How to uninstall quality updates on Windows 10

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• You can uninstall Windows 10 updates using Settings, Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Advanced startup.
• The easiest way to remove updates is from Settings > Update & Security > View update history > uninstall updates.
• If Windows 10 won’t start, use the Advanced startup options to uninstall the problematic update.

Although Windows 10 updates are meant to fix problems and improve the experience, sometimes these quality patches can cause more issues than they solve. For instance, it is not uncommon to see updates rolling out with bugs breaking features and drives, compatibility problems with software or hardware, and other issues that can negatively affect users. 

However, if you come across a problem after applying an update, Windows 10 includes different options to remove a particular update to mitigate the problem using the Settings app, Command Prompt, PowerShell, and even using the Advanced startup options when you cannot access the desktop.

In this guide, you will learn four different ways to remove problematic updates from Windows 10.

How to uninstall Windows 10 updates using Settings

To uninstall a quality updates using the Settings app, use these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 10.

2. Click on Update & Security.

3. Click on Windows Update.

4. Click the View updates history button.

   

   View update history option

5. Click the Uninstall updates option.

   

   Uninstall updates option

6. Select the Windows 10 update you want to remove.

7. Click the Uninstall button.

   

   Control Panel Uninstall updates

8. Click the Yes button.

Once you complete the steps, the computer will release to apply the changes to revert to the previous state of the device.

How to uninstall Windows 10 updates using Command Prompt

To uninstall a quality update with Command Prompt, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

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2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and 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

   

   Installed updates list

4. Check the Windows Update history of your device, and identify the update by its HotFixID and InstalledOn information.

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

   wusa /uninstall /kb:KBNUMBER

   In the command, replace KBNUMBER for the KB number corresponding to the update you are trying to uninstall.

   This example removes the update KB5001391 from Windows 10:

   wusa /uninstall /kb:5001391

   

   Uninstall Windows 10 updates command

6. Click the Yes button.

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

After you complete the steps, the update will be removed from the computer.

How to uninstall Windows 10 updates using PowerShell

To remove Windows 10 updates with PowerShell commands, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

3. Type the following command to install the PowerShell module to update Windows 10 and press Enter:

   Install-Module PSWindowsUpdate

   

   PSWindowsUpdate

4. Type A to accept and install the module and press Enter.

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

   Get-WUHistory | Select-Object -First 20

   

   PowerShell installed updates command

6. Type the following command to select and block the update with PowerShell and press Enter:

   Remove-WindowsUpdate -KBArticleID KBNUMBER

   In the command, make sure to replace KBNUMBER with the update number you want to block.

   This example blocks the KB5003191 update:

   Remove-WindowsUpdate -KBArticleID KB5001391

7. Type A to accept and install the module and press Enter.

Once you complete the steps, the device may need to restart to complete the process.

If the above instructions do not work, the Command Prompt steps will also work in PowerShell.

How to uninstall Windows 10 updates using Advanced startup options

To uninstall a quality update using the Advanced startup options on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Start the device in Advanced startup.

   Quick tip: Depending on the severity of the problem, you can access the Advanced startup options in a few ways. You can use this guide to learn all the methods to access Advanced startup, and then continue with the steps below.

2. Click on Troubleshoot.

   

   Troubleshoot option

3. Click on Advanced options.

   

   Advanced options

4. Click on Uninstall Updates.

   

   Uninstall updates from Advanced startup

5. Click the Uninstall latest quality update option.

   

   Uninstall latest quality updates

6. Sign in using your administrator credentials.

7. Click the Uninstall quality update button.

   

   Advanced startup uninstall quality update option

After you complete the steps, the system will uninstall the latest quality update on your device (if available).