Downgrade Windows 10 with EaseUS System GoBack

Martin Brinkmann
Jul 22, 2015
Updated • Jul 5, 2017
Software, Windows 10
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Next week, millions of Windows 7 and Windows 8 systems will be upgraded to Windows 10 thanks to Microsoft's free upgrade offer and promotion via the operating system's Windows Update service.

The operating system becomes available in stores and pre-installed on computers around the same time.

At least some users may want to downgrade to their previous operating system after an upgrade, and while Microsoft ensured users that this is possible for the first 30 days after upgrading the machine to Windows 10, some users may want to take precautionary measures to make sure they have a fallback plan they can rely on.

There are several possible reasons for wanting to downgrade, from incompatible hardware over user interface issues to program incompatibilities. It is likely that some systems were upgraded even though their users did not want that to happen.

EaseUS, best known for ToDo Backup, released a free program for Windows that claims to do exactly that.

The program, which you can install on all versions of Windows starting with Windows XP, can best be described as a simple one-click version of the company's ToDo backup.

It backs up the whole system when you run it so that you can restore it at a later point in time. While there are numerous backup programs that offer the same feature, it the simplicity of the process that sticks out.

There is also something about the upgrade process that users need to take into consideration, but more about that later.

system goback free

Here is how it works:

  1. You download EaseUS System GoBack from the developer website. Downloads were available immediately on a Windows 7 system while I was asked to provide an email first on a system running Windows 10.
  2. Install the program afterwards. It may take a moment to complete. Please note that you cannot use it if you have a version of ToDo Backup installed. If you do, you can use it instead to create the backup.
  3. Launch System GoBack afterwards and follow the simply wizard to create the backup of the Windows partition. The backup may take a while to complete depending on the size of the Windows partition.
  4. When you want to go back to your old operating system, simply run the software again and select the go back option that is displayed in the interface.

The program is only of use if you run it prior to upgrading to Windows 10 (or any other system for that matter). If you get a system running Windows 10, or want to downgrade without having created a backup first using the program or another one, then you won't be able to go back using third-party software.

You may still be able to restore the old version of Windows using the native downgrade option in the first 30 days after the upgrade.

Note: While it is theoretically possible to downgrade after the 30 day period using System GoBack, you will notice that your license key for the old operating system may not valid anymore after that time period as it gets converted during the upgrade.

It is also unclear how the program handles that if you restore an earlier version of Windows, and if you can restore to an activated operating system after the 30 day grade period.

It is suggested therefore to try the official downgrade option first before you use this program.

We will update this article with information when things become clearer.

Summary
Downgrade Windows 10 with EaseUS System GoBack
Article Name
Downgrade Windows 10 with EaseUS System GoBack
Description
Software company EaseUS's latest program System GoBack allows you to downgrade to a previous operating system after upgrading to Windows 10.
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Publisher
Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. Mark said on October 2, 2015 at 2:34 pm
    Reply

    Just used this program and I wanted to go back to 8.1 from win 10, followed the instructions and was asked to reboot to start the process and the PC screen says loading please wait and has been like that for some time now. The only thing I see working is the Caps lock and Scroll lock lights now flash green together….

  2. JohnK said on July 23, 2015 at 12:45 pm
    Reply

    How can a computer be upgraded to windows 10 if the user doesn’t want it upgraded? I reserved a copy of windows 10, does that mean my computer will be upgraded automatically???

    1. Jeff said on July 23, 2015 at 2:23 pm
      Reply

      You can unreserve Windows 10.

      Here are the steps:

      1. open the Get Windows 10 app (in systray)

      2. click on the three horizontal lines (top left)

      3. select View Confirmation

      4. ‘cancel reservation’ link is on the left hand side.

      5. confirm (twice)

    2. Martin Brinkmann said on July 23, 2015 at 1:19 pm
      Reply

      No, but I suspect that some users have accepted the offer without fully knowing what it entails.

  3. jasray said on July 23, 2015 at 3:52 am
    Reply

    Not sure why a majority of bloggers are informing readers that an upgrade to Windows 10 is not only necessary [for various reasons] and required by Microsoft. It isn’t.

    If users have one full year for a “free” version of Windows 10, why enlist a bunch of guinea pigs to test Windows 10 for Microsoft? The same thing happened with Vista and Windows 7. All these users followed the masses, upgraded as their dear guru-blogger suggested, tried to downgrade since they were given the secret tools/knowledge to outwit Microsoft, and became unhappy users who are still doing the same thing–listening to the masses, encountering major problems in stable RTM releases, and becoming unhappy users.

    I think Martin is well aware of the option to forgo the Windows 10 update, and he has written an article on how to do so.

    There’s no hurry. Honestly, the free upgrade will be around for a long time. Wait for the massive updates and fixes that will surely come over the next 10 months, then upgrade to a stable system. Yes, I know–the RTM is stable. How many times do we need to read that misinformation?

    Me thinketh I’ll stick with what I have and enjoy the rest of the year. Maybe next summer . . . .

  4. dwarf_t0ssr said on July 23, 2015 at 2:47 am
    Reply

    Good point regarding possible old OS key getting converted/revoked when using a 3rd party tool to backup/restore. I think I’m going to wait for reports on how it handles older games and other things before I jump in, though.

  5. DonGateley said on July 22, 2015 at 10:03 pm
    Reply

    What I want is something like this that _only_ backs up and restores the operating system and its settings and leaves any new program installations or changed program settings alone.

    My application environment evolves on an almost daily basis (much of that with things that gHacks tells me about) and I don’t want to go backward in time with that environment should I decide after using it for a while that the OS itself is not for me.

    1. Decent60 said on July 23, 2015 at 2:38 am
      Reply

      If you leave your computer on all the time, then you can get a program that does incremental backups and set it to do it daily/nightly and then after the initial backup, it’ll do changes to the system (new programs, pictures, etc). Not a perfect one but for what you want, that’s as close as you’re going to get.

  6. Henk van Setten said on July 22, 2015 at 8:57 pm
    Reply

    To be honest, I fail to see why this software would be needed. You can do exactly the same thing without it.

    To make an exact and restorable copy of your entire system drive (and any other drives, if you need to) just use Windows’ own System Image Backup feature. In Win7 it’s easy to find, in 8.1 it’s somewhat hidden at the bottom left of the File History screen (open from Control Panel).

    To restore your old system later, reboot Windows 10 into Troubleshooting mode, then choose Advanced Options, then choose System Image Recovery.

    This built-in route may take a few more clicks than the EaseUS tool, but in fact it works exactly the same.

    1. Simon Page said on July 24, 2015 at 7:40 am
      Reply

      We prefer to use windows built-in functions and they seems more reliable, that’s the common situation. EaseUS goback helps users who are not familiar with the Windows system backup and especially in Windows 10, it’s an easier way and users want more specific operation. So if you know how to use system image to backup and restore windows, it’s a recommended way, but if you want do it with ease and no worries, try EaseUS.

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