Create Recovery Partition in Windows 10 | 2 Easy Ways
Why create Windows 10 recovery partition?
Microsoft says Windows 10 no longer needs to create a separate recovery image. It will benefit most users, and save disk space for computers. Users are not concerned about computer breaks down. Once it does, you can use “Reset this PC” to restore Windows 10 system.
It seems that you don’t need to create a recovery partition Windows 10, but you are greatly misled. Windows 10 Reset function only restores your system to factory settings, it means your Windows 10 system will be reinstalled, all software you added during the usage of the computer will be disappeared. And most users will regret not creating a recovery partition for Win 10 in advance.
Below are some common situations you need to create a recovery partition:
- Mistakenly delete the original recovery partition.
- You need to do system upgrade or reinstall.
- Your computer does not come along with a recovery partition.
Then, you may wonder how to create custom recovery partition of Windows 10. In this article, I will introduce 2 ways to you, you can use the built-in tool or a third-party tool Qiling Disk Master.
Way 1: Create a recovery partition in Windows 10 with built-in tool
Here you will use Recovery Drive option to create a recovery drive in Windows 10 with USB drive. It requires a USB drive at least 512MB in size. If your computer is 64 bit, the drive should be at least 16GB. For a recovery drive that includes system files, you’ll need a larger USB drive. Here is full guidance for you.
Create a recovery drive
Note: All the data on the USB drive will be deleted during this process, please backup files on USB flash drive if there are any important items.
Step 1. Connect the USB drive to your computer and make sure it can be detected.
Step 2. Type “recovery drive” into the search box and select “Create a recovery drive” in the listed results.
Step 3. In the pop-out window, check the option “Back up system files to the recovery drive” and click “Next”.
Note: “Back up system files to the recovery drive” option is very useful, especially when you cannot troubleshoot your computer. It gives you a chance to reinstall your computer by "Reset this PC".
Step 4. Then select the USB flash drive connected before, and click ”Next” to continue.
Step 5. Click “Create” to begin creating the recovery drive.
Recover from a drive
After the creation process completes, you can quickly use the "Recover from a drive" option and restore system easily. Below are the detailed steps:
1. Boot from Windows 10 recovery USB drive. Then, click Next until you see Troubleshoot option.
2. Select Troubleshoot > Recover from a drive, then it will start preparing the recovery process.
3. Then, you will be asked to select the reset option, Just remove my files or Clean the drive fully. After that, confirm all the changes and click Recover to start this process. It will take a while depending on the size of your hard drive and then your PC will restart.
Way 2: Make a universal recovery partition with Qiling Disk Master
Here you will use OneKey System Backup in Qiling Disk Master to create a recovery partition in Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista ( both 32bit & 64bit) as well as system backup. Your computer will be exactly the same as previous after restoring, including the operating system, installed programs, system drivers, personal data, etc. And it is suitable for all brands of computers, such as, HP, Dell, ASUS, Lenovo, etc.
By using it, you can choose to backup system to Qiling Disk Master Partition or other location. If you select the first option, it will create a partition automatically on your computer and save the backup image to it, but not specify the recovery partition a drive letter. This greatly reduces the risk of mistaken deletion of backup image and recovery partition.
In addition, it allows you to add boot menu on your computer and specify a key to access it, A or F11, for example. Thus, you can easily and quickly factory reset a desktop or laptop computer (eg: Lenovo desktop factory reset) when something goes wrong and don't need to create a bootable USB separately.
Download it to have a try! Server systems like Windows Server 2022/2019/2016 are also supported by Qiling Disk Master.
Create a recovery partition
Follow the steps below to make a recovery partition in Windows 10 safely and include everything on your computer.
Step 1. Choose "Onekey System Backup".
Step 2. Select "Backup system to Qiling Disk Master Partition (Recommended)" and click Next.
Note: If your computer does not have enough space to hold everything on the system partition, you could choose "Backup system to other location". It can avoid low disk space effectively.
Step 3. Select a partition to save the recovery partition and “Proceed” after confirming.
Qiling Disk Master will take some free space from the destination to create a recovery partition. If there is unallocated space, Qiling Disk Master will create the recovery partition on it by default.
Wait until the creation process ends, you will have both system image backup and recovery partition.
Restore from the recovery partition
You can use Qiling Disk Master Partition to recover your computer in the event of a disaster. Below is the outline of the recovery process:
1. Open this software again, select "OneKey System Recovery". If your computer can’t boot, you can press F11 or A to access this software and restore system back.
2. Choose "Restore system by using the image file in Qiling Disk Master Partition" and click Next.
3. Click "Proceed" after confirming.
FAQs about Windows recovery partition
1. Is recovery partition necessary?
No, a recovery partition is not very necessary for booting Windows, nor is it required for Windows to run. But if it is the recovery partition that Windows created, you might want to keep it for repair purposes.
2. Does Windows 10 automatically create a recovery partition?
If you install Windows 10 on a blank disk that contains a single block of unallocated space, the disk will be automatically partitioned and a recovery partition is created.
3. Can I copy recovery partition to new drive?
Yes, you can copy recovery partition to new hard drive when your system drive is out of space.
Final words
It's essential to create a recovery partition in Windows 10, which can help you to repair your computer when accidents happen. You can use the built-in recovery drive feature or turn to a third-party tool like Qiling Disk Master.
By comparison, I prefer using Qiling Disk Master. It's simple, safe, and more flexible. You can create a recovery partition and system image simultaneously in 3 steps, and make both of them hidden. And you can add boot menu on your computer as well.
More surprisingly, the created recovery partition is universal, so you can use it on all brands of computer, regardless of the operating system you are currently using, Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista (both 32bit and 64bit) or Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012, etc.
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