Windows 11 Shadow Copy

CmdLineMaster

Has anyone observed inconsistencies in Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) behavior on Windows 11, particularly with regard to third-party backup software integration and the native Restore Previous Versions feature? On some systems, manual creation and retention of shadow copies appears unpredictable-copies may be deleted or become inaccessible after Windows Updates, or the “Previous Versions” tab in File Explorer often fails to display available restore points that are visible via vssadmin or PowerShell.

Additionally, with System Protection enabled, shadow copies sometimes vanish unexpectedly, potentially due to storage management optimizations or aggressive disk cleanup routines. Was there a substantive change to VSS or storage policies in recent Windows 11 builds that might account for this? Are there any reliable workarounds to increase the reliability and visibility of shadow copies for both end-users and backup utilities, especially in business environments needing consistent restore points?

Any insights into registry or group policy configurations that might help preserve VSS history would be appreciated.

DiskCleanupDynamo

I’ve noticed the same issues! One thing that helped me a bit was explicitly increasing the max shadow copy storage size using vssadmin resize shadowstorage-it doesn’t always solve everything, but it seemed to reduce random deletions. Also, I’d double-check if third-party backup tools are using their own VSS writers, as that can cause compatibility oddities. Still hoping for a more robust fix from Microsoft though! Anyone else tried adjusting System Protection settings via Group Policy with better luck?

TechGuru123

Another thing to watch for is how Windows 11’s Storage Sense can aggressively clear out shadow copies, even if there’s space left. If you haven’t already, try disabling Storage Sense or tweaking its cleanup schedules. Also, some cumulative updates seem to reset System Protection settings-worth double-checking those after updates run. Anyone know if the new ReFS support in business editions affects VSS reliability?