In this post, you’ll learn how to remove Windows Updates using PowerShell. We will quickly look into the steps to uninstalling the problematic update from your Windows PC using PowerShell.
Have you started noticing issues after performing Windows Update? If yes, then your first task is to identify the update that is causing issues. You can easily do that by checking the updates installed on a specific date. You have to identify the culprit update(s) and remove it or wait for Microsoft to release a separate patch for the issue.
To remove Windows updates using PowerShell, you can utilize the wusa.exe command-line tool and execute it from within PowerShell. It’s recommended to create a system backup or restore point before proceeding.
Please note that removing Windows updates can have implications for system stability and security. It’s generally recommended to only remove updates if they are causing significant issues or conflicts. You’ll need to be signed in as an administrator or with an account that has admin privileges in order to remove the update.
Get installed updates using PowerShell
Use the following PowerShell command to list all the installed Windows updates along with their corresponding hotfix IDs:
wmic qfe list brief /format:table
The above command output will display a table with information about the installed updates, including the “HotFixID” column. Take note of the HotFixID(s) of the update(s) you want to remove.
Remove Windows Updates using PowerShell
Perform the following steps to remove Windows Updates using PowerShell
- Open PowerShell with administrative privileges. To do this, right-click on the Start button and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Windows Terminal (Admin).
- Run the command wusa /uninstall /kb:updateID (Replace the UpdateID with the actual KB Update ID).
- Wait for the removal process to complete. Once finished, the specified Windows update(s) should be uninstalled from your system.
Note: Some updates may require a restart after they have been uninstalled. Click Restart Now to restart the computer and complete the update uninstallation on Windows PC.