I recently bought a Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 (Type 83EQ), and it came with Windows 11 preinstalled. I really dislike it, especially with all the marketing push for built-in software like Copilot. I'm looking to downgrade to Windows 10. However, I've found out that Lenovo doesn't officially support rolling back to Windows 10 for laptops shipped with Windows 11.
I'm curious if it's possible to ignore Lenovo's support and still install drivers from other sources for my hardware components. My CPU, GPU, and network card are all Intel, and they're not cutting-edge tech, so I think drivers should be available. I even discovered some Realtek drivers for Windows 10 on Lenovo's website, but they aren't listed for my specific laptop model. Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
I wanted to downgrade from Windows 11 for different reasons, but when I installed Windows 10, I faced no driver issues. Most components worked fine except for my trackpad, which was non-functional. But it wasn’t a huge deal for me since I only use Windows at home. Just make sure to have backups in case things go south! By the way, my laptop is a Vivobook 15 X1504VA if you’re comparing models.
The best approach is to grab the hardware IDs for your key devices like the network card and USB. Then, look for Windows 10 drivers for those IDs, even if Lenovo doesn't officially endorse it. You might find compatible drivers elsewhere that work for your setup.
That’s exactly what I found too! Lenovo does list some drivers for other laptop series that could potentially work for yours. Just be mindful of whether any unique hardware restrictions might affect your installation.
I had a similar experience where I tried going back to Windows 10, but it was a nightmare since none of the drivers worked initially. I lost all functionality — no audio, network, or even trackpad. I had to revert to Windows 11 after struggling for a while!