The computer makes its own?How to uninstall an update of Windows 10

Windows updates often bring bug fixes, security patches, and new features to your PC, but they can also backfire by introducing issues like degraded performance or even panic data loss. If you notice any quirks after installing an update, you can undo it to try to get it working again.

There are two main types of Windows updates: quality updates and feature updates. Quality updates include security patches, bug fixes, and other small tweaks in the "cumulative updates" you see regularly on the Windows Update page in Settings. Feature updates are bigger and come every six months or so with new features and major changes. Each of them can be undone by different methods.

How to uninstall quality updates

If a small Windows update caused strange behavior or broke one of your devices, uninstalling it should be fairly easy. Even if the computer boots fine, I generally recommend booting into safe mode before uninstalling an update, just to be on the safe side.

Open the Start menu, click the Power button, then hold down the Shift key while pressing Restart – the Windows Recovery menu should appear when your computer restarts. (If Windows does not start at all, you can…). hold down the power button while your computer starts up. to summon the recovery menu the next time you turn it on).

In the recovery menu, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Parameters > To restart. Once your computer restarts, a list of options will appear and you can press the number 3 on your keyboard to enter safe mode.

Once you are in Safe Mode, go to Settings > Update & Security > View Update History and click the Uninstall Updates button at the top of the page. Windows will present you with a list of recently installed updates, with links to more detailed descriptions of each patch along with the date you installed it.

If you remember the date your problems started, this installation date should help you determine which update to remove. Select the update in question, then click the Uninstall button that appears above the list. It will take a while, but once it is done, you will be able to see if your problems persist.

Note that once you uninstall an update, it will try to install again the next time you check for updates. Pause your updates until your issue is resolved.

If you don't see the Uninstall button on this screen, that particular patch could be permanent, which means Windows doesn't want you to uninstall it. I've heard stories of unsupported trickery getting around this problem, but I haven't tested it myself. Instead, Microsoft recommends using System Restore or a system backup to return your computer to an earlier state. (You do have a backup, don't you?)

How to uninstall a Windows 10 Feature Update

Lower quality updates come to your PC fairly regularly, but Windows 10 Feature Updates are different. About twice a year, Windows will prompt you to download one of these major releases, such as the May 2020 Update. Microsoft tries to avoid problems by testing these updates on many different hardware configurations, and by deploying them only when your configuration is deemed adequate. However, problems can occur, which is why Windows offers a rollback option.

There's a catch: you can only uninstall a major update within 10 days of installing it, so act fast if you think the update has crashed your system. After 10 days, Microsoft deletes old files to free up space on your hard drive, and you can't go back.

To uninstall a feature update, go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and scroll down to Go back to the previous version of Windows 10. Click on the Start button to start the uninstallation process. If the button isn't clickable, it's possible your 10 days are already up, or you... deleted the old files with Disk Cleanup and it can't go back. If you have a system backup, now is the time to use it.

If your computer does not boot into Windows at all

If after installing an update you cannot even boot into Windows to follow the instructions below on it – even in safe mode – Windows should automatically attempt to roll back. If that fails, you have one last option (before restoring from that backup you certainly have).

Hold down the power button while your computer is booting up to turn it off, then back on. This should take you to Windows recovery options, like when you boot into safe mode. But this time go to Troubleshooting > Advanced options and choose Uninstall updates. You'll then have the option to uninstall the latest quality update or feature update, which will hopefully allow you to safely restart Windows.

It doesn't present you with a list of recent updates like the Windows Control Panel does, so we recommend trying the steps in the sections above if you can. However, if all else fails, this recovery option is a last resort.