Windows 10 is an overall great operating system, there is no doubt about that. However, users across the spectrum feel that Windows 7 was much simpler, easy to use and provided better performance. Well, to be frank, that is true to some extent as Windows 10 is shipped with lots of bloatware and unnecessary features and apps. Recently, we did an article on how to speed up Windows 10 to make it bloat-free. Even if you don’t want to roll back to Windows 7, sometimes the new Windows 10 updates break your PC and it’s wiser to rollback to previous versions of Windows 10 to use it smoothly. In this article, I have shared three simple ways to downgrade Windows 10 to the previous OS or build in easy steps.
Here, we will learn about all the methods to downgrade Windows 10. You can either downgrade to Windows 7/8/8.1 or the previous Windows 10 working build. There are three ways to achieve this task and we will take you through all of them. So having said that, let us begin with the easiest method.
If you have recently upgraded your PC to Windows 10 from Windows 7/8/8.1 then this is the sure-shot method to downgrade to the earlier OS. The process is pretty simple and straightforward. While your data will not be deleted in the process. It’s still recommended to back up your valuable files and folders. Now, let’s begin with the steps.
- After a few hours, your computer will boot back to the previous operating system. Now, you can enjoy your PC with earlier Windows OS in full glory.
If you are past the 10 days limit then you can downgrade Windows 10 using the Reset tool. It allows you to go back to the first operating system that your PC shipped with. However, this process also wipes the data so make sure to back up everything essential from your PC. Keep in mind, resetting the PC to factory default settings will reset your computer to the first installed OS i.e. when you bought your PC. For example, if your PC had Windows 7 when you had bought it then it would reset to Windows 7. However, if your PC had Windows 10 initially then it would fall back to Windows 10 only. So keep that in mind and proceed ahead.
3. Downgrade Windows 10 to the Previous Build
If your Windows 10 PC was working fine, but due to some recent Windows 10 update, your PC is not booting up or having performance issues, then this method will help you downgrade your PC to the previous working build. Here are the steps to follow. Reminding again, make sure to back up important files and folders before attempting to downgrade Windows 10.
- On the Advanced Startup screen, click on “Troubleshoot”.
