Microsoft

Can you downgrade Windows 11 to Windows 10?

Or are you stuck with Microsoft’s latest operating system?

by
Alex Gatewood
July 30, 2022

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft’s latest operating system has been out for a little while now. Windows 11 officially released on October 25, 2021. And aside from some expected bugs here and there, most people have been pretty happy with the upgrade.

But Windows 11 isn’t necessarily for everyone. There’s a chance that upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 could bring performance problems to your PC.

Or maybe you’ve purchased a new computer or laptop that came with Windows 11, and you’re not a fan of the new operating system.

So is it possible to revert back to Windows 11 after you’ve upgraded? And what about new machines? Can a PC that came with Windows 11 be downgraded to Windows 10? Here’s what you need to know.

Can you revert Windows 11 back to Windows 10?

Short answer: Yes, but it might take some work.

Downgrading to Windows 10 isn’t necessarily as easy as you might think. When Microsoft releases a new operating system, it tries its best to get everyone to adopt the new system as soon as possible.

That being said, there are ways that you can revert Windows 11 back to Windows 10. In fact, the first method isn’t really that difficult. But it is only available if you have upgraded to Windows 11 within the last 10 days.

How to revert back to Windows 10 within the 10-day limit

If you’re on a Windows 10 system and upgrade to Windows 11, Microsoft gives you 10 days to decide if you want to go back to Windows 10. And fortunately, that process is relatively simple.

Navigate to System in the Settings menu and select Recovery. Then select Go back
Choose a reason for wanting to switch back
It will ask if you have tried updating Windows 11, choose No, thanks to continue and revert
Read through the What you need to know warnings, then click Next
Click Next on one more warning page about your Windows 10 password
Click Go back to Windows 10 to revert

After completing those steps, your computer will restart and begin the recovery process to reinstall Windows 10. Just follow the prompts that you see and your system will eventually finish reinstalling Windows 10.

After 10 days, you’ll have to perform a clean install

If you’re on a new system or are past the 10-day upgrade window, reverting back to Windows 10 is a bit tougher. If you’re in that situation, you will actually have to do a fresh install of Windows 10 on your PC to go back.

This is a much more involved process that requires a bit more computer knowledge. Microsoft IT expert Kapil Arya has a detailed guide for how you can do that. But keep in mind that this process is somewhat difficult, so make sure you’re prepared for the task.

Windows 11 is great and will only get better in time

So there you go. You most certainly can revert Windows 11 back to Windows 10, no matter the device. Just keep in mind that, unless you’ve recently upgraded within 10 days, the process can be a bit tedious.

Additionally, it’s important to remember that Microsoft will continue to update the operating system to improve aspects that may be lacking. If you haven’t noticed any issues with Windows 11, you are probably fine to stay on it.

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