Step 2: Once you've backed up your PC, get installation media for Windows itself. It’s also worth noting that Microsoft doesn’t support Windows 8 anymore, only Windows 8.1, as it was part of an automatic update cycle. Step 1: Unfortunately, Windows can’t preserve programs or settings when flashing to an older version (only a newer one), so you’ll also want to get installation media for any crucial programs, especially those that require serial numbers. We have a separate piece that dives deeper into how you can back up your PC. An external drive or a cloud storage service is excellent, so long as it’s physically disconnected from the Windows computer you’ll be working on. SanDisk Back up and create installation mediaīefore beginning anything else, you must back up your important computer files to a separate location. Oh, and with Windows 11 being out now, we have some advice on how you can remove Windows 11 at the end of our guide. But we have an alternate method for rolling back to Windows 8.1 in the event you’ve just recently upgraded to Windows 10. Installation Media (USB, or CD) for the Windows version you want to installĪ USB drive or other hard drive for backupsĪnother note: With Microsoft ending support for Windows 8 long ago, you have to fully uninstall Windows 10 to roll back to a previous version.

Downgrading windows 10 to windows 7