How to Roll Back a Software Update on Windows (Every Method, 2026)

An update finishes installing, your PC restarts, and something’s suddenly wrong — printing breaks, a driver stops responding, or the whole system feels sluggish. Learning how to roll back a software update is the fix in most cases. It’s not always as simple as clicking one button, though, and which method works depends on what kind of update you’re dealing with and how badly it’s damaged your system.

Quick answer: To roll back software update on Windows, go to Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates, select the problematic update, and click Uninstall. For a major feature update (like a version upgrade), use Settings > System > Recovery > Go Back instead — but this only works within about 10 days of installing it.

Quality Update, Feature Update, or OS Version? It Changes the Fix

Windows ships a few different kinds of updates, and they don’t roll back the same way.

• Quality updates are the monthly cumulative patches (security fixes, bug fixes). These are the ones you’ll uninstall most often, and they’re the easiest to remove.
• Feature updates bump you to a new Windows version, like moving from 23H2 to 24H2. Rolling these back uses a different tool — “Go Back” — and only works for a limited window.
• Servicing stack updates (SSUs) are permanent by design. Once one installs, it stays. If an update won’t uninstall no matter what you try, this is often why.

Confirming which type you’re dealing with before you start saves you from chasing the wrong menu.

Method 1: Uninstall a Quality Update via Settings

This is the fastest route for most people on Windows 10 or 11, and it’s the one to try first.

1. Open Settings (Win + I).
2. Go to Windows Update.
3. Click Update history.
4. Scroll down and select Uninstall updates.
5. Find the update in the list, right-click (or select it), and choose Uninstall.
6. Confirm, and restart when prompted.

If the Control Panel opens instead of a Settings page, that’s normal — Microsoft still routes this action through the older interface. Not every update shows up here. If yours is missing, it’s either an SSU that can’t be removed, or it’s already been superseded by a newer cumulative update.

Method 2: PowerShell (Faster for Multiple Updates)

If you know the KB number, or you need to remove several updates in one pass, PowerShell (run as Administrator) is quicker than clicking through menus:

wusa /uninstall /kb:5031354

Replace the KB number with the one you’re targeting. You can also list installed updates first with:

Get-HotFix

This is the same underlying tool (WUSA) that Settings uses, just without the GUI — useful for admins managing several machines or scripting the removal.

Method 3: Roll Back a Feature Update (“Go Back”)

If a full version upgrade — not a monthly patch — caused the problem, uninstalling a single KB won’t undo it. You need the Go Back feature instead:

1. Open Settings > System > Recovery.
2. Under Recovery options, find Go back.
3. Click Get started and follow the prompts.
4. Let it finish uninterrupted — it can restart the PC multiple times and take a while.

The catch: this option disappears roughly 10 days after the update installs, once Windows clears the backup files it needs to reverse the change. Running Disk Cleanup with “Previous Windows installation(s)” selected also removes this backup early, so avoid that if you think you might want to roll back.

Go Back Is Greyed Out — Now What?

This is the situation most guides skip, and it’s one of the most common places people get stuck. If Go Back is missing or unclickable, the rollback files are gone. You have a few remaining options, roughly in order of how disruptive they are:

• Uninstall the latest quality update instead, if one was installed after the feature update — sometimes that’s the actual source of the problem, not the version upgrade itself.
• Use System Restore, if restore points were being created (see below).
• Reset this PC while keeping personal files, which reinstalls Windows fresh without wiping your documents.
• Clean install an older version, if you have installation media and a valid license — the most involved option, and really a last resort for most home users.

Method 4: System Restore

If update uninstall isn’t cutting it, System Restore reverts system files, installed programs, and registry settings to an earlier point in time — without touching your personal files.

1. Search for Create a restore point in the Start menu and open it.
2. Click System Restore.
3. Choose a restore point dated before the problematic update installed.
4. Follow the prompts and restart.

This only works if System Restore was turned on and a restore point exists from before the issue started — worth checking now, before you need it next time.

If Your PC Won’t Boot

A bad update occasionally leaves a system unable to start normally. You can still recover it:

1. Force a restart 2–3 times during boot to trigger Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).
2. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options.
3. Choose Uninstall Updates, or System Restore, or Startup Repair, depending on what’s available.
4. If none of those load, Safe Mode (also under Advanced options) may let you boot far enough to uninstall the update manually through Settings once you’re in.

Stopping Windows From Reinstalling the Same Update

Uninstalling an update is often only a short-term fix — Windows Update can quietly reinstall it on the next scan. To block that:

1. Download Microsoft’s “Show or Hide Updates” troubleshooter from the official Microsoft support site.
2. Run it and select the update you just removed.
3. Choose Hide update.

This keeps it from reinstalling automatically until you’re ready — for example, once a fixed version ships.

Driver Rollback vs. Update Rollback

These get confused constantly because the symptoms overlap. If a printer, graphics card, or other piece of hardware stopped working right after an update, the actual fix might be a driver rollback, not a Windows update uninstall:

1. Open Device Manager.
2. Find the device, right-click, and choose Properties.
3. Go to the Driver tab.
4. Click Roll Back Driver (only available if a previous driver version is stored).

Try this before uninstalling the whole Windows update if the problem is isolated to one piece of hardware — it’s a smaller, more targeted fix.

Quick Takeaway

• Monthly patch causing problems → uninstall via Settings or PowerShell.
• Version upgrade causing problems → Go Back (within ~10 days).
• Go Back missing → System Restore, then Reset, then clean install.
• Can’t boot → WinRE or Safe Mode.
• Same fix keeps reinstalling → Hide Updates tool.
• Hardware acting up specifically → try driver rollback first.

A Few Honest Caveats

Rolling back doesn’t always solve the underlying problem — if the update was fixing a security hole, you’re temporarily reopening it until a patched version arrives. And not every update can be removed at all; servicing stack updates are baked in by design. Always keep in mind that this is a stopgap, not a permanent setting.

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FAQs: Roll Back Software Update

Can you roll back a Windows update?

Yes, in most cases. Quality updates can be uninstalled through Settings or PowerShell. Feature updates can be reverted with Go Back, but only for about 10 days after installation.

How long do you have to roll back a Windows update?

For feature updates, roughly 10 days — after that, Windows deletes the backup files Go Back relies on. Quality updates don’t have this time limit in the same way, though they can eventually be superseded and become harder to remove.

Why can’t I roll back my Windows update?

Usually one of three reasons: it’s a servicing stack update (permanent by design), the rollback window has expired, or the backup files were deleted (often via Disk Cleanup).

Does rolling back an update delete files?

No. Uninstalling an update or using Go Back doesn’t remove personal files. System Restore also leaves personal files untouched, though it can affect recently installed programs.

How do I stop a Windows update from reinstalling?

Use Microsoft’s official “Show or Hide Updates” troubleshooter to hide the specific update after you’ve uninstalled it.

What’s the difference between a quality update and a feature update?

Quality updates are monthly security and bug-fix patches. Feature updates are larger releases that move you to a new Windows version, like 23H2 to 24H2.

Is it safe to roll back a Windows update?

Generally yes, but it can temporarily undo security fixes bundled in that update. Treat it as a short-term fix while you wait for a corrected version.

Should I try driver rollback or update rollback first?

If the issue is limited to one device (a printer, graphics card, etc.), try rolling back the driver first — it’s more targeted and less disruptive than removing the whole update.