How to reset Windows Backup settings to default on Windows 10

You can reset the "Windows Backup" settings to their defaults, and these are the steps to complete the task on Windows 10.

Mauro Huculak @Pureinfotech

November 21, 2022

2023-02-15T17:01:20-05:00

On Windows 10, the Windows Backup (Backup and Restore) legacy tool has been around for a long time, and it’s been designed to create and restore full and differential backups of files or the entire system.

Although the tool is no longer maintained, it’s still available on Windows 10, and many users continue to use it to backup files or create full backups in case a rollback is necessary after an upgrade or hardware failure.

The only caveat is that if a problem occurs with the Windows Backup tool or you don’t want to use it anymore, there’s no option to disable or reset its settings to defaults. However, if you want to reset or disable the feature, you can complete this task with a few commands.

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to reset the settings of the Windows Backup feature to its defaults on Windows 10.

Reset Windows Backup settings on Windows 10

To reset the Windows Backup settings to their defaults, use these steps:

Open Start on Windows 10.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to delete the Windows Backup registry entry and press Enter:
```
reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsBackup /f
```
Type the following command to recreate the WindowsBackp entry and press Enter:
```
reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsBackup
```
Type the following command to delete the automatic backup scheduled task and press Enter:
```
schtasks /delete /tn "Microsoft\Windows\WindowsBackup\AutomaticBackup" /f
```
Type the following command to delete the backup monitor scheduled task and press Enter:
```
schtasks /delete /tn "Microsoft\Windows\WindowsBackup\Windows Backup Monitor" /f
```

Once you complete the steps, the “Back up or restore your files” page will roll back to its default settings, removing any previous configuration and allowing you to set up a new schedule or leave the feature disabled.

This process only resets the settings. It won’t delete previous backups made with the tool. After resetting the “Backup and Restore (Windows 7)” settings, you’ll need to delete backups manually from the source drive as necessary.