How to Check WinRE Version in Windows 11

The Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) is a critical set of built in tools designed to troubleshoot and repair common system problems when your PC fails to start properly. Microsoft periodically releases Safe OS Dynamic Updates to improve WinRE, enhancing system stability and reliability during recovery operations. Since the WinRE version isn't always the same as your Windows 11 build number, knowing how to check it can help you verify that important recovery updates have been successfully applied. Here are several ways to check your WinRE version in Windows 11.

Method 1: Check the WinRE Version Using Command Prompt

The easiest way to check the installed WinRE version is to use the reagentc command.

Step 1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator

Press Win + S, type Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.

Step 2: Check the WinRE Information

Type the following command and press Enter:

reagentc /info

You’ll see a line labeled Windows RE Version displaying a version number such as 10.0.26100.8737. The reagentc /info command also shows whether WinRE is enabled and where it is located.

Method 2: Check the WinRE Version Using Event Viewer

WinREAgent logs an event each time the recovery environment is updated, making Event Viewer another reliable way to find the version.

Step 1. Open Event Viewer

Press Win + R, type eventvwr.msc, and press Enter.

Step 2. Check the WinRE Version

1. Navigate to Windows Logs > System in the left pane.

2. In the right pane, under Actions, click Find.

3. In the Find what box, type WinREAgent and click Find Next.

4. The search will jump to the next log entry from the WinREAgent source. Double click it. In the General tab, you’ll see a message similar to: “The Windows Recovery Environment version is now: 10.0.26100.8737”.

Method 3: Check the WinRE Version Using a PowerShell script

You can also check the Windows Recovery Environment version using a PowerShell script.

Step 1: Copy Script into Notepad

Open Notepad and paste the following:

# Function to get WinRE path

function GetWinREPath {

      $WinRELocation = (reagentc /info | Select-String "Windows RE location")

      if ($WinRELocation) {

          return $WinRELocation.ToString().Split(':')[-1].Trim()

      } else {

           Write-Host "Failed to find WinRE path" -ForegroundColor Red

           exit 1

      }

}

# Creates and needs to be return the mount directory

function GetMountDir {

       # systemdirve\mnt

       $MountDir = "$env:SystemDrive\mnt"

       if (-not (Test-Path $MountDir)) {

           New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $MountDir -Force | Out-Null

       }

       return $MountDir

}

# Function to get WinRE version

function GetWinREVersion {

      $mountedPath = GetMountDir

      $filePath = "$mountedPath\Windows\System32\winpeshl.exe"

      $WinREVersion = (Get-Item $filePath).VersionInfo.FileVersionRaw.Revision

      return [int]$WinREVersion

}

# Main Execution

$WinREPath = GetWinREPath

# Make dir C:\mnt if not exists

$TempDir = GetMountDir

# Get the read write permission for this directory

if (-not (Test-Path $TempDir)) {

    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $TempDir -Force | Out-Null

}

# Mount WinRE image

dism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:"$WinREPathwinre.wim" /Index:1 /MountDir:"$TempDir"

$WinREVersion = GetWinREVersion

Write-Host "WinRE Version: $WinREVersion" -ForegroundColor Cyan

dism /Unmount-Image /MountDir:"$TempDir" /Discard

Remove-Item -Path $TempDir -Force -Recurse

Step 2. Save the File

1. In Notepad, go to File > Save As.

2. In the Save as window, set Save as type to All files (*.*).

3. In the File name box, type WinRE_version.ps1.

4. Click Save.

Step 3: Execute the Script

Now open PowerShell (as Administrator) and run the following command:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Users\Your Username\Desktop\WinRE version.ps1"

Replace the file path with the actual file path where your WinRE version.ps1 file is stored.

Now it will highlight and show the WinRE version (like 8737).

Conclusion

Checking your WinRE version is a simple but valuable way to confirm that your system’s recovery tools are up to date. Whether you prefer the command line, Event Viewer, or PowerShell, Windows 11 offers multiple built in methods to get this information quickly.