Windows 11 Rollback to Windows 10: The 10-Day Go Back Option

A Windows 11 rollback to Windows 10 is possible, but only for a short time and with some strings attached. For 10 days after the upgrade, in most cases, Windows keeps a copy of your old system and offers a Go back button in Settings. After that, the copy is deleted and returning means wiping the drive. Before you use it, weigh one fact carefully: Windows 10 is no longer supported. This guide explains how the Go back option works, what you keep and lose, and what to consider instead.

Think twice: Windows 10 is out of support

Windows 10 reached end of support on 14 October 2025. Since then Microsoft has not provided free security updates, feature updates or technical assistance for it. Consumer Extended Security Updates, which some households enrolled in, provide security fixes only until 12 October 2027, according to Microsoft’s consumer ESU page as checked on 14 October 2026.

Rolling back therefore means moving to a system that gets no new security fixes. A Windows 10 PC still works, but each newly discovered flaw stays open. If you are going back because of a specific problem, such as a driver, an app or a setting you dislike, it is often better to fix that problem on Windows 11. Our Windows 11 troubleshooting hub and the slow after update fixes cover the most common complaints.

What the Go back option keeps and removes

Microsoft describes the trade-off clearly: going back keeps your personal files, but removes apps and drivers installed after the upgrade, as well as any changes you made to settings.

Item	After going back
Documents, photos, desktop files	Kept
Apps you had on Windows 10 before upgrading	Restored
Apps installed after the upgrade	Removed
Drivers installed after the upgrade	Removed
Settings changed after the upgrade	Lost
User accounts created after the upgrade	Must be removed before you can go back

Microsoft also warns that apps added, removed or updated after the upgrade might not be available or work properly after going back. Back up your files first anyway; the rollback is a big operation.

Requirements for going back

Microsoft lists what the rollback needs:

• The windows.old and $windows.~bt folders must be intact. These hold the previous system. Disk Cleanup, Storage Sense or manual deletion can remove them.
• No user accounts added since the upgrade. Remove any you created.
• The USB drive you used to upgrade, if you used one.
• Time. In most cases you have 10 days.

Also make sure you remember the password you used to sign in to Windows 10. If you changed it after upgrading, the old one applies after rollback.

How to roll back to Windows 10

1. Back up your important files.
2. Open Settings > System > Recovery.
3. Under Recovery options, select Go back.
4. Choose a reason for going back and select Next.
5. Windows offers to check for updates that might fix your problem. Select No, thanks if you still want to go back.
6. Read the screens about reinstalling apps and needing your old password, selecting Next each time.
7. Select Go back to Windows 10.

The PC restarts and restores the previous installation, which can take a while. Keep it plugged in and do not turn it off. When it finishes, sign in, reinstall any apps that were removed, and check Windows Update.

Go back is missing or greyed out

If you do not see Go back, or it is greyed out, or Windows says the option is no longer available, one of these is usually true:

• More than 10 days have passed since the upgrade.
• The windows.old folder was cleaned up.
• A new user account was added.
• The PC came with Windows 11 or you did a clean install, so there is no previous version to return to.

In any of these cases, the in-place rollback is not possible.

One way people lose the option by accident is cleaning up disk space. After an upgrade, the previous Windows installation can take up a lot of room, and Storage settings or Disk Cleanup may offer to delete “Previous Windows installation(s)”. Choosing that removes windows.old and with it the Go back button. If you are still deciding whether to keep Windows 11, leave those files alone until you are sure, and make sure your backup is current before the 10 days run out.

Going back after the 10 days

The only route left is a clean install of Windows 10 from installation media, which erases the drive, apps and settings. Given that Windows 10 no longer receives regular security updates, we do not recommend this for most people. If Windows 11 itself is the problem, try repairing it instead: see reinstalling Windows 11 and keeping your files or Reset this PC.

If you decide to stay on Windows 11

Many people who consider rolling back are reacting to a few changes: the centred Start menu, ads and suggestions, or different default apps. Those are adjustable. You can move the taskbar to the left, turn off suggestions, and change default apps in Settings. Our Windows 11 upgrade hub collects the setup steps worth doing in your first week.