# How to Fix the "Undoing Changes" Loop in Windows 11

URL: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-undoing-changes-made-to-your-computer-windows-11/
Published: 2026-07-26 | Author: Ankit Kumar
Tags: Windows 11, Troubleshooting, System, Fix, Updates
Summary: Stuck on "We couldn't complete the updates, undoing changes made to your computer"? Break the loop and install the update properly with these step-by-step fixes.
Recommended app: PC-Troubleshooter — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/windows-troubleshooter/ (Microsoft Store: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9N7RWKW8SP24?hl=en-us&cid=mytechnician-web). Optional; every step below uses built-in Windows tools.

## The Problem
Your PC reboots into **We couldn't complete the updates. Undoing changes made to your computer.** It sits there for a long time, restarts, and does the same thing again — sometimes on a loop that never reaches the desktop.

Windows tried to apply an update, hit an error partway through, and is rolling back. The rollback itself is working as designed; the job is to find **why the update fails** so the loop stops.

> **Reaching the desktop between attempts?** Everything below is easy. **Never reaching the desktop?** Skip to Step 2 to get into Recovery, then come back.

## Symptoms
* Blue screen text: **We couldn't complete the updates. Undoing changes made to your computer.**
* The same update reappears in Windows Update and fails again after every restart.
* **Update history** shows a failed install with a code such as `0x800f0922`, `0x80070002`, or `0x8007000d`.

## Step 1: Let It Finish Once
A rollback of a feature update can genuinely take **30-60 minutes**, and interrupting it is what turns a slow rollback into a broken install.

1. Leave the PC powered and plugged in. Do not hold the power button.
2. Watch the drive-activity light. If it is flickering, work is happening — wait.
3. Only if the screen is unchanged and the drive light has been dead for **over an hour** should you force a restart.

## Step 2: Get Into the Recovery Environment
Needed only if the loop never reaches the desktop.

1. Hold the power button to force off during the Windows logo. Do this **three times**.
2. On the fourth boot you land in **Automatic Repair** → **Advanced options**.
3. From here you can reach **Startup Settings** (for Safe Mode), **Uninstall Updates**, **System Restore**, and **Command Prompt**.
4. Full walkthrough: [how to enter Safe Mode in Windows 11](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-enter-safe-mode-windows-11/).

## Step 3: Uninstall the Failing Update
1. From **Advanced options** → **Uninstall Updates**.
2. Choose **Uninstall latest quality update** first; use **latest feature update** only if the loop began after a version upgrade.
3. If you can reach the desktop instead: **Settings** → **Windows Update** → **Update history** → **Uninstall updates**.
4. More detail: [roll back Windows 11 after a bad update](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-windows-11-after-bad-update-rollback/).

## Step 4: Clear the Update Cache
A half-downloaded update package will fail forever until you delete it.

1. Open **Terminal (Admin)** — or **Command Prompt** from Recovery.
2. Stop the services:
   ```
   net stop wuauserv
   net stop bits
   net stop cryptsvc
   ```
3. Rename the cache folders:
   ```
   ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
   ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old
   ```
4. Start them again:
   ```
   net start wuauserv
   net start bits
   net start cryptsvc
   ```
5. Restart and check for updates. Windows rebuilds both folders automatically.

## Step 5: Free Up Disk Space
Feature updates need **20 GB or more** free. Insufficient space is a top cause of rollbacks.

1. **Settings** → **System** → **Storage** and check free space on C:.
2. Run **Cleanup recommendations** → **Temporary files** and tick **Previous Windows installation(s)** and **Windows Update Cleanup**.
3. Deeper cleanup: [free up disk space when the C: drive is full](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/free-up-disk-space-c-drive-full-windows-11/).

## Step 6: Repair the Component Store
1. In **Terminal (Admin)**:
   ```
   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
   ```
2. Then:
   ```
   sfc /scannow
   ```
3. Restart and retry the update. Full guide: [repair Windows 11 with SFC and DISM](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-run-sfc-dism-repair-windows-11/).

## Step 7: Disconnect Hardware and Third-Party Security
1. Unplug external drives, docks, printers, and USB hubs. Feature updates routinely fail on an attached external drive.
2. Uninstall third-party antivirus with the **vendor's removal tool** — it is the second most common cause.
3. Restart and try the update again with only keyboard, mouse, and monitor attached.

## Step 8: Install the Update Manually
Bypassing Windows Update often works when the delivery path is the problem.

1. In **Settings** → **Windows Update** → **Update history**, note the **KB number** that fails.
2. Search that KB on the **Microsoft Update Catalog** and download the version matching your architecture (x64 for most PCs).
3. Run the `.msu` file directly and restart.
4. For a feature update, use the **Windows 11 Installation Assistant** from Microsoft, which does an in-place upgrade and keeps your files.

## Step 9: Pause Updates While You Work
1. **Settings** → **Windows Update** → **Pause updates** for a week.
2. This stops the loop restarting while you fix the underlying cause.
3. Long-term control: [stop Windows 11 automatic updates](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/stop-windows-11-automatic-updates/).

## What Not to Do
* **Don't power off during the rollback.** That is how a recoverable rollback becomes an unbootable install.
* **Don't delete files inside `C:\Windows\WinSxS`.** It is not junk, and removing it breaks servicing permanently.
* **Don't hide the update forever** without fixing the cause — you will miss security patches.

## Still Not Working?
If the same update fails after a cache reset, DISM repair, and a manual install, run an **in-place upgrade repair**: download the Windows 11 ISO, mount it, run `setup.exe` from inside Windows, and choose **Keep personal files and apps**. It rebuilds the OS without touching your data — see [reinstall Windows without losing data](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/reinstall-windows-without-losing-data/).

Related: [fix Windows Update stuck](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-windows-update-stuck-windows-11/), [fix Windows 11 update errors](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-windows-11-update-errors/), and [fix the automatic repair loop](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-automatic-repair-loop-windows-11/).

---
Source: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-undoing-changes-made-to-your-computer-windows-11/ — My Technician, free Windows 10/11 troubleshooting guides.
Related tool: PC-Troubleshooter (PC-Troubleshooter is a system diagnostic and repair tool for Windows 10 and Windows 11—hardware, drivers, network, and common fixes in one app.) — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/windows-troubleshooter/
More guides: https://www.mytechnician.tech/llms.txt