How to Rollback Windows 11 Update

Quick Tips

• You can undo a recent update if it’s been less than 10 days.
• Use Windows Settings or Recovery Mode to go back.
• Always back up your files before making big system changes.

Sometimes, a Windows update does more harm than good. Maybe your apps stop working, or your computer suddenly gets slower. If you’ve just installed a Windows 11 update and things stop working as they should, don’t panic. Rolling back the update isn’t hard, and there’s more than one way to do it.

Option 1: Roll Back Using Windows Settings

If the update happened within 10 days, this method is your best bet.

Step 1: Click Start and go to Settings. You can also press Windows key + I on your keyboard.

Step 2: In Settings, select System, then click Recovery.

Step 3: Under Recovery options, find ‘Previous version of Windows’. If the button that says Go Back is clickable, this will take you to the previous version.

Step 4: Windows will ask why you want to go back. Pick a reason or type your own.

Option 2: Use Advanced Startup (Recovery Mode)

If the 10-day limit has passed or the Go Back button is grayed out, you’ll need to use Recovery Mode. This also helps if your system won’t boot properly.

Step 1: Click Start and head to Settings.

Step 2: In Settings, select System, then click Recovery. If your PC won’t start normally, turn it on and off three times quickly. That should trigger recovery mode.

Step 3: Click Restart now under Advanced startup.

Step 4: In the menu, click Troubleshoot, then Advanced options, then Uninstall Updates.

Step 5: You’ll be able to select between two options: Uninstall Latest Quality Update and Uninstall Latest Feature Update.

How to Tell Which Update Caused the Issue

Feature updates are major upgrades that usually come out once or twice a year. They bring bigger changes to Windows, like new features, design updates, and system improvements. Quality updates are smaller and more frequent, usually released every month, and are focused on fixing bugs, improving performance, and patching security issues.

To discover which update caused a problem, check when the issue started. If it happened after a big update with noticeable changes or a long install time, it’s likely a feature update. If it followed a quick restart or routine patch, a quality update is more likely. You can double-check by going to Settings > Windows Update > Update History and seeing what was installed right before things went wrong.

Option 3: Reinstall Windows 11

If your system is completely messed up, and nothing fixes it, you might need to reinstall Windows. This should be a last resort, as it will wipe your apps, settings, and possibly your files.

Step 1: Save your important files to an external drive or cloud storage.

Step 2: Click Start, then Settings.

Step 3: Select System, then scroll down to Recovery.

Step 4: Under Recovery options, click the Reset PC button.

Step 5: Reinstall Windows. You will have two options:

• ‘Keep My Files’ keeps your personal files but removes apps and settings.
• ‘Remove Everything’ wipes your entire system clean.

Try ‘Keep My Files’ first, then wipe everything if that doesn’t work.

Step 6: Let your PC restart. Once it’s done, your PC will be running a clean version of Windows 11.