Applies to Windows 7

Delete a restore point

You cannot delete an individual restore point, but you can either delete all restore points or all but the most recent restore point. Deleting restore points temporarily frees up disk space. As new restore points are created, disk space will be used again. For information about how to adjust the disk space that is used by restore points, see How much disk space does System Restore require?

When you delete restore points, previous versions of files are also deleted. For more information about previous versions, see Previous versions of files: frequently asked questions.

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To delete all restore points

  1. Open System by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties.

  2. In the left pane, click System protection. Administrator permission required If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

  3. Under Protection Settings, click Configure.

  4. Under Disk Space Usage, click Delete.

  5. Click Continue, and then click OK.

To delete all but the most recent restore point

  1. Open Disk Cleanup by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button. In the search box, type Disk Cleanup, and then, in the list of results, click Disk Cleanup.

  2. If prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then click OK.

  3. In the Disk Cleanup for (drive letter) dialog box, click Clean up system files. Administrator permission required If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

  4. If prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then click OK.

  5. Click the More Options tab, under System Restore and Shadow Copies, click Clean up.

  6. In the Disk Cleanup dialog box, click Delete.

  7. Click Delete Files, and then click OK.