Windows settings backup is on by default starting with Windows 11 26H2

Starting with Windows 11, version 26H2, Windows settings backup will switch on by default on eligible devices.

The company renamed the feature, which launched in August 2025 as Windows Backup for Organizations, and moved the management of roaming settings into the same policy tools.

The feature backs up supported Windows settings and the list of installed Microsoft Store apps.

When restore is available, users can select a backup profile to recover their settings and app list on a new, reset, or reimaged PC; soon after the launch, Microsoft added first sign-in restore, extending support to more device types and hybrid-managed environments.

Users can reach it through a notification on the new device or by going to Settings > Accounts > Windows backup.

Enterprise State Roaming (ESR) lets supported Windows settings follow users across devices associated with their Microsoft Entra ID accounts.

Organizations that want to keep backup off can explicitly disable it by policy.

IT teams can keep their existing policy settings, Cloud Solution Providers, and Group Policy paths, and it becomes available about an hour after a successful restore and remains accessible for seven days after device setup.

Available starting with Windows 11, version 24H2, the restore summary shows the restored personalization settings and the Microsoft Store app list.

Microsoft provides the WindowsBackupAdmin PowerShell module to help administrators manage backup profiles.

Windows continues to honor policies that explicitly enable or disable backup, and microsoft says it has deployed backup policies across its own organization.

The same settings remain supported, and applicable licensing requirements still apply.