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Can you downgrade a new computer installed with Windows 11 down to Windows 10?

Clarification:

  • I am not asking about downgrading after upgrading (like an undo). As I am aware that is possible!
  • I am not stuck downgrading to Windows 10. I have a device that came with Windows 11 and want to know if I have a license for Windows 10 built in somehow. That is all.

Reasoning: My 10 year old workstation running Windows 10 does file explorer navigation faster than my new gaming laptop running Windows 11. Win 10 has immediate file explore response on an old system, where Win 11 never does and often has 10+ second wait times in some folders. All the same software installed -- which I keep quite minimal. Both running OneDrive.

APPEND: It was OneDrive that is making file/folder accessing slow in file explorer. It is not networked drives. I have the same OneDrive, same files/folders, on both machines, so it's Windows 10 vs. Windows 11 here, to my knowledge.

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    Only Windows 10 licenses can activate Windows 11, Windows 11 licenses cannot activate Windows 10, you might or might not have downgrade rights that varies between OEMs and regions.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Nov 8, 2023 at 4:09
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    10+ seconds? Either Windows 11 really happen to have some serious bug that caused it on your machine particularly, or more likely, it's not really about 10 vs 11.
    – Tom Yan
    Commented Nov 8, 2023 at 5:18
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    Are you using OneDrive or some other cloud storage on the new machine? Do you have a Quick Access link which is to a network share/path somewhere other than on the local machine?
    – spikey_richie
    Commented Nov 8, 2023 at 8:23
  • Tom and Richie, it's OneDrive making it slow... which is also on my Windows 10 machine. There is no networking happening on either.
    – Xonatron
    Commented Nov 9, 2023 at 15:12
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    Please report back once you're managed to run Windows 10. Would be interesting if this really did the trick with your OneDrive Explorer folder access time issue.
    – luttztfz
    Commented Dec 6, 2023 at 21:07

1 Answer 1

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I did this with my current laptop when I first purchased it, so here's the method I used. First, go to this site, and then select Download Now. Once it's downloaded, just run the installer, and it should guide you through the installation process.

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  • Wait, so it is possible?! With a laptop that came with Windows 11 installed? All the comments and downvoting above suggested otherwise. I am about to travel, so I cannot try this out now, but will look at in next week. Thank you.
    – Xonatron
    Commented Nov 15, 2023 at 22:18

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