[Tip] How to Go Back to Windows 10 After Upgrade to Windows 11

I have received emails from many Windows 10 users who upgraded to Windows 11 and now they want to restore Windows 10 operating system in their computers. There are people who upgraded their Windows 10 devices to Windows 11 to test drive the new OS and its features. After using the new OS for some time, they didn’t like Windows 11 and now they want to go back to Windows 10. If you are also among those people and want to restore Windows 10 in your device after upgrading to Windows 11, this article will help you.

Microsoft’s new operating system “Windows 11” comes with many new features, changes and UI which definitely pleases the end user but there are some major restrictions present in the OS which some users find annoying. Some of these restrictions are inability to move the Taskbar to other screen areas such as top, left or right, restricted Taskbar context menu which contains only a single option “Taskbar settings”, also the new redesigned Start Menu lacks lots of essential functions.

Windows 11 is a new operating system and Microsoft will keep adding new features and functionality to the OS in future. But we’ll have to admit that at the moment, there are lots of features missing in Windows 11 and the new Start Menu and Taskbar are less customizable.

Fortunately, Microsoft provides a way to roll back to Windows 10 after upgrading to Windows 11. So if a user doesn’t like Windows 11 and want to go back to Windows 10 after Windows 11 upgrade, he can do it using a simple method which we are going to share in this guide.

This method will restore your computer to the same Windows 10 system image which you had before upgrading to Windows 11. All your files and customized settings will be restored.

So let’s start the tutorial to downgrade to Windows 10 after upgrading to Windows 11:

How to Restore Windows 10 After Upgrading to Windows 11?

1. Open Settings app from Start Menu. Alternatively, you can press WIN+I keys together to open Settings directly.

2. Now click on “System” tab present in left-side pane.

3. In right-side pane, scroll down and click on “Recovery” option.

4. You’ll see “Go back” option listed on the next page. This option can be used to roll back to Windows 10 from Windows 11.

Click on “Go Back” button and Windows 11 will start the wizard to restore previous operating system.

Windows 11 will ask you for the reason behind restoring previous Windows version such as previous Windows version was easier to use, was faster, etc. You can select any desired option and click on Next button.

The wizard will ask to check for updates to fix issues, click on “No, thanks” button.

The wizard might ask some more questions and you just need to click on Next button.

At last, click on “Go back to Windows 10” button.

That’s it. Your computer will restart and will show “Restoring your previous version of Windows…” screen. After a few minutes, your previous Windows version will be restored successfully.

Things to Remember If You Decide to Go Back to Windows 10

NOTE 1:

When you upgrade your Windows 10 machine to the new Windows 11 operating system, the setup automatically takes a backup of Windows 10 files, folders, settings in C:\Windows.old and $Windows.~BT folders. After successful upgrade, Windows 11 keeps the backup folders for a limited time i.e. 10 days only to allow the user to restore previous Windows version. After 10 days, Windows 11 automatically deletes the folders and you’ll be unable to go back to Windows 10.

So you can restore Windows 10 within 10 days only after upgrading to Windows 11. After 10 days period, you’ll not get the “Go back” option mentioned in the above tutorial.

NOTE 2:

Also if you run Disk Cleanup in Windows 11, make sure to uncheck “Previous Windows installation(s)” option. If you don’t uncheck it, Windows 11 will delete all backup files and folders present in C:\Windows.old and $windows.~bt folders and you’ll be unable to rollback to Windows 10.

PS: You can reinstall Windows 10 any time in your device by performing a clean installation of Windows 10 using a bootable USB drive.

Also Check:

How to Disable Windows 11 Automatic Upgrade in Windows 10

Should You Install Windows 11 on Unsupported Hardware Devices?

Windows 11: Everything You Need to Know About Next Version