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Olaann's avatar
Olaann
Iron Contributor
Aug 06, 2025

Leaving Windows Dev Channel

Please tell me someone knows a way to leave the Dev channel without wiping all the data off their hard drive. These updates have been repeatedly wrecking my PC's functionality and I've had enough, but unfortunately I seem to be stuck here until I'm willing to throw all my data away. I have 3tb of storage and there's no way I can back it all up without a serious financial investment.

2 Replies

  • Timothy1525's avatar
    Timothy1525
    Iron Contributor
    Aug 10, 2025

    If the stable (Release Preview) channel has a build number equal to or higher than your current Dev build, you can switch without a clean install:

    Go to Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program.

    Select Release Preview Channel (or "Stop getting preview builds" if stable is higher).

    Check for updates—you may receive an update that aligns you with the stable version.

  • Cutewk's avatar
    Cutewk
    Copper Contributor
    Aug 07, 2025

    Go to Settings → Windows Update → Windows Insider Program and switch to the Beta/Release Preview channel. You can also completely exit the program, but you will need to reinstall the system to remove the Dev version.

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