Amar Bhattarai: How to Uninstall a Windows Update and Block It

To uninstall a Windows update, go to Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates, pick the KB, and click Uninstall. If it's a recent cumulative update, that often fails — drop to a terminal and use DISM instead. Then pause or defer updates so Windows doesn't just reinstall it.

How to uninstall a Windows update from Settings

The graphical route is where most people should start. On Windows 11, open Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates. You get a list of removable updates with their KB numbers and install dates — find the one that landed right before things broke, click Uninstall, and reboot when prompted. Microsoft's official steps match this exactly.

On Windows 10 the path is Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View update history > Uninstall updates. Same idea, one extra click.

Here's the catch that trips people up: not everything shows up here, and some updates flat-out refuse to uninstall. Servicing stack updates (SSUs) can't be removed at all — that's by design. And on current Windows 11, the monthly cumulative update is bundled with the SSU into a single package, so the GUI may not offer it. When that happens, you go to the command line.

How to uninstall a Windows update with wusa and DISM

First, get the exact KB number. The old wmic qfe command is being retired, so use PowerShell:

# Quick list, newest first
Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending

# More detail (HotFixID + install date)
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_QuickFixEngineering | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object HotFixID, InstalledOn

The old standby is wusa. Open an administrator Command Prompt or terminal and run:

wusa /uninstall /kb:5034441

# Scripted/silent — Microsoft now flags quiet uninstall as a security risk:
wusa /uninstall /kb:5034441 /quiet /norestart

On modern Windows 11, wusa often just fails. I've watched it return error 2147942487 — "The parameter is incorrect" — on cumulative updates, because it can't peel the latest cumulative update (LCU) out of the combined SSU+LCU package. That's not your mistake; it's the package design. DISM is the tool that actually works.

List the installed packages, find the rollup, and remove it by name:

DISM /Online /Get-Packages /Format:Table
DISM /Online /Remove-Package /PackageName:Package_for_RollupFix~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~26100.2314.1.10

The package name is long and version-specific — copy it exactly from your own Get-Packages output, don't reuse the number above. PowerShell does the same job with Remove-WindowsPackage -Online -PackageName ... -NoRestart. DISM works at the package level instead of the KB level, which is why it removes what wusa won't.

Two things DISM can't undo: the SSU stays once it's installed, and Defender definition updates can't be pulled either. Don't waste time fighting those.

How do I roll back a Windows update if the PC won't boot?

If a bad patch leaves you at a black screen or a boot loop, you can't reach Settings — so roll back the Windows update from the Windows Recovery Environment instead. Force the machine off during boot two or three times and Windows drops into WinRE on the next try. From there: Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Uninstall Updates.

You get two buttons: Uninstall latest quality update (the monthly cumulative) and Uninstall latest feature update (a version jump like 23H2 to 24H2). Pick the one that matches what broke. This works on Windows 11 and on Windows 10 21H2 and later.

Feature updates follow a separate rule. After a version upgrade, Windows keeps the old version around for about 10 days so you can go back (Settings > System > Recovery > Go back). Miss that window and the rollback files get cleaned up — at that point a repair install from an ISO is your realistic option, not a one-click revert.

How do I stop a bad update from reinstalling?

Uninstalling solves nothing on its own. Windows Update sees the patch is missing and reinstalls it on the next scan, usually within a day. To actually block a bad update you have to stop it being offered again.

The quickest stopgap is to pause. On Windows 11, Settings > Windows Update > Pause updates buys you up to 35 days — the older dropdown offers 1 to 5 weeks, and newer builds give you a calendar you can keep extending. Defender security definitions still come through, so you're not going fully dark. That's usually long enough for Microsoft to ship a corrected patch.

Don't bother with the old "Show or hide updates" troubleshooter (wushowhide.diagcab). Microsoft retired the MSDT platform it runs on, stopped distributing the file, and on current Windows 11 it usually can't even see the cumulative update you're trying to hide. It worked well for years; it doesn't now.

On Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise, Group Policy is the cleaner lever. Run gpedit.msc and go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Windows Update for Business. "Select when Quality Updates are received" defers the monthly cumulative up to 30 days. "Select when Preview Builds and Feature Updates are received" defers version upgrades up to 365 days.

If your problem is a feature update specifically — you want to sit on 23H2 and not get moved up — enable "Select the target Feature Update version" and type the version you want to stay on. Don't stack that with feature deferrals; pick one. And know the override: once your version is 60 days past end of service, Windows upgrades you anyway.

Home edition has no Group Policy editor. You can set the same keys in the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate (TargetReleaseVersion and TargetReleaseVersionInfo to pin a version), but Microsoft officially treats these as ignored on Home — sometimes they hold, sometimes they don't. On Home, pause is the tool you can rely on.

Method	What it does	Stops reinstall?	Edition
Settings > Uninstall updates	Removes a quality update via the GUI	No	All
wusa /uninstall	Removes standalone or older updates	No	All
DISM /Remove-Package	Removes a combined SSU+LCU cumulative update	No	All
WinRE > Uninstall Updates	Removes the latest update when the PC won't boot	No	Win10 21H2+ / Win11
Pause updates	Delays all updates up to 35 days	Temporarily	All
Group Policy quality deferral	Holds monthly updates up to 30 days	Yes	Pro / Enterprise
Feature deferral / target version	Holds or pins version upgrades up to 365 days	Yes	Pro / Enterprise
KIR (Microsoft-driven)	Reverts one bad non-security change	Yes	All

My order of operations on a machine a bad patch just broke: uninstall the update (DISM if wusa balks), pause updates for a couple of weeks, then check the release health dashboard to see whether a fix is already on the way. That covers the immediate damage without leaving the box unpatched for long.

What is KIR (Known Issue Rollback)?

Sometimes you don't need to remove anything, because Microsoft already pulled the broken part. That's KIR — Known Issue Rollback. When a non-security fix in an update causes a regression, Microsoft can flip that single change back to its old behavior while leaving the rest of the update, including every security fix, in place.

It works because non-security fixes ship with the old code still inside, switched off. A KIR config just switches the new code off and the old code back on. It only ever applies to non-security changes — rolling back a security fix would reopen the hole it patched.

On a home or unmanaged PC, KIR is automatic. Microsoft pushes the config through the Windows Update cloud, usually within about a day of pinning down the problem, and it takes effect after a reboot. You do nothing. Often you never notice the bug at all, because the rollback reaches you before the bad update does.

Managed and domain-joined machines are different. Microsoft publishes a KIR Group Policy template as an .msi, linked from the update's KB article and the release health dashboard at aka.ms/windowsreleasehealth. You run the MSI to drop the ADMX/ADML files into C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions, create a GPO pointing at the affected build, and — this is the part that catches everyone — set the policy to Disabled to apply the rollback. Disabled means "roll the fix back." Then run gpupdate /force and reboot. The policy is temporary; once Microsoft ships the corrected update, you remove it. Microsoft's Known Issue Rollback guide has the full walkthrough.

So before you start yanking cumulative updates, check the release health dashboard. If the issue you're hitting already has a KIR, the fix may arrive on its own — and waiting one reboot beats removing a month of security patches.

Quick FAQ

Will uninstalling a Windows update delete my files?

No. Removing a quality update only rolls back that patch's system changes — your documents, apps, and settings stay put. Removing a feature update can revert some settings and remove apps you installed after the upgrade, so back up first if you're rolling back a whole version.

Can I uninstall a security update?

You can, but you're reopening whatever vulnerability it closed. Only do it to fix a confirmed, serious fault, and reinstall the corrected update as soon as Microsoft ships one. For a non-security regression, check whether a KIR already handles it before removing anything.

Why does my update keep coming back after I remove it?

Because uninstalling and blocking are two different jobs. Windows reinstalls anything missing on the next scan. Pair the removal with a pause (up to 35 days) or a Group Policy deferral so the patch isn't offered again.

How long can I pause Windows 11 updates?

Up to 35 days at a time on retail builds. Older builds cap each pause at 5 weeks; newer ones let you pick a date and keep extending it, which effectively means as long as you want. Pro and Enterprise can go further with Group Policy — 30 days for quality updates, 365 for feature updates.

Can Windows 11 Home block one specific update?

Not cleanly. Home has no Group Policy editor and the old hide tool is dead. Your practical options are pausing all updates for up to 35 days, or pinning your feature version through the registry (which Home may or may not honor). For a single bad monthly patch on Home, pause and wait for the fix.