How to Go Back to Windows 10 If You Regret Installing Windows 11
Like it or not, Windows 11 is here to stay. If you want to continue using Microsoft’s operating system, sooner or later you will have to adopt it. Starting October 14, 2025, Microsoft will end free software and security updates for Windows 10, and while you have the option of paying for upgrades, it’s probably better and cheaper to just upgrade to Windows 11. But if you’re one of those who recently upgraded to Windows 11 and encountered serious problems, you can still go back to Windows 10.
First, back up your computer
I always recommend backing up your data to avoid losing important information during upgrades or in this case downgrading or downgrading to an older version. Lifehacker has covered several methods for backing up your Windows PC here , but the best way is to simply copy everything you want to keep to an external hard drive. You’ll still have to reconfigure some things and log back into your favorite apps, but it’s much better than trying to recover lost data.
How to return to Windows 10 from the Windows 11 settings menu
This should be your first option when downgrading to Windows 10, but it only appears for the first 10 days after upgrading to Windows 11. If more time has passed, or you upgraded to Windows 11 via a clean install, you won’t be able to use this method. This is the easiest way to go back to Windows 10:
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Go to Settings > System > Recovery .
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Scroll to Recovery Options > Previous Version of Windows and select Go back if available. If not, move on to other methods listed below.
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You’ll be prompted for a reason to uninstall Windows 11 and then asked if you want to check for updates instead of uninstalling Windows 11. Click “No thanks” to continue the rollback.
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Follow the rest of the onscreen instructions, then select “Return to previous build” to finally begin the process.
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Wait for the rollback process to complete. This may take a while, but once it’s done, you’ll be back safely in Windows 10 with your files intact.
How to remove Windows 11 and reinstall Windows 10
Apart from the above method, reinstalling Windows 10 requires some kind of physical installation media. For most people, this means creating your own installation media using a USB drive. You need to download the Windows 10 Installation Media Creation Tool ( available here ) and place it on a blank disk or USB flash drive of at least 8GB. Launch the program, then follow the on-screen instructions to create installation media and begin the Windows 10 installation process. This will take some time, and you will need to ensure that your computer boots from a USB drive, which you can do by going into your BIOS settings computer and changing the boot order. This may sound a little daunting, but if you look at the steps required for your computer (these steps vary depending on the components of your computer), you will find that it is a simple process. Once the installation is complete, you’ll also have to install Windows updates, reinstall apps, and restore backup files, so allow plenty of time before upgrading.
Another alternative is to directly download the Windows 10 ISO file and create a bootable USB drive using Rufus , a great free tool. If you go to the Microsoft Windows 10 download page from your computer, you will only see the option to download the Windows Media Creation tool. If you prefer to download the Windows 10 ISO image directly, you can open this page from a non-Windows computer or force your browser to pretend that it is a non-Windows computer. In Chrome, Chromium-based browsers, or Firefox on your PC, open the Windows 10 download page and press Ctrl-Shift-I and then Ctrl-Shift-M . At the top of the page and below the address bar, you’ll see a Responsive button. Click on it, select any device from the list and reload the page. Press Esc and close all developer toolbars and console windows active on the tab. Now you will see the good old Windows 10 ISO download screen. Download it and use Rufus to create a bootable disk. You can use this to proceed with a clean installation of Windows 10 on your computer. Good luck!