creating “restore points” every so often. System Restore lets you restore your Windows installation back to its last working state. When something goes wrong on your system as a result of a bad piece of software–maybe an app you installed, or a driver that broke something important–it can be hard to fix. The instructions here are good for Windows 7, 8, and 10, and you’ll encounter only minor differences throughout the process.

We’re going to be using Windows 10 in this article, but System Restore has been around a long time–and works pretty much the same way in each version of Windows. Here’s how it works, how to set it up, and how to use it when things go awry.

System Restore is a Windows feature that can help fix certain types of crashes and other computer problems.
