System Restore/Rollback

Select your OS:

Windows

Windows does not automatically use system restores, so you must turn on this feature beforehand if you want to have backups. Enabling this feature will have Windows automatically create a backup before updating, so if the update causes issues you can restore this backup. Remember that system backups only backs up the files used by Windows, so your own personal files or photos must be backed on your own, such as by uploading to a cloud service like Google Drive or OneDrive, or saving duplicate copies to an external drive.
 
Enable System Restores:
  1. Open the Start menu, and search for “Create a restore point”
  2. Under “Protection Settings”, select the drive that ends with (System). This drive is usually called: Local Disk (C:) (System)
  3. Click “Configure…”
  4. Select “Turn on system protection”. There is no need to modify any other settings.
  5. Click “Apply”, then “OK”
If you would rather manually create restore points, or you are about to make a significant change to your device yourself:
  1. Open the Start menu, and search for “Create a restore point”
  2. Select “Create…” (near the bottom of the window)
  3. Type a description to help you remember what the restore point is for
  4. Click “Create”
If you have a system restore created, you may restore your system to that point using one of the following methods, based on whether your computer is able to reach the desktop:
 
Restoring with Desktop Access
  1. Open the Start menu, and search for “Create a restore point”
  2. Click “System Restore…”
  3. Click “Next”, then select the restore point you wish to use
    1. You can also click “Scan for affected programs” to view which programs will stop working after using this restore point
  4. Follow the instructions until the process is complete
Restoring without Desktop Access
  1. When turning on your computer, press the power button again immediately when the Windows logo appears on screen to enter advanced startup. This may take multiple tries.
  2. If the screen shows “Automatic Repair”, select “Advanced options”
  3. Click on “Troubleshoot”
  4. Click on “Advanced options”
  5. Click on “System Restore”
  6. Click “Next”, then select the restore point you wish to use
    1. You can also click “Scan for affected programs” to view which programs will stop working after using this restore point
  7. Follow the instructions until the process is complete

MacOS

Time Machine is a feature on Mac that allows you to backup everything on your device, including system files and personal files, however this requires a separate external storage device to be plugged into your laptop. For more details and instructions on how to use this, visit this page from Apple. You can always backup your personal files by uploading copies to a cloud storage service like Google Drive or iCloud, or by saving duplicate copies on an external drive.
Unlike Windows, MacOS has no method of backing up or restoring system status without the use of external storage. You can try to recover your Mac by:
  1. When turning on your Mac, hold Command and R
  2. You may be prompted to enter your password
  3. On the “macOS Utilities” screen:
    1. If you have a Time Machine backup, select that option
    2. If not, continue to the next step
  4. Try using “Disk Utility” to repair the disk
    1. On the right side, select the lowest option under “Internal”
    2. Click on the “First Aid” icon (a stethoscope) at the top of the screen
    3. If you cannot click “First Aid” for the current disk, select the next option up on the right side
    4. Keep going up the list and running First Aid until an issue is detected
    5. If no issue is detected or you are unable to use Disk Utility, proceed to the next step
  5. Try to reinstall MacOS
    1. Make sure you do NOT erase or format your disk if the computer asks you, as doing so will delete all files on your computer
    2. Follow the instructions of the installer

iPhone/iPad

If you are logged in to your iCloud account on your iPhone, your phone should be automatically creating backups. While iCloud will backup app data, some apps may not reliably restore with iCloud. Always check the settings of each app that is storing valuable information for a backup or account option.
To check or turn on this feature:
  1. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup
  2. Turn on iCloud Backup
  3. Please note that automatic backup will work only when your phone is charging, connected to WiFi, and locked. Otherwise, you can manually backup by selecting “Back Up Now”
  4. To Restore a Backup from iCloud:
  5. Turn on a new or newly erased iPhone.
  6. Follow the on screen instructions to choose a language and region.
  7. Tap Set Up Manually.
  8. Tap Restore from iCloud Backup, then follow the on screen instructions.
Note: You may also manually backup your phone by plugging it into your computer and using the iTunes client on your computer. In this case, the backup is saved to your computer, not the internet.
 
With iCloud you may only store 5 GB for free, which will likely fill up quickly. As such, you might choose to backup using the iTunes client on your computer instead, using up your own storage space, or you will need to pay monthly for more space in iCloud. You may also want to explore the other options available on the market for different prices. To set up an alternative, you will likely need to download their app from the App Store. Below is an example of setting up Google Photos.
  1. If your phone does not have the Google Photos app, go to the app store and search for “Google Photos”
  2. Open the app and open the side menu by tapping the 3 bar icon on the top left
  3. Tap on Settings > Back up & Sync
  4. Make sure back up & sync is enabled. You may need to login to your Google Account
  5. If you are unsatisfied with the reduced quality of the backup, you can select “Original” quality backups under “Upload Size”. This will count against your 15 GB limit on your Google Drive account, so you may need to purchase more storage.
  6. The options under “Cellular Data Back Up” allows you to decide whether the app will backup photos and videos on mobile data. If disabled, the app will only backup when your phone is connected to WIFi.

If your iPhone's operating system is corrupted, plugging it into a computer with iTunes may help restore the operating system. Simply plug in your iPhone with iTunes open on the computer, and turn the iPhone on. Note that this iTunes restore may delete everything, including photos, videos, and apps, from your iPhone.

Android

Android phones do not have a method of backing up the system. However, you can boot into recovery mode to hopefully repair issues with the system. (Skip these steps if your phone does not currently have issues. Proceed to the next section to learn how to back up your personal files)
  1. To boot into recovery mode, turn off your phone
    1. For most Android phones, press and hold the power button and volume down button until your device turns on
    2. For Samsung phones, hold down the power button, volume up button, and either home button or Bixby button (the button below the volume buttons)
    3. If neither of these methods work, look up the model of your phone and “recovery mode”
  2. Navigate menus by using the volume up and down keys, and the power button to select the highlighted option
  3. Select “Wipe cache partition”. Some devices might not have this option, in which case the only method of doing this is going to Settings > Storage > Cached data
  4. If this does not work, you may need to “Wipe data” or “Factory reset”. Please note that doing this will delete ALL photos, videos, apps, and files on your phone.
There are still a few options for backing up and restoring data on your Android device. Please note that the following backup functions do not backup the data in most apps, games, photos, or files. If you want to backup the data associated with specific apps, try to go into the app’s settings to see if there are account or backup options. Additionally, these backups are NOT backups of system files, and cannot repair a damaged installation of Android or remedy issues caused by Android updates.
 
Samsung devices have its own backup service:
  1. Open settings > Accounts and backup > Backup and restore
  2. A Samsung account is required, so login or create a new account
  3. You may be prompted to enable two step authentication. Follow the instructions on screen
  4. Select which aspects of your phone you wish to backup, and continue
All Android devices can take advantage of Google backup if you’re signed into your Google account on your phone:
  1. Open settings > Accounts (or Users & accounts)
  2. This option may also be in System > Backup
  3. If you are not signed into your Google Account, select Add Account and login.
  4. Make sure that backup is turned on
Photos and Videos can be backed up using Google’s Photos App. Google Photos allows for backup of photos and videos to the cloud, however keep in mind that this space will be shared with the 15 GB in Google Drive and Gmail. To get more space, you will need to pay a monthly fee to Google. You can also check out alternative cloud services to compare pricing.
  1. Check if Google Photos is installed on your device
    1. The app is called Photos. Opening the app you should see “Google Photos” in the search bar at the top
  2. If your phone does not have the Google Photos app, go to the play store and search for “Google Photos”
  3. Open the app and open the side menu by tapping the 3 bar icon on the top left
  4. Tap on Settings > Back up & Sync
  5. Make sure back up & sync is enabled. You may need to login to your Google Account
  6. If you are unsatisfied with the reduced quality of the backup, you can select “Original” quality backups under “Upload Size”.
  7. The options under “Cellular Data Back Up” allows you to decide whether the app will backup photos and videos on mobile data. If disabled, the app will only backup when your phone is connected to WIFi.