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RMcneill's avatar
RMcneill
Iron Contributor
Feb 25, 2025

How to Revert to Windows 10 after install Windows 11 on unsupported PC?

One month ago, I installed Windows 11 on my PC even though it didn't officially meet the hardware requirements. The installation was forced through external methods, and the system has been running fine for 2-3 years. However, I now want to revert to Windows 10. What's the best way to safely downgrade to Windows 10? Would a clean install be the only option, or is there a way to downgrade without losing all my data?

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  • kahunua92's avatar
    kahunua92
    Copper Contributor
    Feb 28, 2025

    Just to highlight this goes out of support October 14th.

  • Orizonbbk's avatar
    Orizonbbk
    Iron Contributor
    Feb 28, 2025

    Downgrade via recovery settings if it’s <10 days. If not, clean install Win10. Grab drivers/software afterward with Onebyonesoft’s driver toolkit, it saves hours of Googling. Trust me.

  • Francisco_M's avatar
    Francisco_M
    Copper Contributor
    Feb 25, 2025
    Reverting to Windows 10 after installing Windows 11 on an unsupported PC is possible, but there are some important details to keep in mind:
     
    Time Limit: You have a 10-day window to revert back to Windows 10 using the built-in recovery options. After this period, the option to roll back will no longer be available.
     
    Extending the Time Limit: If you need more time, you can extend the rollback period to up to 60 days using the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool. Here's how:
    Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
    Run the following command to check the current rollback period:
    DISM /Online /Get-OSUninstallWindow
     
    To extend the rollback period, use this command (replace NDays with the desired number of days, up to 60): DISM /Online /Set-OSUninstallWindow /Value:NDays
    For example, to extend it to 60 days:
    DISM /Online /Set-OSUninstallWindow /Value:60 ```.
     
    Reverting Process:
    Go to Settings > System > Recovery.
    Under Recovery options, select Go back.
    Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
     
    If you miss the rollback window, you'll need to perform a clean installation of Windows 10, which involves backing up your data, creating a bootable USB drive with the Windows 10 installation media, and reinstalling the OS.
     
    Good luck

     

  • DessiJ's avatar
    DessiJ
    Copper Contributor
    Feb 25, 2025

    You've missed the 10 days period where you had the option to revert. But just in case you can still check System > Recovery for a Go Back button.

    Otherwise yes, a clean install would be your solution. If you have a spare HDD/SSD you could back up your files on it and then copy them back once you've installed Windows 10.

    Just a fair warning: the support for Windows 10 ends this October (October 14th, 2025).

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