Windows 11 uninstall update / Image: Mauro Huculak

5 Ways to uninstall an update manually on Windows 11 (2026)

If a Windows 11 update is causing problemsyou can use these six different ways to uninstall it to get the computer working again.

  • To uninstall updates on Windows 11open Settings > Windows Update > Update history, click the “Uninstall updates” optionand click “Uninstall” for the update to remove.
  • You can also uninstall an update using Command PromptPowerShellWinREand Safe Mode.

UPDATED 1/2/2026: On Windows 11you can uninstall updates manually through the “Windows Update” settingsby running commands in Command Prompt or PowerShellor by booting into the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) or Safe Modeespecially if an update is preventing your computer from starting correctly.

While Microsoft designs Windows 11 updates to fix bugs and enhance system performancethey don’t always work as intended. It’s not uncommon for a monthly update to introduce new problemssuch as broken featuresdriver conflictsor compatibility issues that degrade the user experience.

Fortunatelywhether the system was updated automatically or you installed the update manuallyyou have multiple ways to remove it and restore Windows 11 to a stableworking state.

In this guideI will teach you the steps to uninstall updates on Windows 11.

Uninstall update on Windows 11 from Settings

To uninstall updates on Windows 11 through the Windows Updates settingsuse these steps:

  1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

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  2. Click on Windows Update.

  3. Click the Update history page.

    Open Update history

  4. Click the Uninstall updates setting under the “Related settings” section.

    Open Uninstall updates

  5. Click the Uninstall option to remove the update from Windows 11.

    Windows 11 uninstall updates

After you complete the stepsthe problematic update will be removed from the device. The computer may also require a restart to complete the process.

Uninstall update on Windows 11 from Command Prompt

To uninstall an update through Command Promptuse these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for Command Promptright-click the top resultand select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to view the update history and press Enter:

    wmic qfe list brief /format:table

    Windows 11 installed updates

  4. Check the Windows Update history of your deviceand identify the update using its HotFixID and InstalledOn information.

  5. Type the following command to uninstall the update from the computer and press Enter:

    wusa /uninstall /kb:KBNUMBER

    In the commandreplace “KBNUMBER” with the KB number corresponding to the update to uninstall. This example removes the update KB5072033 from Windows 11:

    wusa /uninstall /kb:5072033 

    Command Prompt uninstall update

  6. Click the Yes button.

  7. Continue with the on-screen directions (if applicable).

After you complete the stepsthe update will be removed from the computer running Windows 11.

Uninstall update on Windows 11 from PowerShell

To remove an update on Windows 11 through PowerShelluse these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for PowerShellright-click the top resultand select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to install the PowerShell module to update Windows 11 and press Enter:

    Install-Module PSWindowsUpdate

    Install module PSWindowsUpdate

  4. Type “Y” to accept and press Enter.

  5. Type “A” to install the module and press Enter.

  6. Type the following command to allow scripts to run on PowerShell and press Enter:

    Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
    Quick tip: If you’re getting a PowerShell error about a policy being defined at a more specific scopeuse the Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser command. You can learn more about the steps to change the execution policy to run scripts on PowerShell here.
  7. Type the following command to import the installed module (if applicable) and press Enter:

    Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate

    PowerShell import module

  8. Type the following command to view a list of the 20 most recent updates and press Enter:

    Get-WUHistory | Select-Object -First 20

    Windows 11 view installed updates

  9. Type the following command to select and remove the update with PowerShell and press Enter:

    Remove-WindowsUpdate -KBArticleID KBNUMBER

    In the commandreplace “KBNUMBER” with the update number you want to block. This example blocks the KB5072033 update:

    Remove-WindowsUpdate -KBArticleID KB5072033
  10. Type “A” to accept and install the module and press Enter.

Once you complete the stepsthe device may need to restart to complete the process.

If the above instructions do not workthe Command Prompt instructions should also work with PowerShell.

Uninstall update on Windows 11 from WinRE

To uninstall an update using the Windows Recovery Environmentuse these steps:

  1. Start PC on WinRE.

    Quick tip: Depending on the severity of the problemyou can access the recovery environment in a few ways. You can use this guide to learn the methods to access the recovery settings and then continue with the steps below.
  2. Click on Troubleshoot.

  3. Click on Advanced options.

  4. Click on Uninstall Updates.

    Advanced options uninstall updates

  5. Click the “Uninstall latest quality update” option.

    Uninstall latest quality update

  6. Sign in using your administrator credentials.

  7. Click the “Uninstall quality update” button.

After you complete the stepsthe computer will uninstall the most recent update from your device (if available).

Uninstall update on Windows 11 from Safe Mode

To remove updates on Windows 11 from Safe Modeuse these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for msconfig and click on System Configuration to open the app.

  3. Click the Boot tab.

  4. Check the Safe boot option under the “Boot options” section.

  5. Choose the Minimal option to start Windows 11 in Safe Mode. You can also select the Network option to boot Windows 11 with networking support.

    MSConfig Safe Boot

  6. Click the Apply button.

  7. Click the OK button.

  8. Restart the computer.

  9. Sign in to your account.

  10. Use the “Windows key + R” keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.

  11. Type Control Panel and click the OK button.

    Open Control Panel Safe Mode

  12. Click on Programs.

    Programs settings

  13. Click the “View installed updates” option.

    Windows 11 Safe Mode view installed updates

  14. Select the “KB” update to remove.

  15. Click the Uninstall button.

    Safe Mode uninstall updates

  16. Click the Yes button.

  17. Restart the computer.

The only caveat with this option is that Windows 11 will continue to boot into Safe Mode until you revert the changes.

After resolving the problemyou can revert the changes using the same instructionsbut in step 4clear the “Safe Boot” option.

In addition to using Control Panelwhile in Safe Modeyou can also use Command Prompt and PowerShell commands to remove updates from Windows 11.

Additional considerations

  • Backup your files: Before uninstalling any update (especially if using WinRE or command-line methods)make sure your data is backed up. Although uninstalling an update is generally safeyou never know when an error can occur.

  • Understand the risks: Uninstalling security updates might leave your system vulnerable to known issues. Only remove an update if it’s known to cause system instability or other critical problems.

  • Reinstall the update: If you still need the features or fixes provided with that specific updateconsider reinstalling it after troubleshooting or waiting for a revised version.

  • Limitations: Some updates cannot be uninstalled because they are necessary for the operating system to run. If the update you’re targeting isn’t listedit may fall into this category.

  • Control Panel: You can no longer uninstall quality updates from the Control Panelas the experience is now managed by the Settings app.

System updates are not the same as driver updates. If you’re dealing with driver issuesthe process to remove a driver update is differentbut you can still use the Settings app to complete this process. You can also use Device ManagerControl Paneland Command Prompt.

This guide outlines the steps to remove security and quality updates. HoweverMicrosoft also offers feature updateswhich you can uninstall from the computer to roll back to the previous versionbut the steps are different. You may even have to perform a clean installation of Windows 11 to uninstall the feature update.

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About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert and founder of Pureinfotech in 2010. With over 22 years as a technology writer and IT Specialist Mauro specializes in Windowssoftwareand cross-platform systems such as LinuxAndroidand macOS.

Certifications: Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), VMware Certified Professional (VCP)and CompTIA A+ and Network+.

Mauro is a recognized Microsoft MVP and has also been a long-time contributor to Windows Central.

You can follow him on YouTube, Threads, BlueSky, X (Twitter), LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].