If a recent update has caused problems on your Bazzite system, you can return to a previous working version using a built in tool called Bazzite Rollback Helper, also known as brh. While it sounds super simple in theory, there are a few things that can slow down and complicate the process so follow along as we walk you through the process step by step.

OPTION 1: How to Roll Back to a Previous Version of Bazzite

This is the most common situation. Your system was working fine, you rebooted after an update, and now something is broken. Yep! Bazzite and Linux have similar problems to Windows... So work through these steps to fix it:

• Open a terminal and run:

• Use the arrow keys to select Rollback.

• Press Y to confirm, then press Enter.

• This switches your system back to the previous image you were running before the current update.
• After the rollback completes, reboot your computer. Once restarted, you will be running your previous working image.

Disable Automatic Updates After a Rollback

If you are using the desktop version of Bazzite, automatic updates are enabled by default. This means the system may update you back to the problematic image after rebooting.

• To prevent this, disable automatic updates.
• Open a terminal and run:

• Select Disable from the menu.
• Enter your password and press Enter. Automatic updates will now remain off until you manually re enable them.
• You can still perform manual updates using the System Update option in the menu.
• If you are using bazzite deck images, automatic updates are not enabled by default, so this step is not required.
• When you are ready to receive updates again, run the same command and select Enable.

OPTION 2: Rebase to an Older Image

Sometimes the previous image has the same issue. If the problem started several updates ago, you may need to go further back.

The rebase feature allows you to switch to any Bazzite image released within the last three months.

• Open a terminal and run:

• Take note of your current image. For example, you may see bazzite, bazzite gnome, or another variant. This tells you exactly which image you are running.
• Select Rebase and wait for the image list to load.
• Select your current image name from the list. Then choose Stable to see all stable releases from the past three months.
• Images are sorted by date. Select a version from before the date when your system started having issues. Confirm by pressing Enter, then Y, and enter your password.
• Wait for the rebase process to complete, then reboot your system.

Important:

When you rebase to a specific dated image, you are pinned to that exact version. You will not receive system updates until you rebase back to the stable branch.

• When you are ready to return to normal updates, run:

• This places you back on the stable branch and restores normal update behavior.

Switching Bazzite Variants

The rebase feature can also be used to switch between Bazzite variants.

For example, you can switch from the desktop version to bazzite deck for handheld devices or home theater systems. You can also switch GPU specific images such as bazzite nvidia open if you install a new Nvidia graphics card, or return to the standard image for AMD or Intel GPUs.

However, switching between desktop environments is not supported. For example, do not switch from a KDE based image to a GNOME based image, as this can cause system instability.

OPTION 3: System Will Not Boot

In the worst case, your system may not boot after an update. You might see a black screen or be unable to log in.

Do not panic. Bazzite keeps your previous image available in the GRUB boot menu.

• Restart your computer.
• As soon as it begins booting, repeatedly tap the up arrow key to trigger the GRUB menu.
• If the Bazzite logo appears, restart and try again.

In the GRUB menu, you will see multiple boot entries.

The entry ending with ostree 0 is your current image.
The entry labeled ostree 1 is your previous image.

• Select the ostree 1 entry and press Enter to boot into your older working image.
• Once booted, run the rollback process using brh so the system defaults to this image on future restarts. Then disable automatic updates to prevent reinstalling the problematic version.