Is quick machine recovery enabled on your PC? The defaults, and the network it actually needs
When Windows stops booting, the recovery environment can now get itself onto the network, look for a fix on Windows Update and apply it. That is quick machine recovery. Microsoft states that cloud remediation is enabled by default on Home and on Pro devices that are not under enterprise management, so on a great many home PCs it is already on. There is one condition attached: the supported networks are wired and WPA/WPA2 password-based Wi-Fi only. This guide was written on 2026-09-21 from that document and sets out the scope, the defaults, the network condition, and where to check the state on your own machine.
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Who this guide is for and what to prepare
- Anyone who wants to know whether automatic repair on boot failure is active on their PC
- Anyone wondering whether their home Wi-Fi setup affects that repair
- Anyone setting up a new PC who wants the post-24H2 recovery options checked once, properly
What you need
- Check your Windows version and build (winver)
- Know whether your home network is wired or wireless, and for wireless, which authentication it uses
- Confirm you can open a command prompt as administrator; the check needs it
1. What the feature does
Microsoft's description: Available on Windows 11, version 24H2 build 26100.4700 or later, quick machine recovery is a feature that enables the recovery of Windows devices when they encounter critical errors that prevent them from booting.
How it works is stated too: Building on the foundation of Startup Repair , quick machine recovery uses a secure and connected Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) to scan Windows Update for remediation options.
The sequence is given in five phases. The system detects repeated boot failures, boots into the recovery environment, establishes a network connection and then scans Windows Update, applies a remediation, and restarts. If nothing is found, a configured retry interval can make it try again.
The thing to hold on to is that the feature presumes a network connection. Whether the machine can connect decides whether the feature does anything at all.
2. Is it on by default on your PC
Microsoft states the default with a condition attached: Cloud remediation is enabled by default with one-time scan auto remediation on systems that are not under enterprise management.
Two kinds of device are named: Windows Home edition devices, and Windows Pro edition devices that are not domain joined and not enrolled in enterprise endpoint management. Most PCs bought for home use fall into one of those.
The inverse is stated as well: on enterprise-managed systems cloud remediation is disabled by default, so that organizations can choose the configuration that suits them.
The table reads those defaults back against your situation. Note that if the build condition (24H2 build 26100.4700 or later) is not met, none of this applies yet.
Scroll horizontally to see the full table →
| State of the device | Cloud remediation default | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| A Windows Home device | Enabled by default, with one-time scan auto remediation | That the build is 26100.4700 or later |
| Windows Pro, not domain joined and not enrolled in enterprise management | Enabled by default | The same. A Pro PC bought privately is normally this case |
| Windows Pro, domain joined or managed by an organization | Disabled by default | Follow your organization's policy |
| A device whose management state changes | If you never changed the setting, the default behaviour follows the change automatically | Explicitly configured settings are stated to continue to apply |
3. The network condition, which is where this bites
One short sentence in the document decides whether the feature can work in your house: Currently, only wired and WPA/WPA2 password-based Wi-Fi networks are supported. Ensure that your network uses this configuration for compatibility.
So for authentication that is not password-based, or for anything not named in that sentence, the document does not claim support. Not documented is not the same as does not work, but if you want to rely on the feature, having one route that matches that sentence is the dependable answer.
The simplest guarantee is a cable. A desktop near the router satisfies the condition with one Ethernet lead. On a laptop with wireless only, it is worth knowing which authentication your home network uses.
Preparing for a machine that will not boot also means not depending on this one feature. Recovery drives and the BitLocker recovery key are covered in separate guides on this site.
04. Checking the state on your machine
For the Settings route, the document gives the location: open Settings, go to System and then Recovery, and select Quick machine recovery. The toggle is there, along with Automatically check for solutions for auto remediation and the Look for solutions dropdown for the scan interval.
There is also a command. Run the following from an elevated command prompt and the configured recovery settings are printed as XML. It only reads.
The output contains the state of CloudRemediation and AutoRemediation. In the example the document prints, state="1" is enabled, and AutoRemediation carries totalwaittime and waitinterval; the example uses 2,400 minutes (40 hours) and 120 minutes (2 hours), which the document explains as waiting 40 hours before restarting and checking for a remediation every 2 hours.
Where an applied fix shows up is stated too: if a relevant remediation is applied, it appears under Settings, Windows Update, Update history, within the Quality updates section.
reagentc.exe /getrecoverysettings5. What this guide does not cover
No steps for configuring Wi-Fi credentials through XML. The document does show a reagentc.exe configuration method with an XML example, and the SSID and password appear there in clear text. The occasions a personal PC needs that are few, and doing it carelessly leaves a password sitting in a file. If you need it, read the source directly.
No procedure for test mode either. The document states that test mode is available to devices enrolled in the Windows Insider Program's Experimental channel. It is not something intended for ordinary use.
No claim about which failures it can actually fix. The document says it scans Windows Update for remediations; which faults have a remediation waiting is not knowable in advance, and nothing was reproduced here.
And no claim that this makes a recovery drive unnecessary. The document presents it as an automatic route on repeated boot failure, not as a replacement for other preparations.
0Limitations and requirements
- The stated scope is Windows 11 version 24H2 build 26100.4700 or later. On earlier builds this is not yet the subject.
- The supported networks are stated as wired and WPA/WPA2 password-based Wi-Fi only. Check what your home wireless uses.
- Test mode is stated to be for devices enrolled in the Windows Insider Program's Experimental channel. It is not something to try on an ordinary machine.
- Nothing here was reproduced on a test machine. Everything quoted was read on 2026-09-21.
Frequently asked questions
Is it already enabled on my PC?
On Home devices, and on Pro devices that are not domain joined or enrolled in enterprise management, cloud remediation is stated to be enabled by default with one-time scan auto remediation, provided the build is 24H2 26100.4700 or later. Check under Settings, System, Recovery, or with reagentc.exe /getrecoverysettings.
Does my home Wi-Fi configuration matter?
Yes. The document states that only wired and WPA/WPA2 password-based Wi-Fi networks are supported. If you want certainty, having one wired route available is the simple answer.
What happens if no fix is found?
With the default one-time scan configuration, the document says the user is guided to other recovery options. Where retry scanning intervals are configured, the system retries according to those intervals and timeouts.
Does this mean I do not need a recovery drive?
The document does not say that. It adds an automatic route on repeated boot failure. Read the separate guides on this site about recovery drives and the BitLocker recovery key.
Sources and verification date
Sources checked: . These sources support the specifications, procedures or prices discussed here. Check each source for applicable conditions and current information.
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