The "go back to the previous version of Windows" feature is a recovery option available in Windows 11. It lets you go back to the previous version of the operating system after performing an upgrade, which is useful If you find the newer version is unstable or error-ridden. However, in most cases, you will only have 10 days to roll back the update.

Microsoft reduced the earlier 30-days limit to 10 days, citing users’ usage behavior of the feature. But, if you want, you can extend the 10-days rollback period to 60 days in Windows 11 using a Command Prompt and registry hack. Here we show you how.

1. How to Check and Extend Rollback Limit for Go Back to the Previous Version

You can run the DISM (Deployment Image Servicing Management) command-line utility to extend the rollback period from 10 days to 60 days. Here's how to do it.

  1. Press the Win + X key to open the WinX menu.
  2. Next, click on Windows Terminal (Admin) to launch the terminal app in elevated mode.
  3. By default, Windows Terminal uses PowerShell to run the commands. If you want to use Command Prompt, click the drop-down button in the toolbar and select Command Prompt.
    check rollback preiod windows 11 command prompt
  4. Next, type the following command and press enter to view the current time limit for the Go back feature:
            DISM /Online /Get-OSUninstallWindow
        
  5. The output will show the number of days (10) set on your system currently.
  6. If you see the Error 1168 – Element not found, it means the old backup is deleted, and you cannot go back to the previous version for the current version.
    extend rollback period windows 11 command prompt
  7. Next, type the following command to extend the 10-day limit for Go back to the previous version:
            DISM /Online /Set-OSUninstallWindow /Value:NDays
        
  8. In the above command, replace NDays with the number of days you want to extend the time limit to. For example, if you want to extend it to 50 days, the complete command will look something like this:
            DISM /Online /Set-OSUninstallWindow /Value:50
        
  9. Press Enter and wait for the command to execute. The output will show The operation completed successfully message.

That’s it. The next time you perform an upgrade or install feature updates, Windows will keep the backup for 50 days before deleting it.

Related: How to Downgrade From Windows 11 to Windows 10

2. Extend the Go Back to Previous Version Period Using Registry Editor

In some cases, you may encounter the Error 1168 – Element not found when running the DISM tool to extend the rollback time limit. This error occurs if Windows has deleted the Windows.old and $Windows.~BT folders after the rollback period has ended or during a manual cleanup by the user.

Fortunately, you can work around this error by adding a UninstallWindow DWORD value in the Registry Editor. Here's how to do it.

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
  2. Type regedit and click OK to open the Registry Editor.
    uninstall window DWORD 32 bit value Setup key registry editor
  3. In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following location:
            HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup
        
  4. In the right-pane for the Setup key, locate the UninstallWindow value. If not, create a new DWORD value.
  5. Right-click on the Setup key select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  6. Rename the value as UninstallWindow.
  7. Next, right-click on the UninstallWindow value and select Modify.
    change value data uninstall window DWORD 32 bit value
  8. In the Edit dialog, select the Decimal option under Base. Then, type 50 in the Value data field. If you want to extend the time limit to 60 days, type 60 instead of 50.
  9. Click OK to save the changes.
  10. Close the Registry Editor and restart your PC. After the restart, you will have 50 days before the Go back to the previous version of Windows option is grayed out in Windows 11

Extending the Rollback Period from 10 to 60 Days

The Go back to the previous version of Windows 11 is a handy feature if you notice a performance downgrade, system stability issues, and other problems after performing an upgrade. However, the 10 days limit can be limiting if you discover a serious problem after the rollback period is expired.

Alternatively, you can go back to the previous version of Windows by performing a repair install. This way, you can reinstall the older/newer build of the Windows 11 OS without deleting the installed apps.