How to Roll Back a Windows Update: Fast & Easy Guide

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Learn how to go back to an older Windows version

Written by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: August 31, 2026 Fact Checked

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Reverting to a Past Version (Windows 11)

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Reverting to a Past Version (Windows 10)

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Other Methods

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FAQ

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Video

If you recently updated your Windows PC and noticed it's not working properly anymore, you may want to uninstall the most recent update. Thankfully, Windows makes it pretty easy to revert to a previous version! In this article, we'll go over how to roll back updates in Windows 10 and Windows 11, as well as some alternative methods that take a little more time. We also answer a few frequently asked questions about rolling back your Windows version.

Reverting to Previous Windows Versions Easily

Windows 11: Go to Settings > Recovery and click Go back.
Windows 10: Go to Settings > Update & Security > View update history > Uninstall updates, then click the update you want to remove and select Uninstall.
You can also roll back past updates by using Advanced Startup and System Restore.

Section 1 of 4:

Reverting to a Past Version (Windows 11)

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Open the Settings app. The easiest way to do this is to press ⊞ Win+I, though you can also right-click the Windows icon in the taskbar and click Settings, or open the Start menu and click Settings there.
- Before you continue, back up your PC. While restoring to a previous version shouldn't delete any of your data, some data may be lost in the process. If you're not sure how to back up your computer, check out our in-depth guide.
It's the second tab in the left-hand sidebar, with a monitor icon.

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It's in the middle of the menu, and it has an icon of a drive with a right-facing circular arrow.
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Click Go back. It's under the "Recovery options" header, in the section that says "Go back."
- If this option is grayed out, it means more than 10 days have passed since you last downloaded and installed the update. If you are having problems and want to revert to an older version of Windows, try the alternative methods below.

Section 2 of 4:

Reverting to a Past Version (Windows 10)

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1
Open the Settings app. The easiest way to do this is to press ⊞ Win+I, though you can also right-click the Windows icon in the taskbar and click Settings, or open the Start menu and click Settings there.
- Before you continue, back up your PC. While restoring to a previous version shouldn't delete any of your data, some data may be lost in the process. If you're not sure how to back up your computer, check out our in-depth guide.
It's the last option in the grid with an icon of two arrows.
It has an icon of an arrow with clock hands inside it.
It's at the top of the screen.
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Select the update you want to uninstall. If your computer just started acting weird, uninstalling the most recent update is the best place to start.
- If possible, try to uninstall feature updates before you uninstall security updates. While security updates can cause problems, feature updates are more likely to cause issues with Windows computers.^{[1]
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Click Uninstall. Follow the on-screen prompts to completely uninstall the update.^{[2]
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- If you're not sure which Windows update to uninstall or you want to try a different method, try the alternative methods below.

Section 3 of 4:

Other Methods

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Windows Update (Windows 11 only) These steps are essentially the same as the Windows 10 steps above, so only follow these steps if you're using Windows 11:
- Open the Settings app.
- Click Windows Update in the left-hand sidebar.
- Click Update history.
- Click Uninstall updates.
- Click Uninstall next to the update you want to remove.
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Advanced Startup
- Open the Settings app.
- Click System (Windows 11) or Update & Security (Windows 10).
- Click Recovery.
- Click Restart now next to "Advanced startup."^{[3]
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- In the Windows Recovery Environment, click Troubleshoot.
- Select Advanced options.
- Click Uninstall Updates.
- Choose the update you want to uninstall.^{[4]
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System Restore These steps only work if you made a System Restore point before the update was installed. Doing a System Restore will delete any data you made after the System Restore point was made, so make sure to back up your PC.
- Press ⊞ Win+R.
- Type rstrui and press ↵ Enter.
- Click Next.
- Choose a system restore point and click Next.
- Click Finish.

Section 4 of 4:

FAQ

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Will going back to an old build remove me from the Insider Program? No, you will remain in the Insider Program. When the next preview build is ready, it will be automatically installed on your PC.^{[5]
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Go to source}
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Can I go from Windows 11 to Windows 10? If you upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and it hasn't been more than 10 days, you can downgrade back to Windows 10.^{[6]
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Research source} However, if it's been more than 10 days or your computer came with Windows 11 pre-installed, you cannot downgrade to Windows 10. Microsoft no longer supports Windows 10, so if you want to switch, you'll need to purchase a Windows 10 product key from a third-party seller.
- To go back to Windows 10, go to Settings > System > Recovery and click Go back. It will say, "If this version isn't working, try going back to Windows 10."