{"id":2396,"date":"2016-03-26T22:16:26","date_gmt":"2016-03-26T16:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=2396"},"modified":"2022-11-27T17:50:21","modified_gmt":"2022-11-27T12:20:21","slug":"selectively-delete-system-restore-points","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/selectively-delete-system-restore-points\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Selectively Delete System Restore Points"},"content":{"rendered":"

The System Restore user interface doesn’t have an option to remove individual restore points. But, it’s possible to remove Restore Points selectively using the Vssadmin<\/code> command-line, PowerShell, or by writing a program that makes use of the SRRemoveRestorePoint<\/a> API in Windows Vista through Windows 10.<\/p>\n

This article explains the two methods to delete individual restore points in Windows.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How to Delete a Particular System Restore Point<\/h2>\n

Here are two methods to delete Restore Points selectively in Windows. The first method uses the built-in console tool and the second one using a third-party tool.<\/p>\n

Method 1: Using the Vssadmin console tool to delete a Restore Point<\/h3>\n

To delete an individual restore point in Windows 10 using the built-in vssadmin<\/code> console tool, follow these steps:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Open an elevated command prompt<\/a> window.<\/li>\n
  2. Type the following command and press ENTER:\n
    vssadmin list shadows<\/pre>\n
    \"How<\/p>\n
    C:\\WINDOWS\\system32>vssadmin list shadows\r\nvssadmin 1.1 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line tool\r\n(C) Copyright 2001-2013 Microsoft Corp.\r\n\r\nContents of shadow copy set ID: {6f104417-2f5a-4a06-a0d3-ada05061f7e7}\r\n   Contained 1 shadow copies at creation time: 10\/05\/17 9:15:10 PM\r\n      Shadow Copy ID: {b0c1ebeb-893e-4937-b3e0-e5bf3b96c6b1}\r\n         Original Volume: (C:)\\\\?\\Volume{098cc206-0000-0000-0000-500600000000}\\\r\n         Shadow Copy Volume: \\\\?\\GLOBALROOT\\Device\\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy2\r\n         Originating Machine: DESKTOP-JKJ4G5Q\r\n         Service Machine: DESKTOP-JKJ4G5Q\r\n         Provider: 'Microsoft Software Shadow Copy provider 1.0'\r\n         Type: ClientAccessibleWriters\r\n         Attributes: Persistent, Client-accessible, No auto release, Differential, Auto recovered\r\n\r\nContents of shadow copy set ID: {8b04f8ae-7806-45a6-94fb-fc82ce171027}\r\n   Contained 1 shadow copies at creation time: 10\/11\/17 11:17:44 AM\r\n      Shadow Copy ID: {3ba6f09f-efe0-400f-aaca-4c108a6035c5}\r\n         Original Volume: (C:)\\\\?\\Volume{098cc206-0000-0000-0000-500600000000}\\\r\n         Shadow Copy Volume: \\\\?\\GLOBALROOT\\Device\\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy3\r\n         Originating Machine: DESKTOP-JKJ4G5Q\r\n         Service Machine: DESKTOP-JKJ4G5Q\r\n         Provider: 'Microsoft Software Shadow Copy provider 1.0'\r\n         Type: ClientAccessibleWriters\r\n         Attributes: Persistent, Client-accessible, No auto release, Differential, Auto recovered\r\n\r\nContents of shadow copy set ID: {0b081d76-edba-4248-8e80-103664fe2129}\r\n   Contained 1 shadow copies at creation time: 10\/12\/17 1:47:25 PM\r\n      Shadow Copy ID: {d1a99397-2718-4a8f-b155-b1d02a64603c}<\/u><\/strong>\r\n         Original Volume: (C:)\\\\?\\Volume{098cc206-0000-0000-0000-500600000000}\\\r\n         Shadow Copy Volume: \\\\?\\GLOBALROOT\\Device\\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy4\r\n         Originating Machine: DESKTOP-JKJ4G5Q\r\n         Service Machine: DESKTOP-JKJ4G5Q\r\n         Provider: 'Microsoft Software Shadow Copy provider 1.0'\r\n         Type: ClientAccessibleWriters\r\n         Attributes: Persistent, Client-accessible, No auto release, Differential, Auto recovered\r\n<\/pre>\n
    The list of restore points or volume shadow copies available on your computer is displayed.<\/li>\n
  3. To delete a particular restore point, use the following syntax:\n
    vssadmin delete shadows \/Shadow={shadow copy ID}<\/pre>\n
    Replace {shadow copy ID}<\/code> placeholder with the actual shadow copy ID you determined in step 2 above.<\/p>\n
    For example, you may want to delete a restore point named “Test” — shown in the System Restore window.
    \n\"list<\/p>\n
    The “Test” restore point corresponds to the shadow copy ID {d1a99397-2718-4a8f-b155-b1d02a64603c}<\/code>. This was found by matching the shadow copy’s date and time from the vssadmin list shadows<\/code> command’s output above. I’ve underlined that ID for easy identification.<\/em><\/p>\n
    So, here is the command you’d use to delete the “Test” restore point:<\/p>\n
    vssadmin delete shadows \/Shadow={d1a99397-2718-4a8f-b155-b1d02a64603c}<\/pre>\n
    \"How<\/li>\n
  4. Press Y<\/strong> when you see the following prompt:Do you really want to delete 1 shadow copies (Y\/N): [N]?The shadow copy or restore point is gone.\"How<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    That’s how you delete individual restore points without using a third-party tool such as System Restore Explorer or CCleaner.<\/p>\n
    \n
    Additional Tip:<\/strong> To delete all restore points (shadow copies), use this command-line:<\/p>\n
    vssadmin delete shadows \/all<\/pre>\n
    You can also delete all but the most recent restore point using the Disk Cleanup<\/a> utility. For more information check out the article How to Delete All System Restore Points in Windows.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
    \n
    Method 2: Using third-party tools to delete a restore point<\/h3>\n
    System Restore Explorer<\/strong> by Nic Bedford is a neat utility that makes use of this API, allowing you to browse system restore points on your computer and select individual ones for deletion. Not just that, you can also mount the contents of a restore point, browse and copy individual files, without having to do a System Restore rollback. You can download System Restore Explorer from this URL:<\/p>\n
    https:\/\/www.nicbedford.uk\/software\/systemrestoreexplorer\/<\/pre>\n
    <\/p>\n
    Select the Restore Point you’d like to remove, click Delete.<\/p>\n
    \"How<\/p>\n
    \n
    Additional Tip: Recover Files from a Restore Point<\/strong><\/p>\n
    To recover files from a particular restore point or Volume Shadow Copy, click Mount. Browse through the folders and extract the files you need from the Shadow Copy.<\/p>\n
    \"How<\/p>\n
    This utility was originally written for Windows Vista but works flawlessly in higher versions of Windows, including Windows 10. If you liked this utility, head over to Nic’s Blog and leave your feedback.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
    \n
    Using CCleaner<\/h4>\n
    You may also use the third-party tool CCleaner<\/a> to clear individual restore points.<\/p>\n
    Launch CCleaner \u2192 Tools \u2192 System Restore \u2192 Select a restore point \u2192 click Remove<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
    \"delete<\/p>\n
    (Article last reviewed on 04-June-2021)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
    The System Restore user interface doesn’t have an option to remove individual restore points. But, it’s possible to remove Restore Points selectively using the Vssadmin command-line, PowerShell, or by writing a program that makes use of the SRRemoveRestorePoint API in Windows Vista through Windows 10. This article explains the two methods to delete individual restore … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6,7],"tags":[562],"class_list":["post-2396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-utilities","category-windows","tag-system-restore"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":847,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/how-to-delete-system-restore-points-windows\/","url_meta":{"origin":2396,"position":0},"title":"How to Delete All System Restore Points in Windows","author":"Ramesh","date":"January 26, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you running out of hard disk space even after clearing out the temporary folder and other junk files? You may consider lowering the disk space allotted to System Restore or delete the System Restore snapshots which include previous versions of files. Upgrading the hard disk is the ultimate solution\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows"","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"vssadmin delete all restore points","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/vssadmin-delete-all.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/vssadmin-delete-all.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/vssadmin-delete-all.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":819,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/change-disk-space-allotted-system-restore-windows\/","url_meta":{"origin":2396,"position":1},"title":"How to Lower the Disk Space Allotted to System Restore in Windows","author":"Ramesh","date":"January 12, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"System Restore uses a considerable amount of disk space on the computer. While it's not a problem for systems with bigger hard drives, you most likely would be running out of disk space in systems with a low-capacity drive such as a 150 GB hard disk, especially if you have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows"","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"what is system volume information folder, and can i delete it","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/system-restore-space-allot-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":75547,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/fix-system-restore-error-0x8004231f\/","url_meta":{"origin":2396,"position":2},"title":"How to Fix the System Restore Error 0x8004231F","author":"Ramesh","date":"June 15, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"When you create a System Restore point, the error code 0x8004231F may occur. The restore point could not be created for the following reason: Insufficient storage available to create either the shadow copy storage file or other shadow copy data. (0x8004231F) Please try again. The same error code occurs when\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows"","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"system restore point - disk space allocation","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/system-restore-space-allocation-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":31266,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/0x81000203-vss-system-restore-error\/","url_meta":{"origin":2396,"position":3},"title":"[Fix] System Restore Encountered an Error 0x81000203","author":"Ramesh","date":"December 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"When you open the System Properties dialog (sysdm.cpl) and click System Protection, the error 0x81000203 occurs. Here's the full error message verbatim: There was an unexpected error in the property page: System Restore encountered an error. Please try to run System Restore again. (0x81000203) Please close the property page and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"8004230f windows upgrade - vss error","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/home-to-pro-upgrade-activation-error-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/home-to-pro-upgrade-activation-error-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/home-to-pro-upgrade-activation-error-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":274,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/recover-files-previous-versions-shadow-copy-windows-7-vista\/","url_meta":{"origin":2396,"position":4},"title":"How to Recover Deleted Files Using Previous versions (Shadow Copy) in Windows","author":"Ramesh","date":"May 9, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"If you accidentally delete a file or folder, you can restore a shadow copy of that file or folder using the Previous Versions feature in Windows Vista and higher. 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