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How to fix Windows 10/11 rollback loop

10 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Since Windows 10 is a free upgrade Microsoft has left you the ability to roll back to the previous version of Windows if you’re not pleased withWindows 10. Unfortunately, a number of users reported that therollbackprocess is stuck on Windows 10 and that users are unable to revert back to an older version of Windows.

Windows 10 rollback stuck: How to fix it?

Not being able to rollback to the previous build of Windows can be a big problem, and speaking of issues, here are some common problems reported by users:

Solution 1 – Force a restart or shutdown

A number of users reported that they are unable to roll back from Windows 10 and that they are getting stuck on a blue screen with a loading icon. This can be a big problem if Windows 10 isn’t working for you and if you want to revert to the older version. Few users reported that you can fix this problem simply by forcing a restart or a shutdown.

According to users, the rollback process is stuck and thehard driveindicator doesn’t show any activity. After the restart, the indicator will start blinking again and the rollback process should start working without any problems.

Solution 2 – Use Legacy Boot

Several users reported that the rollback process was stuck due toUEFImode. According to the users, there was a problem with booting from a flash drive andDVDand that can sometimes prevent the rollback process.

To fix this issue you need to enterBIOSand change the Boot Mode from UEFI to Legacy. To do that follow these steps:

Solution 3 – Use a hard drive image to restore your system

If you are familiar with hard drive images, you probably have a backup hard drive image created. If you don’t use any backup software, then you most likely don’t have a backup image of your hard drive, so you can skip this solution.

If you created your hard drive image before upgrading to Windows 10, you can simply back up your system by using that hard drive image.

Once again, this solution only works if you created a hard drive image before upgrading to Windows 10.

Yes, you can through this process called a Rollback that we discussed in this article.Missing rollback option? Check out our guide.

Solution 4 – Leave your computer running for a couple of hours

Sometimes rollback process can take a couple of hours to complete, and users reported that rollback will be completed after a few hours if you wait patiently. In some cases, the rollback process might encounter a restart loop, but leaving the computer for a few hours can sometimes fix the problem according to some users.

Solution 5 – Use Command Prompt

According to users, if your PC is stuck during the rollback process, you might be able to fix it by running a couple of commands inCommand Prompt.

Since you won’t be able to boot to Windows, you’ll need to start Command Prompt outside of Windows and run the necessary commands. You can do that by following these steps:

Once the scan is finished, try to access Windows 10 again. If the problem is still there, you might need to run a couple of additional commands. To do that, follow these steps:

After the commands are executed, check if the problem is still there.

Solution 6 – Perform an in-place upgrade

In case you’re not familiar, the in-place upgrade process will force Windows 10 to update to the latest version while keeping all your files intact. To perform an in-place upgrade you’ll need the following:

To fix this problem, first, you need to downloadMedia Creation Toolon another PC and run it. Now follow these instructions:

Now, wait while the Media Creation Tool creates a bootable media. After creating a bootable media, you can switch back to your PC. Connect the USB drive to the affected PC and do the following:

The setup process will now start. To upgrade your PC and keep your files, you just need to do the following:

Once you finish the setup, you should have the latest version of Windows installed, and everything should be exactly as you left it.

IfChoose what to keepoption isn’t available, it means that the ISO file isn’t the same as your version of Windows, so you’ll need to download a new ISO file, or continue and lose all your files on your system drive.

Solution 7 – Reinstall Windows

Sometimes the only solution is toreinstallWindows completely, and in order to do that, you’ll need Windows installation media. Bear in mind that reinstalling Windows will delete all files from your C drive, therefore we urge you to back them up.

If you cannot access Windows 10 due to a certain problem, you can always boot your PC from a LiveLinuxCD, and use Linux to find and back up your files.

To reinstall Windows 10, you just need to do the following:

Once the installation is finished, the problem should be resolved completely. Now you just need to move your files from the backup and you’re good to go. Keep in mind that this is a drastic solution, so you should use it only if other solutions can’t fix the problem.

This brings us to the end of this guide. But before we add the last punctuation mark, there are two important things we’d like to mention.

Exit and continue to Windows rollback loop

This is by far the most annoying and frequent issue that Windows 10 users may encounter. The OS initially asks users to exist any programs in order to go back to Windows. But this rarely works.

However, if you encounter this problem, try to shut down or restart your PC. Sometimes, this might help with the glitches and fix your problem. But in most cases, this error message stays on the screen even after users restarted or shut down their computers several times.

Choose an operating system Windows rollback

If the rollback attempt is successful, you will be asked to choose a previous operating system to go back to for the rollback. Usually, this is a restore point previously created.

But shortly after the rollback, Windows 10 might automatically search for updates. If you don’t want to repeat the whole rollback process all over again, don’t forget todisable automatic Windows 10 updatesas soon as the rollback is completed.

Well, the rollback process can sometimes get stuck, and if that’s the case, we suggest that you try all solutions from this article.

How to fix Windows 10/11 rollback loop#

Windows 10 rollback stuck: How to fix it?#

Solution 1 – Force a restart or shutdown#

Solution 2 – Use Legacy Boot#

Solution 3 – Use a hard drive image to restore your system#

Solution 4 – Leave your computer running for a couple of hours#

Solution 5 – Use Command Prompt#

Solution 6 – Perform an in-place upgrade#

Solution 7 – Reinstall Windows#

Exit and continue to Windows rollback loop#

Choose an operating system Windows rollback#