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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Point-in-time restore brings Windows back to a previous state.
- Cloud rebuild reinstalls Windows from the cloud.
- Both will be accessible through Microsoft Intune in early 2026.
Have you ever encountered an unrecoverable problem with Windows that prevented it from running properly? These system glitches can be frustrating, especially for IT and help desk professionals who must try to resolve them for their users. Now, Microsoft has revealed two new tools that promise to rebuild a misbehaving Windows PC at any organization with the necessary environment.
Point-in-time restore
Announced at Microsoft’s Ignite event and described in a new blog post, the first feature is called point-in-time restore. In the event of an unrecoverable problem, this tool will roll the PC back to an earlier point in time. Does this sound like the System Restore feature that has long been part of Windows? That’s because it’s built on the same technology.
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In this case, the point-in-time restore option takes snapshots of Windows at different points. If Windows glitches, then the feature can automatically restore it to any of those previous points in time. Using this method, you can not only recover Windows and all the installed applications and customized settings, but also any personal files stored on the user’s PC.
The action is designed to resolve a variety of issues, according to Microsoft, including update problems, driver conflicts, and configuration errors. The new point-in-time restore will be accessible in the next Windows insider build this week, so insiders will soon be able to try it.
Cloud rebuild
The second feature is cloud rebuild. If Windows can’t be rebuilt or recovered using any other method, then your only choice may be to reinstall it from scratch. To steer the process within an organization, IT administrators can restore Windows on a user’s PC by leveraging the cloud. This is similar to the existing Reset feature, in which you can reinstall Windows from the cloud rather than from your local PC.
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With cloud rebuild, an administrator can use Microsoft’s Intune portal to select the appropriate Windows release and language. The PC then downloads the installation media and rebuilds itself. Although this restores Windows to a clean state, companies that use tools such as OneDrive and Windows Backup for Organizations can then restore the user’s personal files, apps, and settings.
For organizations
The two new tools are specifically designed for businesses and other organizations that utilize Microsoft Intune. Individual and home Windows users already have similar recovery options. The idea here is to automate the process so that IT admins can more quickly get a user’s PC up and running again.
Availability
Point-in-time restore and cloud rebuild will be accessible through Intune sometime in the first half of 2026. Both features are part of Microsoft’s Windows Resiliency Initiative, which aims to help companies avoid or recover from problems that render the OS inoperative.
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Another tool in the mix is Quick Machine Recovery (QMR), which tries to repair boot-up problems by downloading and installing specific fixes. From another angle, Microsoft is also trying to make Windows drivers more resilient so as to avoid conflicts and other bugs.
