Clear and Reset Quick Machine Recovery Settings in Windows 11

[mfessler 0]

This tutorial will show you how to clear and reset Quick Machine Recovery (QMR) settings back to default in Windows 11.

Quick machine recovery (QMR) is a feature that enables the recovery of Windows devices when they encounter critical errors that prevent them from booting. QMR automatically detects, diagnoses, and remediates boot critical issues from WinRE, helping restore productivity without requiring hands on, in-person intervention. This feature can automatically search for remediations in the cloud and recover from widespread boot failures, significantly reducing the burden on IT administrators when multiple devices are affected.

Building on the foundation of Startup Repair, quick machine recovery uses a secure and connected Windows Recovery Environment to scan Windows Update for remediation options. This allows devices to be recovered without requiring manual intervention.

QMR is enabled by default on Windows Home and will be soon enabled on Pro devices that are not managed by IT. It requires Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2. On managed Windows Pro and Enterprise devices, QMR needs to be enabled by IT policy, and soon can be enabled just-in-time by Autopatch management. Microsoft is introducing the preview of QMR management in Windows Autopatch. Autopatch empowers IT administrators with comprehensive control over the deployment of QMR updates, including approvals, scheduling, alerting, and reporting. To discover more details, visit the Ignite Autopatch blog post and attend the Ignite breakout session BRK345: Resilient by design: How Windows has evolved with new recovery tools for a demo.

There are two main settings of quick machine recovery: cloud remediation and auto remediation.

Cloud remediation is the process of using Windows Update to find remediations and fix issues on devices:

• When enabled, devices connect to the network and utilize Windows Update during recovery scenarios
• When disabled, Windows uses Startup Repair as a local recovery option

Auto remediation allows you to automate the recovery process:

• When enabled, the device connects automatically to Windows Update and tries to find a remediation. If a solution isn't found on the first attempt, the device retries without requiring manual intervention
• When disabled or not configured, the device requires manual intervention to continue the recovery process

You can clear and reset Quick Machine Recovery (QMR) settings to quickly clear the QMR settings.xml configuration file and restore all QMR settings back to default on your PC.

You must be signed in as an administrator to clear and reset Quick Machine Recovery (QMR) settings to default.

EXAMPLE: Quick Machine Recovery settings after reset and clear

Here's How:

1 Open Windows Terminal (Admin), and select either Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt.

2 Copy and paste the command below into Terminal (Admin), and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

reagentc.exe /clearrecoverysettings​

3 You can now close the Terminal window if you like.

That's it,
Shawn Brink

Related Tutorials

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• Enable or Disable Quick Machine Recovery in Windows 11
• Use Quick Machine Recovery Test Mode in Windows 11