Estimated Time to Fix: 10 minutes

Summary

Microsoft releases Windows updates to keep your computer secure, but sometimes these updates contain bugs. If your computer suddenly starts blue-screening, your printer stops working, or an app refuses to open immediately after a Windows update, you can safely uninstall the update to temporarily fix the problem until Microsoft releases a patch.

Before You Start

• You must have Administrator rights on your computer.
• You need to know roughly what day the update was installed.

Instructions

1. Uninstall the Update in Windows 11

Windows 11 keeps update history and the uninstall button together in Settings.

1. Open the Start Menu, type Settings, and press Enter.
2. Click Windows Update on the left sidebar.
3. Click Update history.
4. Scroll down to the bottom and click Uninstall updates.
5. You will see a list of recent updates, sorted by date. Look for an update installed on the day your computer started having issues (these usually start with "KB", like KB5031455).
6. Click the Uninstall button next to that specific update.
7. Confirm by clicking Uninstall again.
8. Restart your computer when prompted.

If the left sidebar has no Windows Update entry, you are on Windows 10 — its Settings app opens on a grid of tiles with Update & Security instead. Use Step 2, which reaches the same uninstall list through Control Panel.

2. Uninstall the Update in Windows 10

Windows 10 routes the same job through Control Panel, so the path looks different.

1. Open the Start Menu, type Settings, and press Enter.
2. Click Update & Security.
3. Click View update history.
4. Click Uninstall updates at the top of the page.
5. A classic Control Panel window will open. Click on the column header Installed On to sort the list by date.
6. Right-click the problematic update (look for the "KB" number) and select Uninstall.
7. Click Yes to confirm, then restart your computer.

3. Pause Updates (Crucial Step)

If you uninstall the update but do not pause Windows Update, your computer will automatically reinstall the broken update tomorrow.

1. Go back to Settings > Windows Update (or Update & Security in Windows 10).
2. Look for the Pause updates section.
3. Use the dropdown menu to pause updates for 1 week (or click the button a few times to pause for up to 5 weeks).
4. Why 1 week? Usually, if a Windows update breaks printers or causes blue screens globally, Microsoft pulls the update and issues a patched version within a week.

Troubleshooting

WARNING

Never uninstall "Security Updates" unless instructed by an IT professional. You should generally only uninstall "Quality Updates" or "Feature Updates" if they are actively causing system failure.

Symptom / Error	Potential Cause	Solution
"Uninstall" button is missing	Feature Update limit	Major "Feature Updates" can only be uninstalled for 10 days. After that, Windows deletes the backup files to save space.
Computer won't turn on to uninstall the update	Boot loop	Wait for the computer to crash 3 times, which triggers the blue "Advanced Startup" screen. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Uninstall Updates.

Related Articles

• Understanding Windows 11 24H2: Common Bugs and Fixes
• How to Fix "Page Fault in Non-Paged Area" (BSOD Basics)

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