Tech

How to Uninstall Windows 11 on Your PC


woman sitting at table with laptop

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Microsoft pushed people to upgrade from Windows 10 to 11 . window with one nagging (and annoying) message after another.

OK, so maybe you got trapped and ran the upgrade. But now you decide that you prefer Windows 10 to 11 and want to go back to your previous system. Is that possible?

Yes, but there are bends in the road depending on how fast you unplug on Windows 11.

By default, Microsoft gives you 10 days to revert to your previous operating system if you choose.

After those 10 days, you seem to be stuck with your new OS.

Also: How to change your username in Windows 11

But even then, there are some tricks to help you get rid of kibosh on Windows 11 and go back to 10. Consider your options.

How to Uninstall Windows 11 on Your PC

Let’s say you’ve upgraded to Windows 11 from 10, want to go back to 10, and still haven’t reached the end of the 10-day period. Just easy enough. But before you go back, you’ll want to handle a few tasks.

First, open File Explorer and go to your C: drive. Make sure you see a folder named Windows.old. It is an important folder, as it contains all the installation files for the previous version of Windows and is necessary to perform the downgrade process.

Windows.old folder

Check the Windows.old folder.

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Next, the trip back in time will preserve most of your apps, installed settings, and all your files. But it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. Make sure you have installation media or files for any important apps so you can reinstall them if needed.

Also: 4 ways Windows users misunderstand MacOS

Also, back up any important documents, photos, and other files (which you should anyway). You can use Windows 11 File History, Microsoft OneDrive, or another tool or service to back up your files to another location.

Now run out of Windows 11. Go to Settings > System > Recovery. Under Recovery Options, click the button Come back button.

Hover over the Back button

Click the Back button.

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The next window asks why you want to go back to Windows 10. Mark your reason or reason and share any comments you want with Microsoft. Then click Next.

Reasons to downgrade to Windows 10

Check your reasons for downgrading.

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In an effort to convince you to stay, Microsoft recommends downloading the latest updates. Be strong and just click No thanks.

The cursor hovers over the No button, thanks

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Next, Microsoft warns you that you’ll have to reinstall some apps and programs, and that you’ll lose any changes you’ve made since upgrading to Windows 11. Click Next. Finally, click the button to Back to Windows 10.

The cursor hovers over the window's Next button

Click the Back to Windows 10 button.

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Once the task is done, log in to Windows and you should see Windows 10 working properly again.

Also: How to Connect a VPN in Windows 10

Check the Start menu, File Explorer, and other items to see if there are any missing apps or files that need reinstalling or restoring. Go through the main settings to determine if you want to tweak or customize any of them.

Windows 10 menu

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extension of time

That annoying 10-day deadline to uninstall Windows 11 seems pretty tight. What if you want more time to evaluate the new version? Well, you can extend that deadline via a handy command.

In Windows 11, click the Search button or field and type cmd. From the search results, select Run as administrator to open a command prompt with administrative privileges.

Also: How to Factory Reset Your Windows 10 PC

At the command prompt, type the following string: DISM /Online /Get-OSUninstallWindow. The number after the phrase Uninstall Window tells you how many days are left until the expiration date.

Check what is the deadline on command prompt

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To extend the deadline, enter the following string: DISM /Online /Set-OSUninstallWindow /Value:instead of, replace equals the number of days you want to apply. For example, to set the downgrade period to 30 days, type DISM /Online /Set-OSUninstallWindow /Value:30. You can set a term of as little as two and as much as 60 days.

Extension of time on command prompt

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Press up arrow key to show DISM /Online /Get-OSUninstallWindow command. Press Enter to run the command again and confirm that the new number of days you set is now in effect.

Confirm the new deadline on the command prompt

Confirm the new deadline.

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How to uninstall Windows 11 after the deadline

Okay, but what if the deadline has passed and you’re ready to give up on Windows 11? The good news is that you can still do it. The bad news is that you will have to install Windows 10 as a clean environment, which means all your apps, files, and settings will be lost.

Also: Yes, you can still get a free Windows 10 upgrade. This is the way

Make sure you have installation files for your applications and backup copies for all your documents and other files. To continue, browse Microsoft’s Windows 10 Download Site. In the Create Windows 10 installation media section, click the . button Download now button.

Download the Media Creation Toolkit

Download the Media Creation Toolkit.

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Run the downloaded MediaCreationTool exe file. On the screen asking what you want to do, select the first option for Upgrade this PC now. Click next.

Select the option to Upgrade This PC

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Windows 10 download begins. At some point, you will need to accept the license terms. Then a pop-up asks you to choose what to keep.

Unfortunately, since you are trying to install an earlier version of Windows, the options for Keep personal files and apps and Keep only personal files both are grayed out, meaning no content is retained. Click Next and then confirm that you want to continue.

Continue the Windows 10 setup process

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At the Ready to Install window, click Install.

Ready to install windows

Carry out the installation.

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Allow the installation to proceed. Once Windows 10 is installed, go through the usual setup process to choose the right options, connect to Wi-Fi, and set up your account.

Also: How to improve the battery life of your Windows laptop

You’ll then be placed at the Windows 10 screen, where you’ll need to reinstall your apps, restore files from backup, adjust any settings you want to customize, and run backups. Latest updates.

Windows 10 menu

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