In Windows 10/11, here’s how to delete Windows restore points (guide).

Discover how to remove unwanted restore points from Windows 10/11 in order to increase system speed and save up disk space.

In Windows 10, restore points are a helpful tool that let you go back in time and return your system to a previous configuration. Windows automatically creates restore points or you can create them manually.

These restore points may need to be deleted to make room on your hard drive because they can accumulate a lot of space over time. However, not many people possess this knowledge.

Therefore, in this post, we will go over the reasons you might wish to remove restore points, how to get to Windows 10’s system restore settings, and a detailed how-to.

Comprehending Windows 10/11 Restore Point

Windows 10’s system restore feature enables you to revert your system to a previous state, effectively taking you back in time. It comes in handy if you need to reverse recent changes due to an issue with your system. For instance, you might want to restore your system to its initial configuration if a recent Windows update causes issues.

Any modifications you make to your files, preferences, and installed apps after creating the restore point will be reversed when you return your system to its original configuration. This may come in handy if a program starts giving you trouble or if you unintentionally erase a file. You can also reverse the undesirable modifications that malware and other malicious applications have done by using System Restore.

Restore points can be manually created or automatically created by the system restore feature.

In Windows 10, to view the system restore settings:

1. Toggle between Windows and S.
2. Open the search bar and type “system restore.”
3. Make sure to choose “Create a restore point.”

This will cause the System Properties window to open, allowing you to view the settings for system restoration.

Causes of Windows System Restore Point Errors

There are several reasons why you may want to delete restore points in Windows 10/11. The principal ones are:

• Limitations on disk space: Restore points have the potential to accumulate a large amount of space on your hard drive over time, which may affect performance.
• Extra space being taken up by old restore points. It is possible that obsolete restore points from earlier Windows upgrades are no longer required, and you can remove them to make room.
• deleting restore points from earlier versions of Windows. Restore points might also be helpful in the event that you need to reverse recent modifications due to a system issue. To return your system to a former condition, you can remove the restore point that gave rise to the issue.

How to Remove Windows 10 Restore Points

Deleting restore points in Windows 10/11 is a straightforward process. 

However, keep in mind that once restore points are removed, they cannot be recovered, so do not erase any of them. Therefore, before erasing any previous restore points, it is usually a good idea to create a new one.

This is a detailed tutorial that explains how to remove restore points in Windows 10/11:

First, hit the Windows key.

Step 2: In the search bar, type “system restore.”

Step 3: Choose the option “Create a restore point.” 

As a result, the System Properties window will open.

Step 4: Select the “System Protection” tab within the System Properties box. A list of every drive on your system will be displayed to you.

Step 5: Select the drive you wish to delete restore points. This is typically (C:)(System).

Step 6: Select “Configure” from the menu.

Step 7: “Turn on system protection” and “Delete” are the two options that appear in the new window. Choose the “Delete” menu item.

Step 8: In a new window, you’ll be asked to confirm that you want to delete all restore points from the chosen drive. Once you select “Delete,” click “Proceed” to confirm.

Step 9: A prompt verifying the deletion of the restore points ought to appear.

How to Remove Every Windows 10 System Restore Point Save for the Most Current One

You can erase every restore point but your most recent one if you wish to save up disk space without losing any important data. To accomplish this, use the following instructions to run the Disk Cleanup tool:

1. After selecting Windows Start, type Disc Cleanup.

2. To start the tool, select the Disk Cleanup program that appears. The Disk Cleanup: Driver selection window will open as a result.

3. Click OK if the (C:) driver was used to launch it. If a different driver is used at launch, choose the (C:) driver and press OK.

4. Windows will determine how much space the system can save and provide you with a list of files to delete under the Disk Clean up for (C:) window.

5. Alternatively, select the Cleanup system files option to initiate this cleanup. In order to locate further files and folders that can be erased, Windows will compute the disk space that can be saved once more. Hold off till the procedure is over.

6. Select the More choices tab now. Click Clean Up under System Restore and shadow copies. While the files are being removed, a progress meter will be shown.

7. You will be prompted by the system to confirm that you wish to remove all restore points other than the most recent one.

8. To start cleaning up your drive, click Delete.

9. To end Disk Cleanup, click OK.

More hard disk space will be available when this method removes all System Restore points other than the most recent one.

In Windows 10, How to Remove a Specific System Restore Point

Additionally, you might wish to remove one system restore point. This cannot be done directly; the Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt may be required.

Windows uses the vssadmin application to internally handle the Windows System Restore points, also known as Windows Volume Shadow Copies. With the help of this Windows utility, you may delete, list, and even resize the restore points’ shadow copy storage association.

You can use PowerShell or the Command Prompt to access this software, which will assist you in removing a specific system restore point.

Here’s how to delete selected System Restore points on Windows 10/11 from the command prompt:

Step 1: Open Command Prompt or Powershell as an administrator.

1. Press Windows Key + X or perform a right-click on Windows Start to open the Quick Access Menu.
2. Either choose Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).

Step 2: If a User Account Protection box appears, click Yes.

Step 3: Input the following command in PowerShell and press Enter.

list shadows in vssadmin

The computer’s Restore Points will all be shown by this command. There is a Restore Point in the results of any command line that appears with Shadow Copy ID:.

Step 4: Make a list of the Shadow Copy IDs of every single Restore Point (or points) that you wish to remove. To be sure, confirm the dates of the System Restore point or points that you have chosen.

Step 5: To erase individual restore points (shadow copies), type the following command and hit Enter:

delete shadows /{ID} vssadmin.

ID can be changed to the ID of the shadow copy that you have written down.

Step 6: You will be prompted by PowerShell (or Command Prompt) with a Y/N option asking if you are sure you want to delete the Shadow Copy. Navigate “Y” and hit Enter to confirm that you want to remove the Shadow Copy.

By doing this, the restore point, or shadow copy, connected to the Shadow ID you entered will be removed.

Step 7: Repeat these steps for each individual or chosen restore point that you wish to remove.

The vssadmin list shadows command line may display a lot of data on your screen, which might be perplexing even if the operation is simple.

Note: You may use PowerShell to delete all restore points by typing vssadmin delete shadows /all, which will remove everything.

Another reason for confusion could be that each Restore Point’s name or description is not displayed by the vssadmin command.

Therefore, you might wish to first use the following steps to grasp the various restore points through the System Restore interface if you do not understand or know which selected restore points you want to erase.

1. Navigate the Start menu in Windows and type System Restore.
2. Start the Create Restore Point process.
3. Select the option to “Select a different restore point” after clicking the “System restore” link.
4. Press the Next button.
5. In the lower left corner, check the box next to “Show more restore points.” You will be provided with a list of the restore points that are accessible.
6. Now that you have a better understanding of each restore point’s name and description, make a note of the one or ones you wish to remove.

Managing Restore Points: Some Advice

While managing restore points might be challenging, there are a few tricks you can try to keep your system operating smoothly and free up some space.

• Prior to erasing any current restore points, create a new one. By doing this, you will make sure you have a fallback in case something goes wrong.
• Check your hard drive’s space usage for restore points on a regular basis. Think about getting rid of some of the older ones if they are taking up a lot of room.
• If you have a lot of disk space used up, you might want to disable the system restore feature for that particular drive. By doing this, Windows will not make any more restore points for that drive, freeing up storage space. Go to the System Properties window, choose the “System Protection” tab, choose the drive you wish to disable system restore for, and then click the “Configure” button to disable system restoration for that particular drive. Choose the “Turn off system protection” option from the new window.
• Think about utilizing an external backup and restoration utility. More sophisticated features like incremental backups and scheduling backups are available with these tools, and they can help you conserve hard disk space.