All information about restoring the Media Creation Tool [Updated for 2024]

Background

What would you do if your PC had issues? If you've already created a Windows 10 recovery drive for another computer, you don't have to worry. A recovery image helps you refresh or reset your PC. However, you need a tool – the Recovery Drive Creator – to help you create a USB recovery drive. Whether you're a regular user or a developer, you should know about this tool as it can come in handy when you least expect it.

What is the Recovery Media Creation Tool and a recovery drive?

The Recovery Drive tool is a built-in Windows feature that you can use to create a recovery drive. This can help you diagnose and fix issues like hardware failures or corrupted systems. You can also use it to reinstall Windows if your computer won't start.

## What is a Recovery Drive? A recovery drive is a specialized portable storage device, typically a USB flash drive, used to perform system recovery or repair tasks on a Windows operating system. It contains tools and files necessary to reset a computer back to its initial state, fix operating system errors, or install a new operating system altogether. Recovery drives can be pre-installed by the manufacturer or created by users as needed. When a computer encounters significant issues like virus infections, software conflicts, or fails to start, a recovery drive becomes useful. Users can perform recovery operations without having to access the malfunctioning operating system, making it an effective means of resolving computer problems. The general steps to create a recovery drive include: 1. Connect a USB flash drive to your computer. 2. Open the Settings app. 3. Navigate to Update & Security > Recovery options. 4. In the "Create a recovery drive" section, follow the on-screen instructions. 5. Choose whether to include the system image on the recovery drive (this will take up more space). 6. Complete the creation process, and the system will automatically copy the necessary recovery tools and files onto the USB drive. Having a recovery drive is crucial for backing up and protecting your data, especially in case of unforeseen technical issues.

A recovery drive is used to store a copy of the Windows 10/11 system and data on an external source, like a DVD or USB drive. Generally, we often use a USB drive. Thus, the methods in this article are also related to a USB recovery drive.

Warning:

Some users might be concerned about the lack of space on their Windows 10 bootable USB drive. To avoid this, you'll need to have a flash drive with at least 16 GB of storage when creating the bootable drive. It's also best to ensure that it's empty, as data on the USB drive will be deleted during the process of copying many files from your computer.

How to use the Recovery Media Creation Tool to create a recovery drive

When your PC has problems, you can restore it to a previous working state. Make sure that you've created a recovery drive using the Recovery Media Creation Tool by following these steps.

Step 1: Connect the USB drive to your computer

Step 2: In Windows 10, search for "Create a recovery drive" in the search box, and then click to open it.

Create a recovery drive

If you don't find it that way, search Control Panel for “Recovery,” then choose Create a recovery drive.

Create a recovery drive

Step 3: Check the box next to "Back up system files to the recovery drive" and proceed to the next step.

Step 4: Select the USB drive you connected and click Next.

Select USB drive

5. Click Create to get started.

Note: The system will warn you that the contents of the USB drive will be deleted, so make sure there's nothing important on it.

This is now your Windows 10 recovery drive. You'll need it if you ever want to refresh or reset your PC. Store it safely, and don't use it for anything else.