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Roll Back a Windows Update That Broke Something

Uninstall the exact KB, undo a feature update, and stop the same patch from reinstalling itself overnight.

by@guidox updated:10/31/26 time:30 min level:Intermediate tested on:Windows 11 24H2 works on:Windows 10, Windows 11 tools:PowerShell as administrator, The KB number
TL;DR

Uninstall the offending **KB** from **Update history**, then pause updates so it does not return before the next patch. A feature update is rolled back in **Recovery**, not in Update history.

Before you start

Requirements

  • Admin rights
  • The KB number
  • Thirty minutes
Step by step

Instructions

01

Find the update installed that evening

Sort by install date and compare with the day the problem started. A driver package and an OS update often land on the same evening, which is why the date alone is not proof.

Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 5
02

Uninstall it from the history page

The Settings page lists removable packages with their KB number. This is the supported path and it also removes the pending install state.

Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates
03

Use the command when the page hides it

Older standalone packages can be removed directly. The quiet switch needs a restart to finish.

wusa /uninstall /kb:5031354 /quiet /norestart
⚠ warningwusa refuses packages that Windows Update owns. The error is generic and does not say which type it found.
04

Remove a stubborn package with DISM

The package list contains the exact identifier the removal needs, including the architecture and build suffix.

dism /online /get-packages | findstr /i Package_for
tipCopy the whole name, not only the KB part. A truncated name fails with 0x800f0805.
05

Roll back a feature update

A version upgrade is undone in Recovery, which restores the previous Windows folder as a whole. That is a different mechanism from uninstalling a cumulative update.

Settings > System > Recovery > Go back
⚠ warningThe option exists for ten days and only while Windows.old is intact. A cleanup tool that removed it takes the rollback with it.
06

Keep the patch from returning

Pausing holds updates for up to five weeks. Long enough to wait for a fix, short enough that security patches come back.

Settings > Windows Update > Pause updates
Troubleshooting

Common issues

The uninstall list is empty

Cumulative updates drop off it after a while. Use the DISM package route instead.

Go back is greyed out

Windows.old was deleted or the ten-day window closed. A reinstall is the remaining option.

The update came back overnight

Pausing expires, and a metered connection only delays the download. Check the active pause date.

The problem is still there after the rollback

The cause was a driver or an application. Undo those next, one at a time.

FAQ

Frequently asked

Do I lose files when removing a cumulative update?

No. Only OS components revert; user data and installed applications stay.

Will the security fixes come back?

Yes. The next cumulative update contains them again, so uninstall only the broken build.

How to undo this

Reinstall the package from the Microsoft Update Catalog, or run Settings > Check for updates once the pause ends.

Changelog · 1 entry
  1. 2026-10-31
    First version
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