A few months back, Microsoft introduced a noteworthy feature in Windows 11, offering a contemporary twist on the traditional System Restore. This new functionality, known as point-in-time restore, is designed to enhance system recovery by creating snapshots of your system every 24 hours. This means that if you encounter issues, you can easily revert to a recent state. However, there are some considerations regarding its storage requirements that users should be aware of.
Point-in-time Restore is useful, but it can occupy tens of gigabytes on your boot drive
For those with a boot drive of 200GB or larger, point-in-time restore is typically enabled by default. This feature began rolling out to Windows 11 PCs in late June 2026, and most users should have received it by now. To verify its presence on your device, navigate to Windows Settings -> System -> Recovery -> Point-in-time restore.
Point-in-time restore leverages the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), the same technology that powers the classic System Restore, to automatically generate restore points every 24 hours. These points remain available for 72 hours before being purged. Unfortunately, unless you are using an Enterprise version of Windows, you cannot adjust the frequency or retention period of these snapshots.
While the feature is undoubtedly beneficial, it can consume a significant amount of storage space. Initially, when I first activated point-in-time restore, it occupied a mere 3.9GB of my SSD. However, just two months later, that figure surged to over 18GB, aligning with the default maximum usage limit of 2%, which translates to roughly 19GB on a 1TB SSD. For users with larger drives, such as a 2TB SSD, the storage consumption could nearly double, reaching close to 40GB.
You can reclaim that storage in a few ways
Fortunately, there are several ways to manage the storage impact of point-in-time restore. The simplest method is to adjust the restore point disk usage settings. By default, this is set to 2% of your total disk space, which can quickly add up on larger drives.
To modify this setting, open Windows Settings and navigate to System -> Recovery -> Point-in-time restore. Click on the View or edit button and grant the necessary permissions. You will then find a Max usage slider that allows you to set a limit according to your preference. You can reduce it to as low as 0.2%, equating to 2GB on a 1TB SSD or 4GB on a 2TB drive. This still provides enough space for a recent restore point while minimizing the impact on your available storage.
If you already have an alternative backup solution in place or prefer not to utilize point-in-time restore, you can disable the feature entirely. Once disabled, you can reclaim the storage after 72 hours, when Windows removes the last system restore point. However, it is advisable to keep at least a minimal allocation of space for point-in-time restore, as having a recent recovery option can be invaluable in case of system failures.
Microsoft should’ve made point-in-time restore opt-in instead of opt-out
While point-in-time restore is a useful addition, it arguably should have been implemented as an opt-in feature rather than being enabled by default. This automatic activation means that even users who have never engaged in backup practices now have a system restore option at their disposal.
Nonetheless, the storage implications are significant. If left unchecked, point-in-time restore can consume substantial space on larger SSDs. If Microsoft had opted for an opt-in approach, they might have also considered lowering the default disk usage from 2% to around 0.5%, which would equate to approximately 5GB on a 1TB SSD—an amount that would likely go unnoticed by most users while still providing a safety net for system recovery.
