microsoft is testing Point-In-Time Restore, a new recovery feature for Windows 11 that offers a more complete system snapshot than traditional System Restore. The feature was first seen in the Windows 11 Insider Experimental preview released on April 24, 2026 and was originally announced in 2025.
Microsoft explains that the goal of point-in-time restore is to “minimize downtime and simplify troubleshooting when outages occur.” The feature appears in the Windows Recovery Environment troubleshooting window when a PC encounters problems and can also be accessed and configured from the Windows Settings app.
What backups are done at a point in time and how scheduling snapshots works
Unlike System Restore, which backs up system files, registry settings, drivers, and installed applications, Point-in-Time Restore includes user files, applications, settings, passwords, secrets, certificates, and keys. Files stored on OneDrive or other cloud services are not affected by the restore.
Returning to a point-in-time snapshot restores the entire PC, so any local changes made after the snapshot will be lost. This includes edits to local files or new files saved outside of cloud storage.
Point-in-time restore follows an automated schedule rather than offering the option of manual snapshot creation. Snapshots are retained for up to 72 hours and can be set to be retained for shorter periods, such as six, twelve, sixteen, or twenty-four hours. Depending on the user’s preferences, new snapshots can be created every four, twelve, sixteen or twenty-four hours.
Windows 365 enterprise version and storage requirements
On PCs with at least 200 GB of disk space, point-in-time restore is enabled by default. Devices with smaller units must be configured manually. Storage usage is set to 2% of total disk capacity, with options for different percentage allocations. At least 2 GB must be reserved for the feature to work properly. For consumer installations of Windows, this feature is optional and can be turned on or off by the user.
A different version of Point-in-Time Restore is available for Windows 365 Enterprise cloud PCs managed through Intune. This enterprise feature is always on, maintains restore points for up to one month, allows manual creation of restore points, and relies on scalable cloud storage instead of local disk space.
Remote management support and availability
Remote management support for point-in-time restore is in development but is not yet available in the current preview. Microsoft has said it will be included in future updates, although no specific timeline has been announced. The feature is now limited to Windows 11 Insider Experimental channel builds.
Microsoft has not provided any information on when point-in-time restore will be accessible to a broader group of Windows 11 users.
