Not all Windows updates always improve your PC’s performance or address issues. Although Microsoft does extensively test every update before pushing out to end-users, at times, because of the wide range of devices and third-party software out there, updates might degrade the performance and even stop Windows from booting.
If you have been experiencing issues after installing a recent update, Windows 10 (like previous versions) offers easy ways to uninstall one or more updates. You can uninstall an update either via Control Panel or from the Command Prompt.
In this guide, we will see how to uninstall an update in Windows 10. These methods apply to all editions of Windows 10.
Method 1 – uninstall an update via Control Panel
Method 2 – uninstall an update via Command Prompt
Method 3 – uninstall an update via Settings
Method 4 – uninstall an update when PC fails to boot
Method 5 – restore your PC to an earlier date
Method 1 of 5
Uninstall an update via Control Panel
Step 1: Open Control Panel by typing its name in the Start menu or taskbar search box and then hitting Enter key.
Step 2: Click Uninstall a program to open Programs and Features window.
Step 3: On the left-pane of Programs and Features, click the link labeled View installed updates to view all installed updates on your PC.
Step 4: Finally, right-click on the update that you want to uninstall, and then click Uninstall button to remove the update.
Method 2 of 5
Uninstall an update via Command Prompt
Step 1: To uninstall an update from Command Prompt, you need to open an elevated Command Prompt. To run Command Prompt as an administrator, type CMD in Start menu search box, right-click on the search result entry, and then click Run as administrator option.
Alternatively, right-click on the Start button on the taskbar to open the power user menu, and then click Command Prompt (admin).
Step 2: In the Command Prompt, type the following command and then press Enter key to view all installed updates.
wmic qfe list brief /format:table
Step 3: Next, enter the command mentioned below to uninstall an update.
wusa /uninstall /kb:updatenumber
In the above command, replace updatenumber with the KB number of the update that you have obtained in Step 2. To get the update number, you can also refer to the instructions in Method 1 to view all installed updates and their numbers.
Click the Yes button when you see the confirmation dialog.
Method 3 of 5
Uninstall an update via Settings
Step 1: Open Settings app by clicking its name on the left side of the Start menu or using the Windows logo + I hotkey.
Step 2: Navigate to Update & Security > Windows Update page. Click the View update history link to see all updates installed on your Windows 10 PC.
Step 3: As you can see, the list shows KB number of updates, installed date, and the type of the update. Click the link labeled Uninstall updates to open the Installed Updates window of Control Panel.
Step 4: Finally, right-click on the update you want to remove, and then click the Uninstall button. Click the Yes button when you see the confirmation dialog. If asked, perform a reboot.
Method 4 of 5
Uninstall an update when Windows 10 fails to boot
There is a provision in recent versions of Windows 10 to uninstall the most recently installed update without booting into the Windows operating system. Refer to our how to uninstall an update when your PC is not booting guide for step-by-step directions.
Method 5 of 5
Consider restoring your PC to an earlier date to uninstall an update
If the system restore point functionality is turned on, Windows 10 automatically creates a restore point before installing an update. You can make use of this restore point feature to get rid of the update that has been troubling you. More importantly, when you restore, Windows will preserve all data, but you might lose apps installed post creating the restore point.
Please refer to our how to restore a Windows 10 to an earlier date guide for step-by-step instructions.
