Recovery Options in Windows 10
The following information is from Microsoft. We’re publishing it as a guide for all Windows 10 users who may not be sure which recovery option to use should things go wrong. We hope you will find this information useful – and may you never have occasion to use it.
If you’re having problems with your PC, the following table can help you decide which recovery option to use. For help with black screen or blue screen errors, see Troubleshoot black screen problems or Troubleshoot blue screen errors.
| Problem | See this section |
|---|---|
| Your PC isn’t working well and you recently installed an update. | Remove an installed Windows update |
| Your PC isn’t working well and it’s been a while since you installed an app, driver, or update. | Reset your PC |
| Your PC won’t start, you haven’t created a recovery drive, and resetting your PC didn’t work. | Use installation media to reinstall Windows 10 |
| Your PC won’t start and you haven’t created a recovery drive. | Use installation media to restore your PC |
| Your PC won’t start and you’ve created a recovery drive. | Use a recovery drive to restore or recover your PC |
| You want to reinstall your previous operating system. | Go back to your previous version of Windows |
| Your PC isn’t working well and you recently installed an app. | Restore from a system restore point |
One more recovery option that is not included above is the repair installation option. A repair installation leaves all your files and apps in place and repairs Windows 10. Learn how to perform a repair installation of Windows 10 here.