Quick Machine Recovery (25H2)

Quick Machine Recovery (QMR) is a new Windows 11 recovery option that enables your PC to automatically recover from critical issues that previously would have prevented it from successfully booting. This can save a lot of time that would otherwise be spent troubleshooting the problem yourself.

❓ How it works

Quick Machine Recovery automatically detects when your PC repeatedly fails to boot into Windows successfully, and it boots into the Windows Recovery Environment (WRE) instead, establishes a Wi-Fi or Ethernet network connection, and scans Windows Update to see whether there is a fix for the issue your PC is experiencing.

If a fix is available, Quick Machine Recovery downloads and installs it and reboots the PC.

If there’s no fix, Quick Machine Recovery will continue scanning for one on a set schedule (every 30 minutes by default) and it will continue to reboot the PC automatically, also on a set schedule (every 180 minutes by default), until it finds one or the PC successfully boots into Windows.

?️ Note: If the PC can’t connect to the Internet, Quick Machine Recovery will fall back to Startup Repair, a recovery tool available in the WRE.

✅ Tip: You can also access QMR directly from the Windows Recovery Environment. To do so, enter the WRE and navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Quick machine recovery.

⚙️ Defaults

Quick Machine Recovery is enabled by default for individuals, and it is configured as described below.

? Customize

For the most part, Quick Machine Recovery is something you don’t need to think about. But you can review how it’s configured using the Settings app by navigating to System > Recovery quick machine recovery and optionally making any changes you feel are necessary.

⌨️ Keyboard shortcut: Type Winkey + I to open Settings.

Here, you will find the following options.

Quick machine recovery. If you wish to disable Quick Machine Recovery for some reason, configure this to “Off.”

✅ Tip: Leave it alone. Hopefully, you never need Quick Machine Recovery, but you will be happy to have it if it’s ever needed.

Continue searching if a solution isn’t found. This option is enabled by default so that Microsoft can keep looking for a solution to the problem that triggered Quick Machine Recovery and then apply it later if it becomes available. It has two sub-options that determine how this feature behaves if it can’t automatically solve the problem.

• Look for solutions every. Here, you can choose between 10 minutes, 30 minutes (the default), 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 6 hours, and 12 hours.
• Restart every. Here, you can select between 12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, 48 hours, 60 hours, 72 hours, and 180 minutes (the default).

Test that Quick Machine Recovery is working

It’s rare to find yourself in a situation in which your PC can’t boot successfully into Windows, so it’s unlikely that you’ll ever experience Quick Machine Recovery. But you can simulate a boot issue with your PC and verify that this feature is working correctly.

To do so, open a Terminal window with administrator privileges and type the following commands one at a time (tapping Enter after each) to enable QMR’s test mode and then configure Windows to boot into the Windows Recovery Environment:

reagentc.exe /SetRecoveryTestmode
reagentc.exe /BootToRe

Then, reboot the PC. It will boot into a recovery mode in which it first try to connect to the Internet; if you’re using Wi-Fi, you will need to select the network and enter its password when prompted. Then, QMR will look for solutions to this imagined problem, find one, and then attempt to repair the boot process. Since this is a test, that will always work, and then Windows 11 will boot normally, and you can sign-in when the Lock screen appears.

➡️ More information

Windows Recovery Environment. The Windows Recovery Environment is installed on your PC alongside Windows 11 so that you can easily boot from USB media, and access troubleshooting and recovery tools from outside of Windows. The WRE is also available on the Windows 11 Setup disk and, if you made one, Recovery drive.

Recovery Drive. Windows 11 includes a utility that helps you make a standalone Recovery drive using a USB disk. You can find this utility with Start search.

Fix problems using Windows Update. This new Windows 11 feature can fix problems with the system while preserving your documents and other files, installed apps, and customized settings. This feature is available in the Settings app by navigating to System > Recovery > Fix problems using Windows Update.

Reset this PC. This option lets you quickly reinstall Windows 11 and return it to a clean, error-free state. Reset this PC works in two different modes. You can do so while preserving your documents and other files, apps installed from the Microsoft Store, and customized settings. Or you can remove everything, optionally secure-wipe the disk, and start over. This feature is available in the Settings app by navigating to System > Recovery > Reset this PC.