How to Uninstall a Windows Update in Windows 10
Windows 10 automatically downloads and installs updates to make sure your device is secure and up to date. This means you receive the latest fixes and security updates, helping your device run efficiently and stay protected.
It's not recommended to uninstall a Windows Update, but you may need to if you are having an issue with an installed update.
This tutorial will show you different ways on how to uninstall a Windows Update in Windows 10.
You must be signed in as an administrator to uninstall updates.
There are some Windows updates that cannot be uninstalled:
Servicing stack update
See also: ADV990001 | Latest Servicing Stack Updates | Microsoft MSRC
Installation notes
Servicing stack updates contain the full servicing stack; as a result, typically administrators only need to install the latest servicing stack update for the operating system.
Installing servicing stack update does not require restarting the device, so installation should not be disruptive.
Servicing stack update releases are specific to the operating system version (build number), much like quality updates.
Search to install latest available Servicing stack update for Windows 10.
Once a servicing stack update is installed, it cannot be removed or uninstalled from the machine.
Contents
- Option One: How to Uninstall a Windows Update in Control Panel Programs and Features
- Option Two: How to Uninstall a Windows Update in Settings
- Option Three: How to Uninstall a Windows Update in Command Prompt with WUSA
- Option Four: How to Uninstall a Windows Update in Command Prompt with DISM
- Option Five: How to Uninstall Latest Quality or Feature Windows Update in Advanced Options at Boot
- Option Six: How to Uninstall a Windows Update in Command Prompt at Boot
1 Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the Programs and Features icon.
2 Click/tap on the View installed updates link on the left side. (see screenshot below)
3 Select an update (ex: KB2058109) that you want to uninstall, and click/tap on Uninstall in the toolbar. (see screenshot below)
4 Click/tap on Yes to confirm. (see screenshot below)
5 If prompted by UAC, click/tap on Yes.
6 If a restart is needed to finish uninstalling the update, then click/tap on Restart Now or Restart Later for what you want to do. The update will not be completely uninstalled until you restart the computer. (see screenshot below)
1 Open Settings, and click/tap on the Update & Security icon.
2 Click/tap on View update history on the right side. (see screenshot below)
3 Click/tap on the Uninstall updates link, and go to step 3 in OPTION ONE above. (see screenshot below)
1 Open an elevated command prompt.
2 Copy and paste the command below into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter to see a list of all installed Windows Update packages. (see screenshot below)
3 Type the command you want to use below into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshots below)
(Uninstall update and prompt to confirm uninstall and restart computer.)
wusa /uninstall /kb:updateID
(Silently uninstall update without user interaction. Automatically restart computer as needed)
wusa /uninstall /kb:updateID /quiet
(Silently uninstall update without user interaction, and will not restart computer. You will need to manually restart computer later.)
wusa /uninstall /kb:updateID /quiet /norestart
(Silently uninstall update and warn user for so many specified seconds before automatically restarting computer)
wusa /uninstall /kb:updateID /quiet /warnrestart:seconds
(Silently uninstall update and prompt to restart computer as needed)
wusa /uninstall /kb:updateID /quiet /promptrestart
(Silently uninstall update without user interaction. Forcefully close applications and restart computer)
wusa /uninstall /kb:updateID /quiet /forcerestart
Substitute updateID in the commands above with the actual KB number of the update you want to uninstall.
Substitute seconds in the warn command above with how many seconds you want to be warned before automatically restarting the computer.
For example:wusa /uninstall /kb:3058109 /quiet /warnrestart:30
4 If prompted, click/tap on Yes to confirm. (see screenshot below)
5 If prompted when a restart is needed to finish uninstalling the update, then click/tap on Restart Now or Restart Later for what you want to do. The update will not be completely uninstalled until you restart the computer. (see screenshot below)
1 Open an elevated command prompt.
2 Copy and paste the command below into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter to see a list of all installed Windows Update packages. (see screenshot below)
dism /online /get-packages /format:table
3 Make note of the package name (ex: "Package_for_KB4555452~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.1.3180") of the update (ex: "KB4555452") you want to uninstall. (see screenshot above)
4 Type the command below into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
dism /online /Remove-Package /PackageName:<PackageName>
Substitute <PackageName> in the command above with the actual package name (ex: "Package_for_KB4555452~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.1.3180") from step 3.
For example: [c]dism /online /Remove-Package /PackageName:Package_for_KB4555452~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.1.3180
5 If a restart is needed to finish uninstalling the update, you will be prompted to type Y or N to restart the computer now. (see screenshot above)
This option is only available starting with Windows 10 version 1809.
1 Boot to Advanced Startup.
2 Click/tap on Troubleshoot. (see screenshot below)
3 Click/tap on Advanced options. (see screenshot below)
4 Click/tap on Uninstall Updates. (see screenshot below)
5 Click/tap on Uninstall latest quality update or Uninstall latest feature update for which type of last update you want to uninstall. (see screenshots below)
Feature updates
With Windows 10, Microsoft will package new features into feature updates that can be deployed using existing management tools. Because feature updates are delivered more frequently than with previous Windows releases — twice per year, around March and September, rather than every 3–5 years — changes will be in bite-sized chunks rather than all at once and end user readiness time much shorter.
Quality updates
Monthly updates in previous Windows versions were often overwhelming because of the sheer number of updates available each month. Many organizations selectively chose which updates they wanted to install and which they didn’t, and this created countless scenarios in which organizations deployed essential security updates but picked only a subset of non-security fixes.
In Windows 10, rather than receiving several updates each month and trying to figure out which the organization needs, which ultimately causes platform fragmentation, administrators will see one cumulative monthly update that supersedes the previous month’s update, containing both security and non-security fixes. This approach makes patching simpler and ensures that customers’ devices are more closely aligned with the testing done at Microsoft, reducing unexpected issues resulting from patching.
6 Click/tap on the administrator account you want to provide credentials for to approve this action. (see screenshot below)
7 Type the password for this administrator account, and click/tap on Continue. (see screenshot below)
8 Click/tap on Uninstall quality update or Uninstall feature update for what you selected. (see screenshots below)
9 The update will now start uninstalling. (see screenshots below)
10 If the update was successfully uninstalled, click/tap on Done. (see screenshot below)
11 You can now restart the computer back into Windows 10.
This option can be helpful when you are unable to sign in or boot into Windows 10.
See also: DISM Operating System Package (.cab or .msu) Servicing Command-Line Options | Microsoft Docs
1 Boot from your Windows 10 installation USB or recovery drive, and open a command prompt at boot (Shift+F10).
2 Copy and paste thewmic logicaldisk get name
command into the command prompt, and press Enter to see a list of all available drives by drive letter. (see screenshot below step 3)
If the
wmic logicaldisk get name
command doesn't work for you, then you could type thediskpart
command instead, press Enter, type theList Volume
command, and press Enter to see a list of all available drives by drive letter.
3 Type the command below into the command prompt, and press Enter to see if this drive letter (ex: "C") has a Windows directory or not. If not, repeat the command with a different drive letter until you find the drive letter with the Windows directory. (see screenshot below)
dir <drive letter>:
Substitute <drive letter> in the command above with a drive letter (ex: "C") from step 2 to see if it has a Windows directory or not.
For example:dir C:
4 Type the command below into the command prompt, and press Enter to see a list of all installed Windows Update packages. (see screenshot below)
dism.exe /Image:<drive letter>:\ /get-packages /format:table
Substitute <drive letter> in the command above with the drive letter (ex: "C") from step 3 that has a Windows directory.
For example:dism.exe /Image:C:\ /get-packages /format:table:
5 Make note of the package name (ex: "Package_for_KB4537759~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.1.0") of the update (ex: "KB4537759") you want to uninstall. (see screenshot below)
6 Type the command below into the command prompt, and press Enter to uninstall the update. (see screenshot below)
dism.exe /Image:<drive letter>:\ /Remove-Package /PackageName:<PackageName>
Substitute <drive letter> in the command above with the drive letter (ex: "C") from step 3 that has a Windows directory.
Substitute <PackageName> in the command above with the actual package name (ex: "Package_for_KB4537759~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.1.0") you want to uninstall from step 5.
For example: [c]dism.exe /Image:C:\ /Remove-Package /PackageName:Package_for_KB4537759~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.1.0
7 When it has finished uninstalling, typeexit
into the command prompt, and press Enter to close the command prompt.
8 Close any other open Windows, and restart the computer to finished uninstalling the update.
That's it,
Shawn
Related Tutorials
- How to Check for and Install Windows Updates in Windows 10
- How to Hide or Show Windows Updates in Windows 10
- How to View Windows Update History in Windows 10
- Choose How Windows Updates are Delivered in Windows 10
- How to Create a Windows Update Shortcut in Windows 10
- How to Defer Feature and Quality Updates in Windows 10
- How to Clear Windows Update History in Windows 10
- How to Reset Windows Update in Windows 10