Windows 11 will give you 10 days to change your mind and revert back to Windows 10 if...

[Molematt]

TL;DR: If the UI updates in Windows 11 are not your cup of tea, or any other change to the operating system for that matter are hard to swallow, Microsoft will let you roll back to Windows 10 as it was. But beware, you'll have a rather short week window (pun intended) if you want to do so.

Microsoft's preview for Windows 11 is already live for Insiders. The final release of the OS is expected to ship with new systems later this year when it will become available as a free upgrade for existing PC owners, although automated updates won't be pushed until 2022.

That's certainly long enough to see how the new OS turns out if you're not an early adopter, but there may be things that you'll only be able to appreciate once you check it out yourself. In the past, once you upgraded to a newer Windows version you were stuck there, but according to a Windows 11 FAQ Microsoft has provided to manufacturers, they say that reverting back to Windows 10 will be possible.

Buried in the layers of questions about the controversial system hardware requirements for the upgrade -- or even what the difference is between an "update" and an "upgrade" -- the document states:

After you have installed the Windows 11 upgrade there is a 10 day period where you can move back to Windows 10 while keeping files and data that you brought along with you. After the 10 days you will need to back up your data and do a “clean install” to move back to Windows 10.

That's certainly 10 days more than you got with an upgrade from Windows 7 or 8.x to 10, but giving users less than a fortnight to try out such a major revamp to what might be a daily driver computer still seems like Microsoft are trying to rush a decision out of users.

If you do find the centered taskbar unbearable, it's mercifully easily to revert to the older OS; the Update & Security menu in Windows Settings allows you to recover your system to the previous Windows 10 build, complete with all the apps and data that you had.

The document also states that Windows 10 will be supported with updates through October 2025, and possibly beyond that depending on how uptake of Windows 11 goes. The Start menu as you've known it (for the last five years at least) should be sticking around a while longer.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/90381-windows-11-give-you-10-days-change-mind.html

 

[VitalyT]

I think Windows 11 will be ready for use, once Start11 is released (see Start10 https://www.stardock.com/products/start10/)

Then we can get Windows 11 without all the UI crap added after Windows 7.

 

[Sherwoodnt]

Still not seeing any good reason to 'upgrade' other than for the sake of having a higher number tied to my OS.

What am I missing? Anyone looking forward to a specific feature of W11? Would be interested to hear.

 

[Dimitriid]

Umm thanks, but I think I'll just use some third party tools to create my own image and roll it back on day 11 just to spite them.

Naaaah just kidding: I won't be upgrading to 11 since well, I don't need to because all the new features and functionality I had for years using third party apps and such.

 

[psycros]

I can't tell you if it will be possible in the final build but in the leaked version you CAN shift the start menu to the left where it belongs. Of course the whole thing is still rubbish and nothing but a new Windows Millenium.

 

[m4a4]

Still not seeing any good reason to 'upgrade' other than for the sake of having a higher number tied to my OS.

What am I missing? Anyone looking forward to a specific feature of W11? Would be interested to hear.

For gaming, it looks like some under the hood stuff is being implemented (like direct storage). They even revamped some of their UI functionality (hopefully more than skin-deep) as shown with the multi-monitor support.

Otherwise, it'll get more big features as the years go on (unlike W10). Whether or not they'll be good features will be debatable. But one could argue that incremental updates will be easier than waiting.

Unless W11 breaks work programs, I don't see why I personally wouldn't upgrade if given the opportunity.

 

[Danny101]

Not concerned about 11 until it's time for a new build. Got 4 years before that time, so I'm not even sweating it. In the meantime, I'll be studying Linux options.

 

[seeprime]

Or, simply make a drive image with Macrium Reflect, or another useful imaging program, and run 11 for 11 days or longer!

 

[ypsylon]

Proverb from antiquity:

Beware of Microsoft bearing gifts.

In a way it's really laughable compared how M$ shoved free W10 for 2 years to everybody.

If you want to test it for serious workflow and not games 10 days is most certainly not enough. 10 weeks OK, if M$ is into symbolism of numbers. It's good that there was no Windows 6, think they given you 666 days to test it. LOL

 

[Nobina]

So far it looks like Windows 10.1, probably not worth it unless you're bored with Windows 10.

 

[Biostud]

Since I'm running a 5820k I won't get it until I build a new system.

After tweaking the start menu in W10, I actually like it.

I doubt that win11 will break anything, that can't be tweaked to my liking.

One thing I don't understand is why a tabbed file explorer is not a thing yet...

 

[Faelan]

Or, simply make a drive image with Macrium Reflect, or another useful imaging program, and run 11 for 11 days or longer!

This^^^

I have 0 faith in Microsoft’s update and rollback features. I have a NAS and a spare SSD for this purpose.

 

[sak500]

I made an image of my boot drive before trying win 11 on my 8 year old laptop. I didn't even give it a day, reverted back to win10 in 30 mins. All those *****ic changes to easy tasks to make it more complicated are done for the sake of change. I'd stick to win 10 as long as I can like I stuck with win 7 instead of crappy win 8.

 

[trgz]

I guess that cloning your OS first gives you a lot longer than 10 days

 

[malleybu]

I won't be upgrading to 11 as I have the taskbar running down the left side of the screen, I've never had it running along the bottom, I hate it like that. I've disabled TPM in the BIOS so they can't try sneaking it on

 

[Geralt]

I am in Windows Insider. I got a rough Windows 11 build and it performs very decently. No BSOD and everything works as it should. I have been using it for two weeks by now. Good.

I have tons of programs and games and no problem so far.

And the centered taskbar is very easy to fix in the settings. And decent Start menu. There are some little glitches (it is still in the dev channel), but nothing serious. I like it.

 

[hahahanoobs]

I'm just here for the traditional, "I'm not upgrading, because - Microsoft" comments.

 

[Avro Arrow]

The most important technical advice when it comes to anything Microsoft:

DON'T BE AN EARLY ADOPTER!!!

I don't plan on switching to W11 until I really don't have a choice. I did the same thing with W7 and the same thing again (to an even GREATER degree) with XP Pro.

 

[bandit8623]

I may need to revert.. as my start menu takes a few minutes to actually show up at boot... And I even tried reverting to when it did work. Started after the cumulative update last week.

 

[TheBigT42]

Not the way I install operating systems.

Format and clean install is the only way I do it.

 

[wiyosaya]

There's an interesting article over at Tom's on installing Windows 11 - https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/clean-install-windows-11

 

[ZedRM]

Before I say what I'm going to, I'd like to preface with the following: I HATE/LOATH/DESPISE Windows 8, 8.1 & 10. Windows 7 IMHO was Microsoft's finest OS to date! So before anyone makes the "Fanboy" call-out, cram-it..

So far it looks like Windows 10.1, probably not worth it unless you're bored with Windows 10.

The improvements made to the UI in Windows 11 so far are worth the upgrade by themselves. However, there are functionality improvements as well that can not be treated lightly. This will be anything but "Windows 10.1".

 

[Geralt]

There's an interesting article over at Tom's on installing Windows 11 - https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/clean-install-windows-11

I didn't do a clean install, of course.

 

[wiyosaya]

I didn't do a clean install, of course.

I would not either. I thought the article interesting mainly because it looks like it is a way around having a product key to install.

 

[Geralt]

I would not either. I thought the article interesting mainly because it looks like it is a way around having a product key to install.

Yes, but that Windows 11 build is maybe very buggy.