'Undoing Changes Made to Your Computer': What It Means

What this message means in plain English

'Undoing changes made to your computer' appears on a plain screen during a restart, often after Windows has spent some time installing an update. It means that update did not finish. Windows is now removing the changes it had already put in place.

The goal is simple. Windows is putting your system files and settings back as they were just before the update began, so the PC returns to the version that was starting and working. Nothing on this screen means the PC is being wiped or set up again.

This is a real Windows status screen, not a warning from an app and not an error code by itself. It tells you what Windows is doing right now. It does not tell you why the update stopped, or what failed.

That lack of detail is the hard part. The same few words can cover many different failures, so the message alone cannot point you to a fix. The specific reason is saved as an error code in Update History, which you can check after you sign back in.

Why Windows rolls an update back instead of pushing through

Windows checks the update as it restarts, before you sign in. If part of the new version fails that check, Windows stops the install instead of finishing it anyway. Finishing would risk leaving you with a PC that cannot start normally the next time you turn it on. That early check gives Windows a way out before the change is final.

A common reason is a clash with something already on the PC. A driver for a printer or display, a security program, or an older system file may not work with the changed files. It may only appear once Windows tries to load the new files. Windows treats that clash as a reason to stop and return to the version that did work.

The update itself can also be the problem. Its files may be incomplete or damaged, and the drive may have too little free space to finish. A loss of power during the restart can interrupt the work in the same way and trigger the same rollback. In each case, Windows cannot trust that the new version is complete.

That choice is deliberate. Windows keeps the last working version available so it can put that version back when the new one fails its checks. A rollback can be frustrating, especially after a long wait, but it means the safety check worked. It does not mean the PC is broken for good.

What was not lost when the update was undone

Your photos, documents, videos, and other personal files are not removed when Windows undoes an update. Files in Documents, Pictures, Desktop, and Downloads stay where they were. Email saved on the PC is also left alone. The rollback works on the update, not on files you created, received, or saved yourself.

Programs you had before the update stay in place, and so do your settings from before it began. That includes your desktop layout, sign in choices, printer setup, and settings inside your programs. Windows restores the earlier working state, so it keeps that state as it was instead of starting over.

What gets removed is much narrower. Windows removes the failed update itself, along with changes that update had just made to system files and system settings. If part of the update was already installed when the problem was found, that part is reversed too. Nothing beyond that failed change is the target. The update may be offered again later, even though this attempt was removed.

There is one clear limit. If a file, program, or setting was already missing before the update began, this screen does not explain why. Undoing the update will not bring back something that was deleted earlier. That is a separate problem, and it needs separate attention after you can sign in again.

How long to wait, and signs it is truly stuck

Leave the PC plugged in and switched on, and give this screen at least one hour. An older PC, or one with a nearly full drive, can take much longer, so do not judge it by the first 20 or 30 minutes. Set a timer, step away, and check back rather than watching it. Keep the lid open on a laptop.

Spinning dots mean Windows is still working. A flickering drive light, fan noise, or a restart partway through point the same way. The screen may stay unchanged for long stretches and then move on without warning, so any of those signs is a reason to keep waiting. Those signs matter more than how long the words on screen have stayed the same.

If the same screen is still there after many hours, with no spinning dots, no drive light, and no restart, treat it as stuck. The same applies if the PC restarts and keeps coming back to this screen in a loop. At that point, stop waiting and use the Safe Mode and automatic repair routes linked from this page.

Find the real error code in Update history after you sign back in

Once you can sign in again, do this before you try the update again. The rollback screen gave you no reason, but Windows saved one in Update history. The entry from that restart is the only one you need here. On Windows 11, open Settings, select Windows Update, then select Update history. On Windows 10, open Settings, select Update & Security, select Windows Update, then select View update history.

Look at the newest entries first, and find the update marked 'Failed to install' on the date of the rollback. Check the time if more than one failure is listed that day. This was the update Windows removed. Older updates marked 'Successfully installed' are not the record you need. Do not use an older failed entry, because its code may point to a different problem and a different fix.

Write down both parts shown with that entry. The first is the KB number in the update name, which names the update itself. The second is the error code with it, for example 0x80073712, which names why it failed. Keep the two together, even if the code looks like a string of numbers you do not recognize. A screenshot or a photo of the entry works too.

Search this site for the exact code. That takes you to the fix page for that failure, rather than general update advice. If the entry lists no code, write down the KB number, the date, and the time instead, and search for the KB number. Do not guess a code from another entry or from a similar message online. Keep the note somewhere safe.

Try the update again once, and what to do if it rolls back again

Once you are signed back in and you have written down the code from Update history, one more try is reasonable. It gives Windows a clean start after a one-off problem, such as a dropped connection. Save and close all open work first, plug in a laptop, and restart the PC once from Start, Power, then Restart. Wait until the desktop has fully loaded before you continue.

Before you try again, check that the internet is working by opening a web page. Look at free space on the Windows drive as well. The update needs room to download and install, so some free space matters. If space looks very low, do not delete photos, documents, or other personal files to make room. Follow our guide to freeing space safely instead, then return here.

When you are ready, open Settings, go to Windows Update, and select Check for updates. One check is enough for this retry. Stay plugged in and leave the PC alone while it downloads and restarts. Do not force it to turn off if the screen looks slow. If this try installs and you can sign in as usual, you are done and no further action is needed.

If it rolls back a second time, stop there. Do not run the same update again and again, because the same failure will likely return. Repeating it will not fix it. Pause updates for now (see our guide to pausing updates) and keep using the working version you have. Then follow the fix page for the exact code you wrote down, and try again only after that cause is fixed.