What is the Novo button?

A small recessed button on many Lenovo laptops that opens a boot/recovery menu when pressed while the PC is off.

Do I need internet to create recovery media?

Yes, Lenovo's tools typically need to download the recovery image from Lenovo's servers.

Will recovery erase my files?

Yes, factory recovery erases the system drive. Always back up personal files first.

Can I use a generic Windows ISO instead?

Yes, but you'll lose Lenovo's preinstalled factory apps and some OEM drivers may need manual reinstalling.

Lenovo Recovery Media

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Lenovo provides official tools to create recovery USB drives so you can restore a Lenovo PC to its factory state or reinstall Windows if the recovery partition is damaged or missing.

Updated August 9, 2026 · PC Utility Hub Editorial Team

Lenovo recovery options

Lenovo PCs typically ship with a hidden recovery partition accessible via Novo button recovery or the built-in Reset this PC feature. If that partition is missing, corrupted, or you've replaced the drive, Lenovo's official Recovery Media creation tools (via Lenovo Vantage or Lenovo's support site) let you build recovery USB media.

Using the Novo Button (factory recovery partition)

1Power off the PC.
2Press the small Novo button (or hold the designated key combo on newer models) to open the Novo Button Menu.
3Select System Recovery.
4Follow prompts to restore to factory settings.

Warning: Factory recovery erases personal files and installed apps on the system drive. Back up first.

Creating recovery media with Lenovo tools

1Open Lenovo Vantage or visit Lenovo's official support site (support.lenovo.com) and locate the recovery media creation utility for your model.
2Insert a USB drive of sufficient capacity (often 32 GB+ for factory images); it will be erased.
3Follow the wizard to download and write the recovery image.
4Store the resulting recovery disk safely for future use.

Warning: The target USB drive is completely erased during recovery media creation.

Using recovery media to restore

Boot the affected PC from the recovery USB (often via F12 boot menu), then follow the on-screen restore wizard. This reinstalls the original factory image, erasing the current system drive contents.

When the recovery partition is gone

If you can't create Lenovo recovery media (e.g., after a drive replacement) and no backup exists, you can instead do a clean install using Microsoft's Media Creation Tool or Rufus with a standard Windows ISO — you'll lose Lenovo-specific factory apps but Windows itself will install normally.

Troubleshooting

Recovery tool doesn't detect the model — check you're using the tool matched to your exact Lenovo model number.
Recovery USB won't boot — confirm the boot mode in BIOS/UEFI matches how the media was created.
Post-recovery errors — run CHKDSK and System File Checker to verify the reinstalled system is intact.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Novo button?: A small recessed button on many Lenovo laptops that opens a boot/recovery menu when pressed while the PC is off.
Do I need internet to create recovery media?: Yes, Lenovo's tools typically need to download the recovery image from Lenovo's servers.
Will recovery erase my files?: Yes, factory recovery erases the system drive. Always back up personal files first.
Can I use a generic Windows ISO instead?: Yes, but you'll lose Lenovo's preinstalled factory apps and some OEM drivers may need manual reinstalling.