Backup and Restore Enable Automatic Backup of System Registry when Restart in Windows 11


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Registry_Editor_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to enable automatic backup of the system registry to the RegBack folder when the computer restarts in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Starting with Windows 10, version 1803, Windows no longer automatically backs up the system registry to the RegBack folder when the computer restarts, and creates a RegIdleBackup task to manage subsequent backups. Windows stores the task information in the Scheduled Task Library, in the Microsoft\Windows\Registry folder. The task has the following properties:

properties-of-regidlebackup-task.png


If you browse to the \Windows\System32\config\RegBack folder in File Explorer, you will still see each registry hive, but each file is 0 kb in size.

regisrtry-hive-0-kb.png


This change is by design, and is intended to help reduce the overall disk footprint size of Windows. To recover a system with a corrupt registry hive, Microsoft recommends that you use a system restore point.

If you have to use the legacy backup behavior, you can re-enable it, and then restarting the computer to apply.

Reference:


You must be signed in as an administrator to enable or disable the automatic backup of the system registry.




Here's How:

1 Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you would like to do.

2 Enable Automatic Backup of System Registry to RegBack folder when Computer Restarts

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​

Enable_automatic_backup_of_system_registry_to_RegBack_folder.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Configuration Manager]
"EnablePeriodicBackup"=dword:00000001

3 Disable Automatic Backup of System Registry to RegBack folder when Computer Restarts

This is the default setting.


A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​

Disable_automatic_backup_of_system_registry_to_RegBack_folder.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Configuration Manager]
"EnablePeriodicBackup"=-

4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7 Restart the computer to apply.

8 You could now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.


That's it,
Shawn Brink
 

Attachments

  • Disable_automatic_backup_of_system_registry_to_RegBack_folder.reg
    676 bytes · Views: 211
  • Enable_automatic_backup_of_system_registry_to_RegBack_folder.reg
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Last edited:
Thanks for this @Brink. I didn't even know this was a thing, and have been using a PowerShell script with Task Scheduler to automatically take a restore point if one hasn't been created in x days.

Questions:
> On both our Win22H2 devices, the \Windows\System32\config\RegBack folder is empty, with none of the registry hives shown above. I'm not sure why, what (if any) the impact might be, and/or how to get them to show.

> The RegIdleBackup task is "Ready", and can be run manually, but shows no Triggers. Are the Trigger only set if/when EnablePeriodicBackup is enabled in the Registry as shown above? I've attached a screenshot of the History tab (the 4/4 event was me running the task manually after reading your post).

> If EnablePeriodicBackup is enabled, I assume Windows continue to accumulate restore points with each restart, until allocated space is consumed, yes?
 

Attachments

  • RegIdleBackup_Task_History.jpg
    RegIdleBackup_Task_History.jpg
    68 KB · Views: 88

My Computers

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Hello @safron, :alien:

In Windows 11, the \Windows\System32\config\RegBack folder will only contain the registry backups if enabled and restarted.

This doesn't create restore points. Only backup to the RegBack folder instead if enabled.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
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    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
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    Corsair Hydro H115i
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    Logitech wireless K800
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    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Ah - thanks @Brink. I can see how a more granular backup might be more useful than a Restore Point. I'll check it out.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS8950
    CPU
    i7-12700K
    Motherboard
    Z690 : 9D2HH Foxconn, R6PCT Foxconn 2nd
    Memory
    16GB (2 x 8)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 770 with shared graphics memory
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CBL282K Smiiprx
    Screen Resolution
    4K UHD (3840 x 2160) @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital PC SN810 512 GB M.2 NVMe SSD, PCIe
    PSU
    750W
    Cooling
    2G44F Asetek 125W CPU liquid cooler
    Keyboard
    Arteck Wireless
    Mouse
    Victsing-mm057 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 6
    Browser
    Vivaldi
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender (native)
  • Operating System
    Win 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5620
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P
    Memory
    2 x 8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    NVMe 512 GB
    Case
    Aluminum
    Mouse
    Touchpad
    Browser
    Vivaldi
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender (native)
:shawn:
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Last edited:

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    2x8gb 3200mhz
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    benq gw2480
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    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
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    cryorig m9i
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    win7
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    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    pentium g5400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    1x8gb 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
Confirmed not working on Windows 11 22H2 Build 22621.1485. If I make the registry edit and reboot, it does not trigger the task. I went to the task in Task Scheduler and set it to trigger on startup, which failed as well as did at user login. This is just another thing Microsoft has "broken" in their releases. If you find it works in a insider preview or the like, maybe I can expect it to eventually start working, otherwise for now, running just the regular release channel's builds it does not.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    In-house build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32-Core Processor 3.70
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte TRX40 DESIGNARE, Rev 1.1
    Memory
    256 GB 8 X 32 GB DDR4-3200 DDR4 SDRAM (24-20-20-38 @ 1600 MHz) XMP 3200 MHz
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    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti (12 GB)
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    AMD K17.3 - High Definition Audio Controller
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    Samsung 2TB 990 EVO PCI-e 4.0 M.2 SSD
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    ICEGIANT ProSiphon Elite
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    Corsair Strafe RGB MK2
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    Logitech M705 Marathon Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
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    Vivaldi
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    ESET NOD 32
In Windows 11, the \Windows\System32\config\RegBack folder will only contain the registry backups if enabled and restarted.

This doesn't create restore points. Only backup to the RegBack folder instead if enabled.
Applied the 'enable' option with the following result after 2 restarts -

1.png


and

2.png


Does this work on my build? Or am I missing a trick somewhere?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro v 24H2 (Build 26100.2161)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Precision 3660 Tower Workstation
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900 5.10 GHz
    Motherboard
    64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
    Memory
    32.00 GB
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    Intel UHD Graphics 770
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
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    Dell P2714H Monitor
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    1920 x 1080
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    1 x 512GB NVME PC801 NVMe SK hynix - BOOT
    1 x 1TB Seagate ST1000LM049-2GH172 Internal HDD
    1 x 1TB Seagate STGX4000400 External HDD
    1 x 2TB Seagate STGX4000400 External HDD
    1 x 4TB Seagate STGX4000400 External HDD
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    300 Watts
    Cooling
    Air
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Wired Keyboard 600
    Mouse
    Microsoft USB Basic Optical Mouse v2.0
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender + Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    BaseBoard Manufacturer Dell Inc.
    BaseBoard Product 0J1CP3
    BaseBoard Version A01
Hello mate @IanMosley, :alien:

Sometimes you may need to restart the computer more than one before the file sizes increase indicating it getting backed up.

This backup is really not needed anymore though unless just wanted.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
RegBack literally saved me when from digging around in safe mode removing a failed NTVDMx64 patch for probably like an hour. It caused my PC to hang during boot. Listen I had no restore points at the time. There's probably some components of NTVDMx64 but my PC now boots fine. I almost panicked!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 (x64)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
    CPU
    Intel i5-105G7
    Motherboard
    N/A
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) Iris Plus Graphics (Integrated)
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio(SST)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    2256 x 1504
    Hard Drives
    Integrated Solid State Drive
    PSU
    N/A
    Case
    N/A
    Cooling
    N/A
    Keyboard
    Integrated
    Mouse
    Trackpad (Integrated)
    Internet Speed
    Download: 300Mbps Upload: 300Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome, Opera GX
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

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