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Please log in with your username or email to continue. Facebook Google wikiHow Account No account yet? Create an account Browse Articles Quizzes & Games All Quizzes Hot Community Quizzes Personality Quizzes Dating Simulator Learn Something New Support wikiHow Log in / Sign up Computers and Electronics Operating Systems Last Updated: September 1, 2026 Fact Checked Uninstalling from Settings Uninstalling from Command Prompt Uninstalling from Control Panel Uninstalling an Update from WinRE Uninstalling in Safe Mode Preventing Automatic Reinstall Troubleshooting This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA . Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. Learn more... Windows Updates usually contain new features, security patches, and helpful fixes. But what if an update causes a conflict, stops a device from working, or makes your PC unbootable? Don't worry–if your computer acts up after an update, there are multiple easy ways to uninstall it. Read on to learn the 5 easiest ways to uninstall a problematic Windows Update and prevent it from reinstalling. And if you're having trouble uninstalling the update with these methods, we'll also help you troubleshoot and fix the issue . Easily Uninstalling Problematic Windows Updates To uninstall an update, go to Start > Settings > Windows Update , click Update History , select Uninstall Updates , and click Uninstall on an update. To prevent a problematic update from reinstalling automatically, go to Start > Settings > Windows Update and click Pick a Date to delay the installation. You can also uninstall a bad Windows Update from the Command Prompt, Windows Recovery Environment, Control Panel, and from within Safe Mode. Uninstalling an Update from Settings 1 Open your Windows Settings. To get there, click the Start menu and select Settings . [1] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source If a problematic update has made it impossible to log in to Windows, use the WinRE steps instead. If a problematic update has made it impossible to log in to Windows, use the WinRE steps instead. 2 Click Windows Update . It's in the left panel. If you're using Windows 10, click Update & Security instead. Advertisement If you're using Windows 10, click Update & Security instead. 3 Click Update History . This is in the right panel, under "More options." In Windows 10, select View your update history instead. In Windows 10, select View your update history instead. 4 Scroll down and click Uninstall Updates . It's at the bottom of the right panel, below the recent updates. 5 Click Uninstall on an update. This will uninstall the update from Windows. To prevent the update from reinstalling, jump to our steps to pause updates . Some updates cannot be uninstalled. [2] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source To prevent the update from reinstalling, jump to our steps to pause updates . Some updates cannot be uninstalled. [2] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Uninstalling an Update from Command Prompt 1 Open Command Prompt as an administrator. If you prefer to try uninstalling the update using the command line, you can do so using an elevated Command Prompt . Here's how to open it as an administrator: Press the Windows key or open the Start menu. Type cmd . Right-click Command Prompt in the search results. Select Run as administrator and click Yes to confirm. Press the Windows key or open the Start menu. Right-click Command Prompt in the search results. Select Run as administrator and click Yes to confirm. 2 Type wmic qfe list brief /format:table and press ↵ Enter . This will display a list of Windows Updates, the dates on which they were installed, and each update's hotfix ID. You'll need the update's hotfix ID to uninstall it. [3] X Research source Note the corresponding hotfix ID next to the latest update. Note the corresponding hotfix ID next to the latest update. 3 Type wusa /uninstall /kb:HOTFIXID and press ↵ Enter . Replace HOTFIXID with the KB number in the update's corresponding column. For example, wusa /uninstall /kb:KB5120708 . A confirmation box will appear. 4 Click Yes to confirm. This will uninstall the update. To prevent the update from reinstalling, jump to our steps to pause updates . To prevent the update from reinstalling, jump to our steps to pause updates . Uninstalling an Update from Control Panel 1 Open the Control Panel. To open Control Panel , type control into the Windows search bar and click Control Panel in the search results. This method of uninstalling a bad Windows update is pretty much the same as doing so from the Settings panel. You'll just be accessing the update list in a different way. This method only works in Windows 10. If you have Windows 11 installed, you’ll need to try one of the other methods. This method of uninstalling a bad Windows update is pretty much the same as doing so from the Settings panel. You'll just be accessing the update list in a different way. This method only works in Windows 10. If you have Windows 11 installed, you’ll need to try one of the other methods. 2 Click Uninstall a program . You'll see this under "Programs." If you don't see this option, select Programs and Features instead. If you don't see this option, select Programs and Features instead. 3 Click View installed updates . It's at the top of the left panel. 4 Click Uninstall next to the update and follow the on-screen instructions. This will remove the selected Windows Update from your PC. Uninstalling an Update from WinRE 1 Open the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). If you can't log in to Windows, or you're having trouble uninstalling a problematic update using other methods, you can uninstall updates from outside the operating system. [4] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Access WinRE from Settings: In Settings , click System , then Recovery . Click Restart now next to "Advanced Startup." Your PC will reboot to WinRE. [5] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Access WinRE from the login screen: Press and hold the ⇧ Shift key as you click the Power menu and select Restart . Access WinRE through automatic repair: Start your PC and wait for the Windows logo or manufacturer's logo to appear. When you see the logo, press and hold your computer's power button until it turns off. Once the computer is shut down, press the power button again to turn it back on. Again, when the logo appears, press and hold the power button to turn it back off. One more time, press the Power button to turn on the PC. This time, you'll see the "Automatic Repair screen." Click Advanced options to enter WinRE. Access WinRE from Settings: In Settings , click System , then Recovery . Click Restart now next to "Advanced Startup." Your PC will reboot to WinRE. [5] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Access WinRE from the login screen: Press and hold the ⇧ Shift key as you click the Power menu and select Restart . Access WinRE through automatic repair: Start your PC and wait for the Windows logo or manufacturer's logo to appear. When you see the logo, press and hold your computer's power button until it turns off. Once the computer is shut down, press the power button again to turn it back on. Again, when the logo appears, press and hold the power button to turn it back off. One more time, press the Power button to turn on the PC. This time, you'll see the "Automatic Repair screen." Click Advanced options to enter WinRE. Start your PC and wait for the Windows logo or manufacturer's logo to appear. When you see the logo, press and hold your computer's power button until it turns off. Once the computer is shut down, press the power button again to turn it back on. Again, when the logo appears, press and hold the power button to turn it back off. One more time, press the Power button to turn on the PC. This time, you'll see the "Automatic Repair screen." Click Advanced options to enter WinRE. 2 Click Troubleshoot on the blue screen. Another set of options will appear. [6] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source 3 Click Advanced options . A list of more options will appear. 4 Click Uninstall Updates . Sometimes this will say Uninstall latest quality update instead. From here, follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the update. Once uninstalled, Windows should boot normally. To prevent the update from reinstalling, jump to our steps to pause updates . To prevent the update from reinstalling, jump to our steps to pause updates . Uninstalling an Update in Safe Mode 1 Boot into Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). If you're having trouble uninstalling an update from within Windows, it may be due to a conflict with something that's running in the background. You may be able to uninstall the update by booting into Safe Mode first, then uninstalling from the Settings app. To get to Safe Mode, you'll need to enter WinRE first. Here's how: [7] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Access WinRE from Settings: In Settings , click System , then Recovery . Click Restart now next to "Advanced Startup." Your PC will reboot to WinRE. [8] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Access WinRE from the login screen: Press and hold the ⇧ Shift key as you click the Power menu and select Restart . Access WinRE through automatic repair: Start your PC and wait for the Windows logo or manufacturer's logo to appear. When you see the logo, press and hold your computer's power button until it turns off. Once the computer is shut down, press the power button again to turn it back on. Again, when the logo appears, press and hold the power button to turn it back off. One more time, press the Power button to turn on the PC. This time, you'll see the "Automatic Repair screen." Click Advanced options to enter WinRE. Access WinRE from Settings: In Settings , click System , then Recovery . Click Restart now next to "Advanced Startup." Your PC will reboot to WinRE. [8] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source

Access WinRE from the login screen: Press and hold the ⇧ Shift key as you click the Power menu and select Restart . Access WinRE through automatic repair: Start your PC and wait for the Windows logo or manufacturer's logo to appear. When you see the logo, press and hold your computer's power button until it turns off. Once the computer is shut down, press the power button again to turn it back on. Again, when the logo appears, press and hold the power button to turn it back off. One more time, press the Power button to turn on the PC. This time, you'll see the "Automatic Repair screen." Click Advanced options to enter WinRE. Start your PC and wait for the Windows logo or manufacturer's logo to appear. When you see the logo, press and hold your computer's power button until it turns off. Once the computer is shut down, press the power button again to turn it back on. Again, when the logo appears, press and hold the power button to turn it back off. One more time, press the Power button to turn on the PC. This time, you'll see the "Automatic Repair screen." Click Advanced options to enter WinRE. 2 Click Troubleshoot . This displays additional settings. 3 Click Advanced Options . Even more options will appear. 4 Click Startup Settings . You'll be prompted to reboot your PC. 5 Click Restart , then Restart again. Your PC will reboot to a blue screen that says Startup Settings at the top. 6 Press 5 on the Startup Settings screen to start Safe Mode. Windows will load with only the minimum drivers and software needed to run, which should allow you to easily remove the problematic Windows update. 7 Uninstall the bad update in Safe Mode. Once you're at the Windows desktop in Safe Mode, you should be able to uninstall the update from the Settings window or using the command prompt. Jump back to the Settings and Command Prompt methods to find out how. 8 Reboot normally once the update is uninstalled. Rebooting your PC should boot it into the normal Windows installation instead of Safe Mode. But if it doesn't, here's how to get out of Safe Mode: [9] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Press Windows key + R . Type msconfig and click OK . Click the Boot tab. Remove the checkmark from the "Safe boot" box and click OK . Reboot your computer. To prevent the update from reinstalling, jump to our steps to pause updates . Press Windows key + R . Type msconfig and click OK . Click the Boot tab. Remove the checkmark from the "Safe boot" box and click OK . Reboot your computer. To prevent the update from reinstalling, jump to our steps to pause updates . Prevent the Update from Reinstalling The update may reinstall automatically if you don't pause updates. If there is a problem with the update itself, pausing it for some time should give Microsoft a chance to fix it before it's reinstalled. Here's how to pause updates to prevent it from reinstalling automatically: [10] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Open your Windows Settings and select Windows Update . If you're using Windows 10, click Update & Security instead. On Windows 11, click the Pick a date button next to "Pause updates" to select a date up to 30 days in the future. On Windows 10, click Advanced options , then use the drop-down menu to select a date. Open your Windows Settings and select Windows Update . If you're using Windows 10, click Update & Security instead. If you're using Windows 10, click Update & Security instead. On Windows 11, click the Pick a date button next to "Pause updates" to select a date up to 30 days in the future. On Windows 10, click Advanced options , then use the drop-down menu to select a date. Troubleshooting an Update That Won't Uninstall 1 Disable Windows Sandbox. If you can't uninstall a problematic update using any of the methods in this article, there may be a conflict with the Windows Sandbox environment, as noted in this Reddit post . Try disabling Windows Sandbox, rebooting, then uninstalling the update. Here's how to disable Sandbox: [11] X Research source In the Windows search bar, type turn windows features on or off , then click Turn Windows Features On or Off in the search results. Scroll down and uncheck "Windows Sandbox" (if present/checked). Click OK and reboot your PC. Try uninstalling the update again. In the Windows search bar, type turn windows features on or off , then click Turn Windows Features On or Off in the search results. Scroll down and uncheck "Windows Sandbox" (if present/checked). Click OK and reboot your PC. Try uninstalling the update again. 2 Do a system restore. If the update still refuses to uninstall, you can restore your Windows computer to a date prior to the update, which effectively uninstalls it. You must have a restore point on your PC for this to work. These are created automatically, so unless you've turned it off or have run out of space, you should have one to restore from. Here's what to do: [12] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Press Windows key + R , type rstrui.exe , and press Enter . Click Next . Select a restore point from before the update was installed. If you don't see a date that's early enough, click Show more restore points to view more. Click Next , then Finish to begin the restore process. Keep your computer plugged in during the restore process. It can take a long time (sometimes up to an hour), and you don't want it to turn off during the restore. Press Windows key + R , type rstrui.exe , and press Enter . Select a restore point from before the update was installed. If you don't see a date that's early enough, click Show more restore points to view more. Click Next , then Finish to begin the restore process. Keep your computer plugged in during the restore process. It can take a long time (sometimes up to an hour), and you don't want it to turn off during the restore. Keep your computer plugged in during the restore process. It can take a long time (sometimes up to an hour), and you don't want it to turn off during the restore. 3 Use the "Fix problems using Windows Update" recovery tool. If Windows Update keeps crashing, or you're having too many issues to get the bad update to uninstall, you can use this feature in your recovery settings to repair Windows Update and other system tools. This will actually reinstall Windows, but your personal files, apps, and settings will not be deleted. Here's how to do it: [13] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Open your Settings and click System . Click Recovery . Click Reinstall now under "Fix problems using Windows Update". Check the box to restart your PC automatically. Make sure your PC is plugged in, and click OK to start the recovery. Open your Settings and click System . Click Recovery . Click Reinstall now under "Fix problems using Windows Update". Check the box to restart your PC automatically. Make sure your PC is plugged in, and click OK to start the recovery. You Might Also Like ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/updates-lifecycle/how-to-uninstall-a-windows-update ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/updates-lifecycle/how-to-uninstall-a-windows-update ↑ https://support.atera.com/hc/en-us/articles/360020477680-Uninstall-Windows-10-updates ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/updates-lifecycle/how-to-uninstall-a-windows-update ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-US/Windows/Experience/Backup-Recovery/windows-recovery-environment ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/updates-lifecycle/how-to-uninstall-a-windows-update ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/startup-boot/windows-startup-settings ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-US/Windows/Experience/Backup-Recovery/windows-recovery-environment ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/startup-boot/windows-startup-settings ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/updates-lifecycle/pause-updates-in-windows ↑ https://support.darkroomsoftware.com/portal/en/kb/articles/disabling-windows-sandbox-and-virtual-pc ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/backup-recovery/system-restore ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/install-upgrade/fix-issues-by-reinstalling-the-current-version-of-windows About This Article Send fan mail to authors Is this article up to date? 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