How to Downgrade Windows 10 to Windows 7 or 8.1

Are you facing issues after upgrading to Windows 10? If your answer is “yes” and you think Windows 10 is not a good fit for you, then you have landed at the right place. You can downgrade your Windows 10 to Windows 7 or 8.1 within 30 days. But, after 30 days of upgrading, Windows 10 will delete previous versions of Windows.

The first thing you should check is the Windows.old folder in your C drive. This Windows.old folder contains files from the old version of Windows and it is automatically deleted after 30 days of upgrade. So, after 30 days, you can’t downgrade your Windows 10 to Windows 8.1 or 7.

Windows.old Folder In C Drive In Windows 10
Windows.old folder in C Drive in Windows 10

SEE ALSO: How to make free Space in C drive in Windows 11 and 10?

Downgrade your Windows 10 and Go Back to Windows 7 or 8.1

So, you need to have Windows.old folder in your C drive in order to go back to Windows 8 or 7. However, if you don’t have Windows.old folder, you can always perform a clean install of Windows 7 or 8.1. But we are assuming that you have Windows.old folder in your C drive.

In this tutorial, we will downgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 7. However, the process is similar for Windows 8.1 as well. So, let’s go through the steps.

Step 1: Go to Update and Security Settings

First of all open Settings and go to Update and Security.

Scroll Down And Select Update And Security In Windows 10 Settings
Select Update and Security in Windows 10 Settings

Step 2: Go to Recovery and Initiate Downgrade

In Update & Security settings, select Recovery from the left pane. After that, click Get Started under “Go back to Windows 7 or 8.1“. This option helps you to go back to the previous version of Windows.

Select Recovery From Left And Click Get Started Under Go Back To Windows 7 Or 8.1
Select Recovery from left and click Get Started under Go back to Windows 7 or 8.1

Step 3: Provide Feedback for Downgrading to Windows 7 or 8.1

Now, Windows 10 will take feedback from you, about why do you want to downgrade your Windows 10 to Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. Select the preferred option from the list and click Next.

Select A Reason For Downgrade From Windows 10 To Windows 7 Or 8.1
Select a reason for downgrading

Windows 10 may prompt you to run Windows Update, simply click on the “No, thanks” button.

Skip checking for updates before downgrading
Skip checking for updates before downgrading

Next, Windows 10 will tell you about what you are going to lose after downgrading from Windows 10. Just click Next to continue.

Click Next To confirm downgrading
Click Next to continue

Step 4: Start Downgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 7 or 8.1

You must remember your previous Windows User Password. After downgrading, you will be using previous Windows user Accounts. If you don’t remember your old Windows 7 or 8.1 password, you can reset it.

So, click Next on the “Don’t get locked out” screen.

Dont Get Locked Out Make Sure You Know Windows 7 Or 8.1 Password
Don’t Get Locked out – Make sure you know Windows 7 or 8.1 password

Finally, click on the “Go back to Windows 7 or 8.1” button to start the process to downgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 7 or 8.1.

Click Go Back To Windows 7 Or 8.1 To Start Downgrade Process
Click Go back to Windows 7 or 8.1 to start the downgrade process

Step 5: Sign in to Windows 7 or 8.1 after Downgrading

Now, your computer will restart and the downgrade process will start. It may take some time. So, you can have a coffee in the meantime.

Restoring Your Previous Version Of Windows
Restoring the previous version of Windows

After successfully downgrading your Windows 10 to Windows 7 or 8.1, you will see your old Windows. Simply log in using the credentials for your old Windows 7 or 8.1 account. Finally, you will see the desktop.

Windows 7 Desktop
Windows 7 Desktop

Go Back to Windows 7 or 8.1 from Windows 10

You have successfully downgraded back to Windows 7 or 8.1 from Windows 10. You can now use your old Windows. However, if you think of upgrading to Windows 10 or installing a clean copy of Windows 10, you can always do that. Plus Microsoft has ended the support for Windows 7 and 8.1. So, Windows 10 or Windows 11 is a great choice.

Hope you liked this tutorial. Feel free to comment if you face any problems. You can also share your suggestions below. You many also subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest updates via email.

Editorial Staff

Hi there, we are the editorial staff at WINDOSPC (former HELLPC). We are a team of funny and technical people. Feel free to get in touch with us via Contact-Us page.

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