How to uninstall an update on Windows 11

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On Windows 11, you can uninstall any update, including KB5006674, through the Windows Update settings, using commands with Command Prompt or PowerShell, or booting into the Advanced options recovery environment or Safe Mode if the rollout is causing problems that prevent the computer from starting correctly.

Although Microsoft releases quality updates to fix problems and improve the experience of Windows 11, sometimes they cause more issues than they solve. For example, it’s not rare to see a monthly update with bugs breaking features, drivers, compatibility, and other problems that can negatively affect the user experience.

However, whether the device was recently updated automatically or you installed an update manually, you have multiple ways to remove it and roll the system back to the previous known good working state.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to uninstall updates from Windows 11 in five different ways to bring back the system to a good working state.

Uninstall a Windows 11 update using Settings

To uninstall a problematic Windows 11 update, use these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

2. Click on Windows Update.

3. Click the Update history page on the right side.

   

4. Under the “Related settings” section, click the Uninstall updates option.

   

5. Select the Windows 11 update to remove – for example, KB5006674.

6. Click the Uninstall button.

   

7. Click the Yes button.

8. Restart the computer.

Uninstall a Windows 11 update using Command Prompt

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

1. Open Start.

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

   

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 KB5006674 from Windows 11:

   wusa /uninstall /kb:5006674

   

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 running Windows 11.

Uninstall a Windows 11 update using PowerShell

To remove an update on Windows 11 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.

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

   Install-Module PSWindowsUpdate

   

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

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

   Get-WUHistory | Select-Object -First 20

   

   Quick note: If the command doesn’t work, you may need to change the PowerShell execution policy. You can try this command: Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned. After changing the execution policy, you should be able to run the commands. After completing the steps, you can make the policy restricted again with the Set-ExecutionPolicy Restricted command.

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

   Remove-WindowsUpdate -KBArticleID KBNUMBER

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

   This example blocks the KB5006674 update:

   Remove-WindowsUpdate -KBArticleID KB5006674

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 instructions should also work with PowerShell.

Uninstall a Windows 11 update using Advanced options

To uninstall an update using the Windows 11 Advanced options, 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.

3. Click on Advanced options.

4. Click on Uninstall Updates.

   

5. Click the Uninstall latest quality update option.

   

6. Sign in using your administrator credentials.

7. Click the Uninstall quality update button.

After you complete the steps, the computer will uninstall the most recent update like KB5006674 from your device (if available).

Uninstall a Windows 11 update using Safe Mode

To uninstall updates on Windows 11 from Safe Mode, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

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

3. Click the Boot tab.

4. Under the “Boot options” section, check the Safe boot option.

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

   

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.

    

12. Click on Programs.

    

13. Click the View installed updates option.

    

14. Select the update to remove – for example, KB5006674.

    

15. Click the Uninstall button.

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 problem with the device, you can revert the changes using the same instructions, but on step No. 4, make sure to clear the Safe boot option. Also, there are a number of techniques to access the “Advanced Startup Options” recovery environment. You can refer to this guide to learn the different techniques.

In addition to using Control Panel, while in Safe Mode, you can also use Command Prompt and PowerShell commands to remove updates from Windows 11.