How to fix System Restore disabled by system administrator or grayed out on Windows 11/10?

When you use the system, you may perform some operations or install some applications that may hinder the normal working of your PC and cause certain problems. In such situations, the built-in System Restore feature provided by Windows comes in handy to help you restore your system to a working and problem-free state.

Basically, this feature creates a restore point of system files and registry, during which the system works normally. To use this feature on your PC, you need to create restore points manually or configure settings on your system to automatically create restore points every day.

However, many users have reported issues when trying to use System Restore with the error message "System Restore has been disabled by the system administrator" . Some users have noticed that the System Restore option itself is greyed out, meaning that neither a system point can be created nor the system can be restored to a previous working state. Are you annoyed by seeing this error message or the System Restore option being grayed out on your Windows PC? Then, continue reading this article to find some troubleshooting methods that users have successfully tried to resolve this issue on their computers.

Method 1 – Make changes in the Registry Editor

Note: The registry contains information necessary for the proper functioning of your system. Therefore, before you proceed with making changes to the registry, create a backup of Registry Editor in case you encounter any issues after trying this method. If anything goes wrong, you can simply import a registry backup to restore your registry settings to their previous working state.

Step 1. Use the Windows and R key combination on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2. Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.

When User Account Control prompts for permissions, click Yes.

#Step 3. Use the folders in the left pane of the registry to navigate to the following location.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\SystemRestore

Step 4. After selecting the SystemRestore key, two entries DisableConfig and DisableSR will appear on the right.

#Step 5. You need to delete the above two entries.

Right-click DisableConfig and select Delete.

#To confirm entry deletion, click Yes.

Similarly, delete the DisableSR entry.

Step 6. After deleting the above two entriesrestart the computer.

Check if you are able to use the System Restore feature without any issues.

Note: If the SystemRestore, DisableConfig, or DisableSR keys are not found in the registry, please move on to the next method to resolve the issue.

Method 2 – Modify settings in Local Group Policy Editor

Step 1. Just hold down the Windows R keys at the same time to open Run.

Step 2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

NOTE: If you receive an error when trying to open the Local Group Policy Editor, click this link to fix the missing Local Group Policy Editor problem.

Step 3. In the Local Group Policy Editor window, navigate to the below mentioned location using the folders in the left pane.

Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> System Restore

Step 4. Now, look for Turn off System Restore on the right side.

Double-click it to open the window and change this setting.

Step 5. In the window that opens, select the option Not configured.

Note: If it is set to Not configured, set it to Disabled and click application.

Then, set it back to Not configured and click OK.

Step 6. Finally, click Apply and then click OK to save the changes in the Local Group Policy Editor settings.

Step 7.Restart the computer and check if the system restore issue has been resolved.

Method 3 – Check if the System Restore Service is Running

Step 1. To open Windows Services, click Windows on the taskbar Start button.

In the Windows search bar, type services, and then select services application among the best matches results.

Step 2. In the displayed list of services, scroll and search for the service named Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider.

Right click on this service and select Properties.

Step 3. In the Properties window, use the drop-down list and change Startup Type to automatic.

Step 4. If you see that the service is in Stopped status, click the "Start" button to start the service.

Step 5. Click Apply for the changes to take effect. Then, click OK.

Step 6. Repeat Steps 2 - 5 for the service Volume Shadow Copy in the service list.

Step 7.Restart the computer and check if you are able to use System Restore.

Method 4 – Configure System Restore Settings

Steps 1. Click the Windows key on your keyboard and enter restore in the search box.

Step 2. In the search results displayed under "Best Match", Click "Create Restore Point".

Step 3: This will open the System Properties window with the System Protection tab selected.

Here, highlight the drive that needs to be enabled under Available drives in the Protection Settings section.

Step 4. Then, click the Configure... button.

Step 5. In the "System Protection" window of the selected drive, select "Restore Settings" Turn on System Protection" option.

Step 6. Finally, click Apply and OK to save the changes.

Click "OK" to close the "System Properties" window.

Step 7.Restart your system.

After the system restarts, check if you are able to perform a system restore without encountering the issues mentioned in this article.

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