Windows 10 downgrade to 8.1 - full instructions

If you are not satisfied with Windows 10 or if important programs are not running, you can downgrade to Windows 8.1. However, a prerequisite for this is that you have observed a few things when upgrading to Windows 10. In this guide, we show you which downgrade routes are available to you.

Rollback within the first 30 days

Windows 10 offers the opportunity to test the operating system for 30 days - and switch back to Windows 8.1 if you are not satisfied with Windows 10. The function is called "rollback". Nevertheless, we recommend that you create a backup, or even better, a system image of Windows 8.1 before upgrading to Windows 10 and save it to an external hard drive.

1. When upgrading to Windows 10, a "windows.old" folder is created. Under no circumstances should you delete this.
2. To return to Windows 8.1, open the system settings and select "Update & recovery".
3. In the next window, click on "Restore" on the right.
4. On the left side you will find "Go back to a previous version of windows". On the confirmation window, click "go back".
5. Your documents and photos are preserved. However, all changes and all installations since the update are lost.

System image recovery

We recommend that you create a system image of Windows 8.1 and save it to an external hard drive before upgrading to Windows 10.

• Before you upgrade to Windows 10, create a recovery drive on a USB stick. The function can be found under "Control Panel" -> "System and Security" -> "System (Create Recovery Drive)".
• Start with the recovery drive and then restore the system image.

Reinstall Windows 8.1

You cannot delete Windows 10. If you want to switch back to Windows 8.1, you can also reinstall Windows 8.1.

When installing Windows 8.1, however, some things can go wrong. In another practical tip, we explain what you can do if the Windows 8.1 installation failed.