What does restoring a computer to an earlier date mean? Why do you need that? How to restore PC to the previous time? This article provides seven methods.

1. Title: [7 Ways] How to Restore Computer to Previous Date Windows 11?
Keywords: howtorestore computertopreviousdate windows11, how to restore computerto
earlierdate windows11, restore computertoearliertime, how torestore computertoprevious
time, howto restore computertoearlierdate withoutsystemrestore, restore thiscomputertoan
earlierpointintime, howtorestore computertopreviousstate
Description: What does restoring a computer to an earlier date mean? Why do you need that? How to
restore PC to the previous time? This article provides seven methods.
URL: https://www.minitool.com/backup-tips/restore-computer-to-previous-date-windows-11.html
Summary: This article reviewed by MiniTool Software Limited introduces 7 methods to restore your
computer to an earlier date, including the ways relying on system restore utility, system image
recovery, system updates uninstallation, Backup and Restore app, as well as MiniTool ShadowMaker
program.
Mostof the methodsin thisarticle also applied Windows10, Windows8.1/8, Windows7, Windows
Vista,and WindowsXP.
About Restore Computer to Previous Date
To restore the computerto the previousdate referstorecoveringthe PCtoitsearlierstate,usually
whenitis inthe good workingconditionthat preferredbyyou.Peopleneedtodothat whenthey
encountersome problemundercurrentsituationorfindthe systemenvironmentnotsuitable for
them.Thisoftenhappensaftertheyupgrade the operatingsystem(OS), change some system
settings,orinstall some unremovable applications/services/drivers.

2. Back up Import Data with MiniTool ShadowMaker
Before restoringyourPCto an earlierdate,itisstronglyrecommendedthatyoubackup crucial
files/folders,applications,etc.incase of unexpecteddataloss.Here,youcanrelyona robustand
easy-to-useprogramcalled MiniTool ShadowMakertohelpdothatwork.
SM-Trial
Next,let’ssee howtocarry outthe restorationindifferentmethods.
#1 How to Restore Computer to Earlier Date Windows 11 from System Restore?
Systemrestore isa legacyfunctionembeddedinWindows11that enablesyoutocreate a snapshot
of the state of the currentOS and save the snapshotas a “restore point”.Once needed,youcango
back to the previoustime inpointrelyingonthis restore point.
How doI restore my computertoan earlierstate?The followingare the steps.Youcan referto them
and conductyour systemrecovery.
1. OpenWindows11 Control Panel and view itscontentsby the icon.
2. Findand clickto select the Recoveryoption.
3. Next,choose the OpenSystemRestore option.
Alt=selectopenSystemRestore
4. Then,a newwindowwill popuptellingyouthatsystemrestore doesn’taffectanyof your
documents,pictures,orotherpersonal data.Yet,recentlyinstalledprogramsanddriversmight
be uninstalled. Justclick Nexttocontinue.

3. Alt=systemrestore welcomepage
Tip: You can also get thisSystemRestore pagethrough Windows11Settings> System > About>
Advancedsystem settings and go to theSystem Protection > SystemRestore in the new popup.Or,
justtype“rstrui” and press Enter in a command platform(CMDorPowerShell).
5. Selectasystemrestore pointtogo on.

4. Alt=choose systemrestore point
6. Reviewthe actionthatwill be takentoyourrunningPC.If youhave changedyour Windows
passwordrecently,youare recommendedtocreate a passwordresetdisk.Besides,system
restore needstorestartyour machine toapplythe changes.Before startingthe restoration,
save all your openfilesandclose all apps. Then,clickthe Finishbutton.

5. Alt=confirmyourrestore point
7. It will warnyouabout the un-interruptionof the systemrestore process.Youcan undosystem
restore whenitfinishes.Yet,if thissystemrestore iscarriedoutin Safe Mode,itcan’t be
undone. Justclickthe Yesbuttonto confirm.
Alt=systemrestore warning
Then,itwill begintorestore yourcomputertoan earlierdate.Itwill take some time tocomplete.
Justtake yourpatience andwaituntil itfinishes.Or,youcan leave itanddo yourotherbusiness.
Remembertocome back andcheck forthe result.

6. Alt=restoringWindowsfilesandsettings
#2 How to Restore Computer to Previous Date Windows 11 Within WinRE?
You can alsoconduct systemrecoverywithinWindowsRecoveryEnvironment (WinREorWindows
RE), whichisalsoknownas WindowsAdvancedStartupOptions.
1. Enter intoWindowsRE.If you bootintoWinRE fromwithinWin11,youmust be signedinas
an administratortoperforma systemrestore.If youaccessthe Window recovery
environmentthrough Windows11installationdisk,there is nosuchrequirement.
2. Selectthe Troubleshootchoice onthe Choose an optionpage.

7. Alt=selecttroubleshootinWinRE
3. Choose the Advancedoptions onthe nextpage.
4. Next,selectthe SystemRestore option.
5. If you reach thisWindowrecoveryenvironmentviacurrentWindows11,youmay needto
pickup an administratoraccountandsignin with a username andpassword.If yougetinto
thisWindowsRE throughan OS installationdevice,justselectthe Windows11 option.
6. Then,youwill be directedtothe SystemRestore window thatisthe same as the above.
From now on,just obeythe stepsabove tocomplete the ystemrestore.
Whenit finishes,clickthe Restartbuttonto reboot the PC.Once restarted,signintoWin11 and
close the systemrestore resultinformationpopup.
ALT=systemrestore completed successfully

8. #3 How to Restore Computer to Earlier Time in Windows 11 Safe Mode?
In the above part,it mentionssystemrestoreinsafe mode,whichisaspecial diagnosticmode inthe
WindowssystemusuallyfortroubleshootingPCproblems.Here,we will teachyouhow to restore
the computerto itspreviousstate underSafe Mode.
In general,itiseasyandjustlike the processinnormal systemmode.Firstof all,youneedto boot
your computerintoWinRE,navigate toTrouble > Advancedoptions > Startup Settings,andchoose
an entrance to enterWindows11 in Safe Mode.
Alt=clicktoenterSafe Mode
You can enterWindows11 Safe Mode withone of the three options:
 Enable Safe Mode:Normal and brief Windowsenvironmentwithadesktop.

9.  Enable Safe Mode withNetworking:Normal andbrief Windowsenvironmentwithdesktop
and Internetaccess.
 Enable Safe Mode withCommandPrompt:Windowsenvironmentwithnodesktopbuta
commandpromptwindow.(Notsuggestedforcommonusers)
If you are a commonuserand don’tknow how to perform a systemrestore viacommands,youare
not recommendedtochoose the thirdoptiontoenter Win11Safe Mode.
Once enteredthe systemSafe Mode,justcarryout the systemrestore tasklike inyournormal OS
environmentinthe firstmethod.
#4 How to Restore Computer to Earlier Date Without System Restore?
The above three waysall make use of systemrestore to restore the computerbackto an earlier
date.Yet,is there a solutionthatdoesnotrelyonsystemrestoration?Of course!If youhave ever
createda systemimage inWindows11, youcan easilyrestore yoursystemtothe date whenyou
create the image usingthe image.
The followingwill showyouhowtoperformsystemimage recoverywhenyouare inWindowsRE.
1. Go to Troubleshoot> Advancedoptions.
2. Selectthe SystemImage Recoveryoption.
Alt=WinREadvancedoptions
3. Choose a systemimage backuptoperformthe recovery. Youcan eitherUse the latest
available systemimage or Selecta system image.

10. Alt=selectasystemimage backup
4. If you choose to selectasystemimage instep3, then,youneedtoselectthe locationof the
backupfor the computeryouwant to restore.If the systemimage isonan external device,
justattach the device tothismachine andthenclickthe Refreshbutton.Then,the image
shouldappearinthe list. Youcan alsoclickthe Advanced buttonto add a networklocation
where the systemimage issaved orinstall adriverfora backupdevice if itdoesnotshow
itself inthe list.

11. Alt=choose systemimage backuplocation
Next,justfollow the on-screeninstructionstofinishsystemrecovery.
#5 How to Restore Computer to Previous Time Windows 11 by Uninstalling Updates?
Besides,youcanalsorecover yourPC to an earliertime byuninstallingthe systemupdates youhave
downloadedandinstalledrecently. If youhaven’tdone anyOSupdatesrecently,thismethodmay
not available.
1. Rebootyourcomputerinto the Windowsrecoveryenvironment.
2. Navigate toTrouble > Advanced options.
3. SelectUninstall Updates.
4. Choose a wayto uninstall yourupdates.
 Uninstall latestquality update:This action will notaffectyourpersonal files,apps,or
settings.
 Uninstall latestfeature update: Thisaction will notaffectyourpersonal files,butyouwill
lose anychangesyou’ve made toapps andsettingssince yourmostrecentupdate.

12. Alt=uninstallupdatesinWinRE
5. Confirmthe selectionbyclickingthe Uninstall qualityupdate or Uninstall feature update
button.
Wait until the taskcompletes.
Tip: If you haverecently upgraded to Windows11 fromWindows10, within 30 days,you areallowed
to go back to Win10 through Settings> System > Recovery > Go back.
#6 How to Restore This Computer to an Earlier Point in Windows 11 Time with Backup
and Restore?
Moreover,youare able toreturn backto the previoussystemcondition relyingonthe Windows
Backup andRestore applicationif youhave evercreatedasystembackupwithit.Generally,goto
Control Panel,findandopenthe app,andperforma restore withitsbackupimages.
Learn more aboutWindows11 Backupand Restore >>
#7 Restore Computer to Previous Date Windows 11 Relying on MiniTool
ShadowMaker
Lastly,youcan ask for helpfromthird-partyprogramstorestore yourmachine to an earlierdate like
MiniTool ShadowMaker,aprofessional andreliable systembackupandrestore tool.
To restore OS to the previousdate inWindows11,youneeda systembackupimage createdbefore
justlike all the above methods. Howtomake a systembackupwithMiniTool ShadowMaker>>

13. Please notethatyou should carry outthe restoration taskin WinRE thatis triggered by bootable
media created by MiniTool Media Builder. Justcreate a bootabledevice,connectit to the target PC,
rebootthe PCinto BIOS,changethefirst bootdevice to the bootabledevice,and bootfromit. Then,
underthe bootablemedia-based WinRE,theMiniTool programwill automatically launch itself.If not,
justmanually open it.
SM-Trial
Then,youcan freely conductsystemrecovery withthe helpof thisprogram.
1. Go to its Restore tab.
2. Findthe systembackuptaskin the listand clickthe Restore buttonfor it.If youcan’t find
the relatedtask,justclickthe Add Backup buttoninthe upperrightto findandadd the
systemimage buildbythissoftware before.Then,youwill see the taskreappearsinthe list.
Alt=MiniTool ShadowMakerrestore system
3. Then,selectthe backupversion,backupvolumes,anddestinationtorestore.
Data on the destinationlocationwillbe overwritten.Make sure you have all the importantitems
backedup.Finally,confirmthe operationtobeginthe restoration.
Whenthe systemrestorationcompletes,rebootyourcomputerintoBIOS,change the firstboot
device backto the original harddrive,andbootup the machine.
Besidessystembackupandrestore,MiniToolShadowMakercanalsoback up and restore
files/folders,partitions/volumes,andthe entire harddisk;aswell asmanyotheruseful features.

14. Ok, that is all the knowledge we plantoshare inthisarticle,if youhave anyideaaboutrestoring a
systemtoan earlierdate,feel free towrite itdowninthe below commentzone.