Recovery Drive
Applies To
Windows 11 Windows 10Support for Windows 10 will end in October 2025
After October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10. Your PC will still work, but we recommend moving to Windows 11.
Note: Recovery drives created and used on machines with the April 9, 2024 security update and the revocation policy applied may be impacted. For more, see KB5025885: How to manage the Windows Boot Manager revocations for Secure Boot changes associated with CVE-2023-24932.
The Recovery Drive utility in Windows is a valuable tool designed to back up essential system files needed to restore a PC to its original state. This utility creates a USB recovery media that can help you restore your Windows device to its factory settings, even if you replace the hard drive or completely wipe the drive. The recovery media includes built-in Windows files, any updates installed at the time of media creation, and any customizations from the PC manufacturer, ensuring a reliable backup solution for bare metal recovery scenarios.
Creating a recovery media is a proactive measure to ensure that you can quickly and efficiently restore your system in case of major issues such as hardware failure. This media can be used for bare metal recovery on the device it was created for, ensuring a smooth and efficient restoration process.
It's recommended to recreate the recovery media annually to include the latest Windows updates and improvements. Additionally, it's important to note that the recovery media doesn't include your personal files. Therefore, you should use a different backup method, such as Windows Backup or File History, to back up your personal data separately.
Create a recovery drive
Warning: Use an empty USB drive because this process will erase any data that's already stored on the drive.
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To open Recovery Drive you can use one of the following methods:
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From Start, search for Recovery Drive and select it
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Use the command recoverydrive.exe
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When the tool opens, make sure Back up system files to the recovery drive is selected and then select Next
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Connect a USB drive to your PC, select it, and then select Next
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Select Create. Many files need to be copied to the recovery media, so this might take a while
Reinstall Windows with a recovery drive
Follow these steps to reinstall Windows using the recovery media:
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Start your device from the USB drive that was created with Recovery Drive. The process to boot from a USB drive may vary by manufacturer, so refer to your device's manual if needed
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Once Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) loads, select Recover from a drive
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Choose either Just remove my files of Fully clean the drive, depending on your preference
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Select Recover to confirm and start the recovery process
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