How Long Does System Restore Take Windows 11? Fixes Included

Is it Normal for a System Restore to Take over 6 Hours?

System Restore is designed to roll your Windows system back to a previous, stable state without affecting personal files, especially when something goes wrong. But when you’re running this process, some users notice that system restore can take hours or even days to finish. It naturally raises a common concern: how long does System Restore take Windows 11?

Under normal circumstances, the System Restore process usually completes within 30 minutes to 2 hours. If your System Restore has been running for more than 6 hours, this might be normal in some cases, but it should not be ignored. Whether the delay is acceptable depends on system conditions, disk health, and restore point integrity.

Why System Restore Takes a Long Time?

Before taking action, it helps to understand why System Restore may take so long. Several factors can significantly extend restore time, particularly on Windows 11 systems.

🧿Large or Complex Restore Points

Restore points that include many system changes, such as driver updates, Windows updates, or registry modifications, requiring more time to process.

💽Slow or Failing Storage Drives

If your system is running on an older HDD or a drive with bad sectors, file verification and rollback can slow dramatically. This is a common reason users ask how long does a Windows 11 system restore take and experience multi-hour waits.

✂️Background Processes or Conflicts

Third-party antivirus software, startup services, or pending Windows updates can interfere with the restore process.

📂Corrupted System Files

If Windows system files are already damaged, System Restore may struggle to validate or replace them, extending the operation well beyond normal expectations.

How Do I Know If System Restore Is Stuck or Still Working?

In such cases, forcibly shutting down the computer to interrupt the System Restore process directly may cause the system to crash completely and become unbootable. Therefore, you should verify whether System Restore is still in progress before interrupting the process.

👉Signs It Is Still Working:

• Hard drive activity light is blinking
• You can hear disk activity
• Fan speed changes occasionally

In such cases, patience is often the best approach. System Restore is in progress, please wait patiently for the process to complete.

👉Signs It May Be Stuck:

• No disk activity for over 1–2 hours
• Screen frozen at the same percentage
• System appears completely unresponsive

If these symptoms persist, it means the System Restore has gotten stuck rather than being still in progress. It is reasonable to proceed with corrective actions.

How to Fix System Restore is Taking too Long

If System Restore has been running far longer than expected, it usually indicates an underlying issue rather than normal system activity. Before assuming the process is frozen or forcing a shutdown, it’s important to approach the situation carefully to avoid further system or data problems. The following methods walk you through practical and safe ways to address a System Restore process that is taking too long.

Solution 1. Wait Patiently

If the System Restore process is still ongoing but running slowly, waiting patiently for it to finish is the safest and most important course of action. If there is still no visible activity after waiting for 2–3 hours, you can proceed with the other methods below.

Solution 2. Run Startup Repair

Once you confirm that System Restore is stuck, forcibly shutting down your computer may be the only way to interrupt the process. If your system fails to boot normally after an interrupted restore, you can then try Startup Repair to fix the boot-related issues that may cause System Restore to hang.

Step 1. Press and hold the power button to force a shutdown. Force your computer to shut down again as soon as the Windows logo appears on the screen. Repeat this process 2–3 times, and Windows will automatically enter the WinRE.

Step 2. Select "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced options" > "Startup Repair".

Step 3. After the repair process is completed, try starting your computer again and performing System Restore again in WinRE.

Solution 3. Perform System Restore in WinRE

In WinRE, the Windows main system is not running, which prevents running programs or services from interfering with the System Restore process. If System Restore fails to complete successfully in the desktop environment, you can try again in WinRE.

Step 1. In WinRE, go to "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced options" > "System Restore".

Step 2. Choose a created restore point to restore and click "Next". You can check the affected programs by clicking on "Scan for affected programs".

Step 3. Click "Finish" to begin the process.

Solution 4. Try Another Restore Point

Sometimes the problem lies not with the computer or the program, but with the restore point. Not all restore points are equally reliable. A corrupted restore point may cause indefinite delays. Select a restore point that was created when Windows was functioning normally, then attempt to perform System Restore again.

Solution 5. Run CHKDSK Command

File system errors on the hard disk where the restore point is located can also cause System Restore to get stuck, and you may even receive error codes such as 0x80070005. Running the CHKDSK command can help fix both file system errors and logical errors on the hard disk.

Step 1. Choose "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced options" > "Command Prompt".

Step 2. Enter the following command "chkdsk G: /f /r" and hit the "Enter" key. Replace the drive letter "G" with your actual system drive letter. The command will automatically scan your hard drive and repair any detected error.

Solution 6. Run SFC and DISM Command

Corrupted system files can also prevent System Restore from working properly or even cause it to get stuck entirely. You can use the SFC and DISM commands to repair these corrupted or lost system files.

Step 1. Open Command Prompt in WinRE or Start menu (if you Windows boot normally).

Step 2. Type the following command and press the "Enter" key:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

sfc /scannow

Once the process is done, restart your computer and try to perform System Restore again.

Solution 7. Temporary Disable Antivirus Program

Antivirus software is also a common factor that interferes with the normal operation of system restore, especially programs installed after the restore point was created. If your computer can boot up normally again after you interrupt the System Restore process, try temporarily disabling the antivirus software and performing System Restore once more. But remember to re-enable it after everything is completed.

Step 1. Navigate to "Settings" > "Update & Security" > "Windows Security" > "Virus & threat protection".

Step 2. Under "Virus & threat protection settings", click on "Manage settings".

Step 3. Switch the "Real-time protection" to "Off".

How to Recover Lost Data After System Restore Gets Stuck or Fails

If System Restore is taking too long and eventually fails, you might have to shut down your computer to interrupt the process. But this may increase the risk of data loss or file corruption, especially if Windows no longer boots properly. In such cases, having a reliable data recovery solution like MyRecover becomes especially important. It allows you to scan the affected system drive and retrieve documents, photos, videos, and other files even from corrupted or unbootable Windows.

Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer from Microsoft Store, avoid install it on the system drive.

Step 2. Launch the program and select the drive to scan for lost files, then click "Scan".

Step 3. After the scan finishes, preview and choose the files you wish to recover from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".

Step 4. Select a safe location to save the recovered files.

Upon the recovery is completed, the message "Files have been recovered successfully" will pop up. Then, you can check the recovered files by clicking on the "Browse" button.

If Windows fails to boot after you interrupt the system restore process, MyRecover can also create a recovery drive to recover data from the unbootable system. After that, you can follow the steps above to complete the data recovery.

Step 1. Install MyRecover on a working computer and run the app.

Step 2. Go to the "PC Crashed Recovery" section and click "USB Boot Device" > "Create".

Step 3. After the USB media create successfully, insert the USB drive into the unbootable computer and boot the PC using the USB.

Conclusion

While it is not uncommon for System Restore to take longer than expected, a duration exceeding 6 hours should be evaluated carefully. In some cases, patience is justified, especially if disk activity is present. In others, corrupted system files, disk issues, or faulty restore points are the real culprits.

If System Restore ultimately fails and leads to data loss, specialized recovery solutions such as MyRecover can help retrieve files from unbootable or partially restored systems. Rather than relying solely on System Restore as a safety net, combining it with reliable data recovery tools ensures you remain protected, even when Windows recovery mechanisms fall short.