How To Turn Off Windows 10 Auto Update

Windows 10/11 logo

Windows 10 and 11 PCs automatically check for updates and install any updates they find. You lot can have some control over this and have Windows install updates on your schedule, but these options are hidden. Windows Update really wants to automatically update on Windows 10.

Professional, Enterprise, and Didactics editions of Windows 10 and Windows xi have admission to grouping policy and registry settings for this, simply even Home editions of Windows 10 and Windows 11 give yous a way to cease updates from automatically downloading.

Prevent Automatic Downloading of Updates on a Specific Connection

RELATED: What You Need to Know Well-nigh Windows Update on Windows x

When yous fix a connection as "metered," Windows won't automatically download updates on it. Windows will automatically set certain types of connections — cellular data connections, for example — equally metered. Notwithstanding, you can set whatever connexion as a metered connection.

So, if yous don't want Windows 10 or Windows 11 automatically downloading updates on your home network connection, simply set it as a metered connection. Windows will automatically download updates when you connect your device to an unmetered network, or when you set the network it's connected to as unmetered again. And aye, Windows will remember this setting for each private network, so you can disconnect from that network and reconnect all you like.

Do you lot accept an Internet connexion with limited data? Just mark information technology as metered and Windows x won't automatically download updates on it. If your connection offers unlimited downloads at a specific time — for example, during the centre of the night — you could marking the connection equally unmetered occasionally at these times to download updates and mark it as metered afterwards the updates are downloaded.

RELATED: How to Set up an Ethernet Connectedness as Metered in Windows viii and 10

To change this option for a Wi-Fi network, open the Settings app, head to Network & Internet > Wi-Fi, and click the name of the Wi-Fi network you're currently connected to. Click the switch for "Fix equally metered connectedness" option on the properties folio if yous're on Windows 10. On Windows 11 click the switch next to "Metered Connexion." This option only affects the Wi-Fi network you're currently editing, but Windows will call up this setting for each individual Wi-Fi network.

To modify this option for a wired Ethernet network, open the Settings app, head to Network & Net > Ethernet, and click the name of your Ethernet connection. Enable the "Set as metered connection" option on the backdrop page.

Set the Teal connection to metered.

After enabling this pick, Windows Update will say "Updates are available. We'll download the updates as soon as you lot connect to Wi-Fi, or you can download the updates using your data connection (charges may apply.)" By marking a connection equally metered, you've tricked Windows into thinking information technology'southward a mobile information connectedness–for example, y'all might exist tethering your PC to your smartphone. You can click the Download button to download and install updates at your leisure.

Update status page.

Stop Windows Update From Automatically Rebooting Your Computer

RELATED: How to Set "Active Hours" So Windows x Won't Restart at a Bad Time

Then maybe you don't mind the automatic downloads, just y'all just don't want Windows to restart while you lot're in the eye of something. Windows ten and 11 tin can help — each lets you gear up a window of time each mean solar day chosen "Active Hours," during which it won't automatically reboot.

To gear up Active Hours on Windows ten, head to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. Click or tap "Change Active Hours" under Update Settings. From in that location, yous'll set the times you don't want Windows to automatically restart.

On Windows 11, head to Settings > Update & Security > Advanced Options and choose an option nether "Active Hours." By default, Windows 11 volition automatically set your PC's active hours depending on your actual usage of your PC, but you can change it if you lot like.

Change active hours page.

You can also override those active hours to schedule certain reboots when an update is fix. You lot tin read more nearly how to do that here.

If you're using Windows 11, you tin can pause updates for upwardly to a five weeks at a time.

Prevent Windows Update From Installing Specific Updates and Drivers

RELATED: How to Uninstall and Block Updates and Drivers on Windows 10

If Windows 10 or eleven insist on installing a specific update or driver that'south causing problems, you tin forestall Windows Update from installing that particular update. Microsoft doesn't provide a congenital-in way to block updates and drivers from automatically being downloaded, but it does offer a downloadable tool that can block updates and drivers and then Windows won't download them. This gives you a way to opt out of specific updates — uninstall them and "hibernate" them from being installed until y'all unhide them.

Select the specific update you want to prevent, then click "Next."

Use Group Policy to Disable Automatic Updates (Professional Editions Just)

RELATED: Should You Upgrade to the Professional Edition of Windows ten?

Update: This selection, while it however exists, seems to no longer work starting in the Anniversary Update for Windows 10, just nosotros've left information technology here in instance anyone wants to attempt it. Go on at your own risk.

You should really consider leaving automatic updates enabled for security reasons. But, there is an option that will let you lot cull how updates are installed on your own schedule, but it's buried in Grouping Policy. Only Professional person, Enterprise, and Instruction editions of Windows 10 have access to the Grouping Policy editor. To access the group policy editor, press Windows Cardinal + R, blazon the post-obit line into the Run dialog, and printing Enter:

gpedit.msc

Navigate to Calculator Configuration> Administrative Templates> Windows Components > Windows Update.

Locate "Configure Automatic Updates."

Locate the "Configure Automated Updates" setting in the correct pane and double-click it. Set it to "Enabled," and and so select your preferred setting. For example, you can choose "Auto download and notify for install" or "Notify for download and notify for install." Save the change.

Drop down menu with update configuration choices.

Visit the Windows Update pane, click "Bank check for updates," and and then select "Advanced options." Y'all should come across your new setting enforced here. You'll also run across a notation saying "Some settings are managed by your organization," informing you lot that these options can only be changed in Group Policy.

To disable this later, go back to the Group Policy editor, double-click the "Configure Automated Updates" setting, and then modify it from "Enabled" to "Not configured." Salve your changes, visit the Windows Update pane again, click "Check for updates," and so select "Avant-garde options." Yous'll encounter everything change dorsum to the default setting. (Windows Update only seems to observe the setting modify after yous click "Cheque for updates.")

Advanced options window showing that update settings are being enforced by group policy.

Utilise the Registry to Disable Automatic Updates (Professional Editions Only)

Update: This option, while it even so exists, seems to no longer work starting in the Anniversary Update for Windows 10, but we've left it hither in case anyone wants to try information technology. Go along at your own run a risk.

This setting can exist configured in the registry, as well. This registry hack does exactly the same thing every bit the above Group Policy setting. Yet, it too only seems to work on Professional person editions of Windows ten.

Download our Disable Automated Updates on Windows 10 registry hack and double-click one of the included .reg files to make Windows Update notify for download and notify for install, auto download and notify for install, or auto download and schedule the install. At that place's also a .reg file that will delete the registry value the other files create, allowing you to go dorsum to the default settings. This only worked when we tried it on Windows x Pro, non Home.

After changing this option, visit the Windows Update pane in the Settings app and click "Check for updates." You can and then click "Advanced options" and you'll run across your new setting here. (You have to perform a bank check for updates before Windows Update notices your inverse setting.)

Group policy modifying update behaviour with a registry hack

If yous'd like to do this yourself, the exact setting yous'll demand to change is under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindowsUpdateAU — you'll need to create the terminal few keys there. Create a DWORD value named "AUOptions" under the AU key and give it i of the following values:

00000002 (Notify for download and notify for install)

00000003 (Machine download and notify for install)

00000004 (Auto download and schedule the install)

There'southward another "trick" making the rounds for this. It involves disabling the Windows Update organisation service in the Windows Services administration tool. This isn't a adept idea at all, and it will prevent your reckoner from receiving even crucial security updates. While it would be overnice if Microsoft offered some more choice of when to install updates, you shouldn't opt out of security updates entirely. To foreclose Windows from automatically downloading updates on any PC, just set its connectedness every bit metered.