How To Stop A Windows Update

How to stop a Windows 10 update

Put updates on concord

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Welcome to our guide on how to stop a Windows x update. Updating your PC is an important part of maintaining its general health and wellbeing. Windows 10 updates often contain fixes for critical bug, and installing them tin keep your PC running smoothly.

But there are times when y'all may non desire to install an update. A frequently used program of yours may not be compatible with the latest update; in that example, you lot may want to defer the update until y'all can find a suitable culling.

And then how do you lot stop a Windows 10 update? While you tin't stop information technology installing forever, there are means to filibuster it for a while. In this guide, we'll bear witness you how information technology'southward washed.

1. Interruption automated updates

Click the Start carte du jour, and so the Settings cog. At present go to 'Update & Security', click 'Windows Update' on the left-manus side, then click 'Advanced options'. Under 'Pause Updates', toggle the switch to 'On'. This volition intermission Windows updates for 35 days, but yous'll need to download the latest updates once that period is over if you desire to pause farther updates.

You can also choose to defer characteristic updates by up to 365 days and quality updates (which contain important security fixes) past up to 30 days. Once these periods are upward, you'll need to download updates before you tin defer them once again.

2. Meter your network connexion

This is another simple affair to try. Click First, then click the Settings cog. From here, click 'Network & Net', so click 'Wi-Fi' in the left-manus column, then the name of your Wi-Fi connection. Curlicue down to the 'Metered connection' section and toggle the 'Gear up equally metered connection' switch to 'On'.

This tells Windows ten that you're on a limited data programme, with the issue that information technology won't automatically push updates to you (although y'all tin yet manually install them). However, if you're on an Ethernet connexion this method won't work, so you'll have to effort one of the other methods in this guide.

three. Prevent a downloaded update from installing

In one case an update has started installing, y'all shouldn't stop it – doing then tin be potentially dangerous for your PC. However, if Windows x has downloaded an update but hasn't started installing it yet, you lot tin nonetheless stop information technology.

In the Windows 10 search bar, type 'Security and Maintenance', then click the offset issue to bring upwardly the control panel window. Click the 'Maintenance' championship to expand it, then scroll to the 'Automatic Maintenance' section. Click 'Stop maintenance' to halt the update.

If you lot alter your heed and want to restart the update, only click 'Starting time maintenance'.

4. Disable the Windows Update startup service

In the Windows 10 search bar, blazon 'Services'. Right-click the top result and select 'Run as ambassador'. Scroll down the list until you reach the Windows Update entry. If the 'Status' column says "Running", right-click the Windows Update entry and click 'Finish'.

Now, right-click it over again and click 'Properties'. In the resulting menu, under 'Startup type', choose 'Disabled', and then click 'OK'.

This will prevent Windows Update from automatically installing updates. If you still want to prevent automatic updates but want to requite yourself the opportunity to install updates manually, select 'Manual' from the drop-downward bill of fare instead.

v. Disable updates using Grouping Policy

This involves a getting your hands a little muddied, but is easy plenty. Type 'gpedit.msc' into the Windows 10 search bar and click the first result. Now navigate to the following path using the left-hand pane: 'Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.' In the right-hand window, double-click 'Configure Automated Updates'.

This volition open a new window. In the top-left corner, click 'Disabled', then click 'Apply' and 'OK'. This will prevent Windows 10 from automatically downloading and installing updates, although yous can however manually look for updates by opening Windows Update.

6. Limit updates using Group Policy

Alternatively, you lot tin cull to limit Windows updates instead of disabling them. Every bit in step 5, open up gpedit.msc, navigate to 'Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update' and double-click 'Configure Automatic Updates'. This fourth dimension, instead of 'Disabled', click 'Enabled'.

In the 'Options' box on the left-manus side, click the top drop-downward box and choose from one of the following four options:

Notify for download and auto install
Car download and notify for install
Auto download and schedule the install
Allow local admin to choose setting

The 'Notify for download and auto install' option is the closest to disabling automatic downloads.

seven. Disable updates using the Registry

Before dabbling in the Registry, make a backup of anything important, as making a mistake can cause issues for your PC.

Now, blazon 'regedit' into the Windows 10 search bar and click the height upshot. Navigate to the post-obit path in the left-hand column: 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Policies > Microsoft > Windows'.

Right-click on the Windows folder and click 'New > Key'. Name it 'WindowsUpdate' and printing 'Enter'.

Correct-click in this and click 'New > Fundamental', and then name this entry AU and press 'Enter'. On the right-paw side of this entry, right-click and click 'New > DWORD (32-bit) Value)'. Name this entry 'NoAutoUpdate' and printing 'Enter'.

Once you've created this, double-click the new entry and change the 0 to a one in the 'Value data' box. Click 'OK' and restart your PC.

8. Limit updates using the Registry

You can limit Windows updates instead of disabling them in the Registry. To do and so, follow step half dozen above upwards to and including the indicate where yous accept created the AU entry.

Right-click the blank infinite on the right and click 'New > DWORD (32-flake) Value'. This fourth dimension, proper name the entry AUOptions (instead of NoAutoUpdate) and press 'Enter'.

Double-click the entry; in the "Value data" box, delete the 0 and supplant information technology with either 2, 3, 4 or 5.

These correspond to the numbers in step 5, meaning yous'll get the following results: