System Restore is very important feature of Windows operating system. All Windows users would be familiar with System Restore feature on PC. With this feature your can restore Windows System settings and files to an earlier point without any error. This also takes care of many types of BSOD blue screen error on PC. You can troubleshoot many Windows error with System Restore option. But by default System restore option may be off on Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, or some error might cause it to turn off automatically as we will show you below. Here we are going to explain in simple terms how to fix System Restore Disabled on Windows.
Reasons of System Restore Not Working on Windows:
There could be many reasons for System Restore getting disabled on Windows 10/8/8.1/7 PC/laptop. When you try to restore PC and see message below, it means system restore is not working on your PC.
“System Restore has been turned off by group policy. To turn on System Restore, contact your domain administrator.”
or you following error message may appear on the screen when you try system restore on Windows to revert OS back to previous working position.
“System Restore is disabled by your system administrator.”
Or System Restore option on Windows Control Panel or Settings app in Windows 10/8/8.1 is greyed out. But here you can see how to fix system restore not working on Windows.
How to Fix System Restore is Not Working due to System Administrator Block or Group Policy:
If you can’t access System Restore option on your PC then it may be because you installed dodgy third-party software or app causing havoc on system files. Registry and local group policy can cause System Restore to switch off. To fix this issue see solutions below.
Fix 1 – Unblock System Restore from Local Group Policy
You can fix System Restore issue from Group Policy Editor on Windows. Here’s how:
1 – Press Windows Key + R to open RUN command dialogue box.
2 – Type gpedit.msc and hit enter to open Local Group Policy Editor window.
3 – Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > System Restore and double-click on Turn off System Restore option.
4 – On new window screen that opens, check Disabled option.
5 – Click Apple and OK to confirm the selection.
6 – Repeat the above process on Turn off configuration.
All done. Restart PC and when it’s back on see if System Restore option is back on. If not then see next solution.
Fix 2 – Enable System Restore from Registry Editor
If the above solution failed to enable System Restore option then see this next fix to address the problem.
1 – Press Windows + R keys to open RUN command box.
2 – Type regedit and press enter.
3 – Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Policies > Microsoft > Windows NT > SystemRestore
4 – Delete DisableConfog and DisableSR options, confirm your selection by pressing OK button and restart your PC.
On Windows 10 and Windows 8/8.1, registry location may not contain System Restore option, depending on your version of Windows copy or for some other reason.
That’s all. You have successfully enabled System Restore option on Windows 7/10/8/8.1 desktop/laptop. Now try doing System Restore, it should work without any errors now. Please share your thoughts and options in the comments section below if this fixed your System Restore issue.