How to Downgrade Laptop from Windows 10 to Windows 8.1/7?

Downgrade laptop Windows 10 within 30 days

Windows 10 provides an option to downgrade laptop from Windows 10 to Windows 8.1 or Windows 7. If Windows 10 has any issues, or you somehow just happen to hate it, you click the button “Go back to Windows 8.1or 7”. That is really convenient. However, this button is only available for a month after you upgrade to Windows 10. Here are the steps to go back:

1. Click on Start button and select Settings to open the Settings application.
2. Navigate to Update & security, and then click Recovery.
3. Under the option “Go back to Windows 8.1 or 7”, just click the option “Get started”.

4. At next screen, write something about why want to rollback to previous version of Windows, and then click a few Nexts to continue.
5. At last, click on the button “Go back to Windows 8.1 or 7”, and wait for the process to finish.

The process will take one hour or two depending on how much data on your Windows.old folder.

Downgrade laptop Windows 10 after 30 days

A Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 laptop will create the Windows.old and $Windows.~BT and $Windows.~WS directories after upgrading to Windows 10. All the data on the previous version will be saved in the Windows.old folder. After 30 days running Windows 10, these folders will automatically be deleted, resulting in the option “Go back to Windows 8.1or 7” missing. In order to rollback after 30 days, you can rename these folders or back them up to other location keeping their original names. Of course, this has to be done within 30 days.

When you need to revert to windows 8.1 from windows 10, you can change these folders’ names to their original names or restore them to the original location. Then change the date and time of your computer to a date that is with the 30-day period. Finally, you should find the “Go backup to Windows 8.1 or 7” option available again under Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.

Theoretically, this will work, but if it fails, you can reinstall Windows 8.1 or 7, and then recover the data back from the Windows.old folder.

More convenient way to downgrade

To have an easier and securer way to rollback laptop to Windows 8.1 or Windows 7, you can create a system backup with a freeware AOMEI Backupper Standard before upgrading to Windows 10. AOMEI Backupper comes with an intuitive interface, so you can back up or restore to the previous version of Windows effortlessly. With AOMEI PXE boot tool or bootable media, you can restore your system even when your computer fails to boot. To go back to previous Windows with AOMEI Backupper:

1. Install and open AOMEI Backupper or boot your computer from the bootable media. Both ways will bring you the AOMEI Backupper interface.

2. Click on “Restore” tab, and click "Select Task" or “Select Image File” to select the system image backup that you created before upgrading to Windows 10. Then click “Next”.

3. Select a backup image and click the "Next" button to recover your system to the point in time the backup was taken.

4. Choose to restore the entire image or part and click "Next".

5. In the "Operation Summary" page, preview the operation that will be executed. Then, click "Start Restore". Wait for the process to complete, and then click Finish.

Conclusion

All in all, with AOMEI Backupper, you can downgrade laptop from windows 10 to windows 8.1 or 7 with a few clicks at any time. Besides, it also support dissimilar hardware restore, system clone, file sync and many other useful features.