How to Roll-Back to Windows 10 from Windows 11

After being in its beta stage for months, Microsoft officially released the latest version of its desktop operating system- Windows 11 to the public. We have already covered a detailed guide on how you can update your PC to Windows 11 easily for free.

While the software brings few subtle improvements with it, like enhanced animations, revamped UI, a centered taskbar, and more, it might not suit everyone’s preferences.

Since Windows 10 has been around for a few years now, many users are accustomed to it and might not like the new UI changes in Windows 11. Further, as this is a new major update, it is bound to have some bugs owing to which one might want to roll back to Windows 10.

Today, we have listed all possible ways to downgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 11 easily. So what are we waiting for? Let’s dive in.

Using the Roll-Back Option

Microsoft has made it extremely easy to roll back to Windows 10 in the first ten days of installing Windows 11. Let us have a look:

1. Click on the Windows icon and open Settings.
2. Now choose Windows updates from the drop-down menu.
   
3. Here, look for the advanced option and click on it
4. Scroll down a bit and select the Recovery option
   
5. Under Recovery, choose the Go back option, and follow the on-screen instructions. Boom, you have successfully rolled back to the previous version of windows.
   

Using Microsoft Media Creation Tool

If you want to roll back after the ten days are over, then alternatively, you can use the Microsoft Media Creation tool. The tool helps you install Windows 10 easily but do note you will lose your data.

1. Download MediaCreation Tool
2. Run the setup file and click on Accept.
   
3. Now you are greeted with two options. Select Upgrade this PC option and hit next.
   
4. The tool will now start downloading the latest version of Windows 10
5. Once downloaded, hit next and accept the terms.
6. Here, you will see the “Choose what to keep” screen. Make sure to choose the Nothing option here and click next.
7. Finally, choose the install option, and your PC will start installing Windows 10.

Clean Installing Windows 10 using an ISO file

If you want to perform a clean installation, then ISO is the way to go. However, the process is a bit more lengthy and tricky compared to the method we mentioned earlier. So let us have a look.

Prerequisites

1. Download Windows 10 ISO
2. A USB drive (minimum 8GB)
3. Download Rufus

Make sure to take a backup of your personal files as they will get deleted during the installation process.

Steps to create a bootable USB drive

1. Open rufus, which we downloaded earlier.
2. After opening rufus, connect your USB drive to your PC. Please note- All the data on the USB drive will get wiped.
3. Now choose your USB in rufus.
4. Once that is done, just below devices, there is an option to choose an ISO file. Click on Select ISO and choose the Windows 10 ISO.
   
5. Under the partition scheme, there will be two options – GPT and MBR. Now, this will depend upon your Disk. In our case, it is MBR, so we chose MBR.
6. Hit start and wait patiently as this may take some time.

Steps to check partition (MBR or GPT)

As we saw in the steps above, it is essential to choose the correct partition scheme. If we choose the wrong partition scheme, then you will be unable to install Windows 11 on a PC. So let us have a detailed look at the steps on how you can check your partition scheme.

1. Go to the start menu and search “Create and format disk partitions,” and open it.
2. After opening, you will see all your drives. Here, click on the drive you will install Windows 11 on and right-click and select Properties.
3. In the properties tab, click on Hardware and choose Properties again
4. Look for the Volumes tab and select it.
   
5. Hit Populate, and you will find the partition scheme under the partition style. Now, you can go back and continue making a bootable USB drive.

Setting up Windows 10 on PC after a clean installation

1. Open BIOS settings on your laptop. That being said, the process to enter bios is different for different manufactures.
2. After you have successfully entered bios settings, search for the boot preferences. Again, this differs from device to device.
3. In the boot, preferences select USB drive as first boot priority and restart your device.
4. Click start and start following the on-screen instructions.
5. Once setup is complete, the PC will restart. At this point, remove your USB drive from the PC. Boom, you will now be greeted with the new Windows 10 startup screen. (The device might reboot a few times during this process)
6. Once the device boots successfully, follow the new Windows 10 setup screen. Congratulations, you have now successfully rolled back to Windows 10 on your PC.

As you saw, downgrading to the previous version of Windows was a relatively simple and easy process. Do let us know your thoughts about Windows 11 in the comment section below.