How to Create a Recovery Drive on Windows

Co-authored by Spike Baron

Last Updated: June 6, 2022 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to format a USB flash drive as a recovery drive on a Windows PC. Creating a recovery drive in advance can help you get back into your Windows PC if Windows becomes unusable. Make sure to back up any information on your USB drive before turning it into a recovery drive, as all the files on the drive will be deleted.

1

Insert a blank USB flash drive.

Find a USB port on your computer, and make sure your USB flash drive is plugged in. Your flash drive must be able to hold at least 16 GB.
- Your flash drive must be able to hold at least 16 GB.
- Creating a recovery drive will erase everything in your flash drive, so make a backup if there's anything on the drive you want to keep.

2

Open the Windows search bar.

Press "Windows key + S" to open the Search bar. If you see a bar that says "Type here to search" next to the Windows Start menu, just click the typing area instead.

3

Type `Create a recovery drive` into the search bar.

A list of results will appear. You will see "Create a recovery drive" as one of the options.^{[1]
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4

Click "Create a recovery drive."

It should be the first option. This opens the Recovery Drive setup wizard in a new pop-up window.
- You'll notice that "Back up system files to the recovery drive" is checked by default—leave the checkmark intact, as you'll need those system files on the recovery drive.

5

Click "Next" to continue.

Click Next. Windows will then scan your PC for connected USB flash drives.

6

Choose your USB flash drive and click "Next."

Select your flash drive and click Next. This starts the wizard.

7

Click "Create."

Click the Create button. This will erase everything on your USB flash drive, reformat it, and add the files necessary to restore your PC.
- Creating a recovery drive may take anywhere from a few seconds to a several minutes depending on your computer.

Expert Q&A

Question

Are there any programs that will make this easier?

Spike Baron
Network Engineer & Desktop Support
Spike Baron is the Owner of Spike's Computer Repair based in Los Angeles, California. With over 25 years of working experience in the tech industry, Spike specializes in PC and Mac computer repair, used computer sales, virus removal, data recovery, and hardware and software upgrades. He has his CompTIA A+ certification for computer service technicians and is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert.

Spike Baron

Network Engineer & Desktop Support

Expert Answer

Yes, Macrium, Reflect, and Cronus are all good options. They're all imaging programs that will make this process a breeze. You just plug a flash drive in and then run the image program, restart the computer, and it generates a backup.
Question

How often should I create a recovery drive?

Spike Baron
Network Engineer & Desktop Support
Spike Baron is the Owner of Spike's Computer Repair based in Los Angeles, California. With over 25 years of working experience in the tech industry, Spike specializes in PC and Mac computer repair, used computer sales, virus removal, data recovery, and hardware and software upgrades. He has his CompTIA A+ certification for computer service technicians and is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert.

Spike Baron

Network Engineer & Desktop Support

Expert Answer

You want to do a full backup every couple of months, or do incremental backups more frequently depending on what you're working on. It's all about keeping your backup information current.