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Windows 11 will offer a brief period to go back to Windows 10 if you don't like it

If you upgrade form Windows 10 to Windows 11, Microsoft offers a very small grace period where you can roll it back with all your data intact.

TJ Denzer

July 8, 2021 8:00 AM

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As we ponder the possibilities of Windows 11 coming up this year, so too do many wonder about what happens if it’s not up to their preferences, or just plain stinks. It’s a huge pain to have to back up all your files and get an entire operating system installed so you can put them back on it, so it may come as a small relief that Windows will offer some level of respite if you upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and end up wanting to go back. There will be a grace period in which you can do just that. However, if you wait too long, it will take a clean install of Windows 10 to go back.

Microsoft revealed the details on rollback from Windows 11 to Windows 10, as well as the grace period in which to do so in the FAQ section of the Windows 11 main page. According to the FAQ, if you upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, you can roll back the upgrade with all of your files and settings intact as long as you do it within 10 days of the upgrade.

An operating system is kind of a big deal and 10 days doesn’t really sound like a long enough time to get a full feel for whether one likes a new edition of Windows or not, but this grace period is arguably better than nothing. Windows 11 was revealed during a special livestream event from Microsoft back in June 2021. It’s set to bring a number of quality upgrades to the Windows operating system, including support of Android apps and new features to support gaming via Microsoft’s services like Auto HDR.

Regardless, if you do take the plunge from Microsoft 10 to 11, it should also be free when it launches around holiday 2021 if you have an updated copy of Windows 10 installed. Just make sure you be mindful of the grace period on Windows 11. If you get past the 10-day mark, getting back to Windows 10 after that is going to be a bit more of a challenge if you want to keep everything in your PC intact. Stay tuned for more updates on Windows 11 as they become available later this year leading up to its release date.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.