Like it or not, Windows 11 is here to stay. If you want to continue using Microsoft's operating system, sooner or later you'll be forced to accept it. Starting on October 14, 2025, Microsoft will stop free software and security updates for Windows 10, and while you can choose to pay for updates, it may be better and cheaper to upgrade to Windows 11. When you update to Windows 11 and face major issues, you can still roll back to Windows 10.
Start by backing up your computer
I always recommend backing up your data to avoid losing important information during updates or, in this case, downgrading or rolling back to an older version. Lifehacker explains here a few ways to back up your Windows PC, but the best way is to copy everything you want to save 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 having to scramble to recover lost data.
How to go back to Windows 10 from the Windows 11 Settings menu
This should be your first option when returning to Windows 10, but it only appears within the first 10 days after upgrading to Windows 11. If it takes longer, or if you updated to Windows 11 via a clean installation, you won't be able to use this method. Here's the easiest way to get back to Windows 10:
Go to Settings > System > Recovery .
Scroll to Recovery options > Previous Windows version and select Go back (if available). If not, skip to the other methods listed below.
You will be asked to provide a reason for uninstalling Windows 11 and then asked if you want to check for updates instead of uninstalling Windows 11. Click No Thanks to proceed with the rollback.
Follow the remaining prompts on the screen and select "Return to an earlier version" to finally begin the process.
Let the rollback process complete. This may take a while, but once it's done, you'll be safely back in Windows 10 with your files intact.
How to uninstall Windows 11 and reinstall Windows 10
In addition to the above methods, reinstalling Windows 10 requires some form of physical installation media. For most people, this means creating your own installation media using a USB drive. You'll need to download the Windows 10 Installation Media Creation Tool (available here) and place it on a blank disc or USB thumb drive with at least 8GB of space. Run the program and follow the on-screen instructions to create installation media and run the Windows 10 installation process. This will take a while and you will have to make sure your PC boots from the USB stick, which you can do by going into your computer's BIOS settings and changing the boot order. This may sound a little intimidating, but if you look at the steps involved with your computer (these steps vary depending on the components in your PC), you'll find that it's a simple process. Once the installation is complete, you'll also have to install Windows updates, reinstall applications, and restore backup files, so allow plenty of time before updating.
Another option is to download the Windows 10 ISO file directly and create a bootable USB drive using Rufus (an excellent free tool). If you visit Microsoft's Windows 10 download page from a PC, you'll only see the option to download the Windows Media Creation tool. If you want to download the Windows 10 ISO directly, you can open this page from a non-Windows computer or let your browser pretend that it is a non-Windows computer. In Chrome, a Chromium-based browser, or Firefox on your PC, open the Windows 10 download page and press Ctrl-Shift-I , then Ctrl-Shift-M . At the top of the page, below the address bar, you'll see a button called Responsive . Click this button, select any device from the list and reload the page. Press Esc and close all active developer toolbars and console windows in tabs. Now, you will see the old Windows 10 ISO download screen. Download it and use Rufus to create a bootable disk. You can use it to proceed with a clean installation of Windows 10 on your computer. Good luck!
