Disabling updates in the tenth version of Windows has become much more difficult than in previous versions of the system: Microsoft developers are releasing more and more patches that prohibit leaving the system without updates. Read below for the most current method on how to disable Windows 10 updates.
After the release of major Windows updates in the last six months (Fall Creators Update and April Update 1803), many users have encountered the fact that the system continues to install updates, even if they are prohibited through Update Center, the registry, or the task scheduler. So far, we have found an almost 100% way to prevent Windows 10 from updating.
Disable Windows 10 update by stopping system service
The most effective method at the moment is to completely disable the Windows Update system service and reconfigure its autorun rules. To do this, use the following hack:
1. Click Win+R and in the window that appears "Run..." enter services.msc, then click Enter. A window will open "Services".
2. Find the service in the list "Windows Update"(or Windows Update) and double-click on it. The system service properties window will open.
3. On the tab "Are common" in field "Startup type" select "Disabled" and click on the button "Stop".
4. On the tab "Login" select item "With an account" and press "Review".
5. In the next window, click More > Search and select the user from the list "Guest". Click "OK".
6. Remove the password for the user "Guest" on the tab "Login" and apply the changes.
What we did: we completely stopped Windows Update and configured its launch so that after a reboot it would start as a user without administrator rights (Guest).
Even if the update service is turned back on with the new patch, this will not affect anything. Since updates in the system can only be installed as an administrator, Windows 10 can no longer download and install them - this is prohibited by the system's security policy itself.
A quick review shows that this method of disabling Windows 10 updates currently works for the majority of users - both at the local computer level and at the level of entire organizations. In the second case, the start of the Windows Update service should be configured at the domain level.
At any time, you can start the Update Center back by changing the user under which the service runs to an account with administrator rights.
They became mandatory, i.e. they are downloaded and installed automatically as soon as they become available. Although the new mechanism is convenient in terms of ensuring that Windows 10 devices are up to date and receive timely security patches, fixes and improvements, not all users like this feature.
If you are using a computer running Windows 10, then depending on the system edition, you have the ability to disable automatic updates using the Local Group Policy Editor or the system registry.
In this guide, we will show you how to block the installation of automatic updates in Windows 10.
How to disable automatic updates using local group policies
If you're using Windows 10 Pro, you can use the Group Policy Editor to prevent updates from automatically downloading and installing.
- Enter gpedit.msc
- » and double-click on it.
- Select the "" option to disable this local policy.
- Click the "Apply" button.
- Click OK.
After completing these steps, Windows 10 will no longer download updates automatically. This way you can also save bandwidth when using limited connections. To install future updates you need to go to the application Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
If disabling the policy doesn't work, you can use the Group Policy Editor to prevent updates from automatically installing on your computer.
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run command window.
- Enter gpedit.msc and click OK to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
- Go to the following path: Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Update
- On the right side of the window, select “” and double-click on it.
- Select the option " Included" to enable this local policy.
- In the options section, you will find several options available:
Choose the option that best suits your needs. It is recommended to use option 2 - Download notification and automatic installation to disable automatic updates on a permanent basis.
- Click the "Apply" button.
- Click OK.
Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
You can rollback the changes at any time using the same sequence of actions, but in step 5 you need to select the “Not Configured” option. Then reboot your device to apply the changes.
How to disable automatic updates using the registry
In Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Home, you can turn off automatic updates using the registry.
Note: Changing the registry incorrectly can cause serious problems. It is recommended that you back up your Windows registry before performing these steps. From the Registry Editor menu, select File > Export to save a backup.
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run command window.
- Enter regedit
- Go to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
- New > Section.
- Name the new section WindowsUpdate and press Enter.
- New > Section.
- Name the new section AU and press Enter.
- New > DWORD Value (32 bits).
- Name the new parameter and press Enter.
- Double-click on the created parameter and change the value from 0 to 1.
- Click OK.
After completing these steps, Windows 10 will not receive updates automatically. To force installation of future updates, you need to go to the application Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
Configuring Automatic Update Options
If disabling Service Policy doesn't work, you can use Registry Editor to prevent updates from automatically installing on your computer.
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run command window.
- Enter regedit and click OK to open Registry Editor.
- Navigate to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
- Right-click on the Windows partition and select New > Section.
- Name the new section WindowsUpdate and press Enter.
- Right-click on the created WindowsUpdate section and select New > Section.
- Name the new section AU and press Enter.
- Right-click on the created AU partition and select New > DWORD Value (32 bits).
- Name the new parameter AUOptions and press Enter.
- Double-click on the created parameter and set one of the following values:
- 2 - Notify before downloading and installing any updates.
- 3 - Automatically download updates and notify when they are ready for installation.
- 4 - Automatically download updates and install them according to the specified schedule.
- 5 - Allow local administrators to select the notification and installation configuration mode for automatic updates.
Similar to using the Group Policy Editor, you can choose the option that best suits your needs. It is recommended to use option 2 - Download notification and automatic installation to disable automatic updates on a permanent basis.
- Click OK.
After completing these steps, Windows 10 will stop downloading updates automatically. When new updates become available, you will be notified and will have to install them manually by going to the app Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
You can rollback the changes at any time using the same sequence of actions, but in step 4 you need to delete the WindowsUpdate section using the right-click menu. Then reboot your device to apply the changes.
Conclusion
While we've provided instructions for turning off Windows 10 automatic updates, it's important to emphasize that skipping updates is not recommended. The reason is that updates are critical to keeping Windows 10 running properly and keeping your data safe.
However, there are scenarios where you may want to be able to manually apply updates or schedule installations over a specific period of time. For example, you want to ensure that a particular cumulative update works correctly before installing it on a workstation.
These instructions will only block monthly cumulative updates, which typically fix security vulnerabilities and improve Windows 10 performance.
If you want to stop automatic installation of feature updates such as the Windows 10 October 2018 Update for a period of time, you'll need to set up the option to delay installation of major updates. And starting with Windows 10 May 2019 Update, the system will no longer automatically install feature updates twice a year.
You can also use third-party utilities to disable Windows 10 updates
With the development of the Internet, constantly updating the operating system has become commonplace. Now developers can fix and improve the system throughout its entire support period. But frequent Windows 10 updates are not always convenient. That's why it would be good to be able to turn them off.
Reasons for turning off automatic updates
The reasons can be very different, and only you can decide how much you need to disable updates. It is worth considering that along with improvements to certain capabilities, important fixes for system vulnerabilities are supplied. And yet, situations when independent updates should be disabled arise quite often:
- paid Internet - sometimes the update is quite large and downloading it can be expensive if you pay for traffic. In this case, it is better to postpone the download and download later under other conditions;
- lack of time - after downloading, the update will begin to install while the computer is turned off. This can be inconvenient if you need to quickly shut down work, such as on a laptop. But what’s even worse is that sooner or later Windows 10 will require you to restart your computer, and if you don’t do this, then after some time the restart will be forced. All this distracts and interferes with work;
- security - although the updates themselves often contain important system changes, no one can ever foresee everything. As a result, some updates may open your system to virus attack, while others will simply break it right after installation. A reasonable approach in this situation is to update some time after the release of the next version, having previously studied the reviews.
Disable automatic Windows 10 updates
There are many ways to turn off Windows 10 updates. Some of them are very simple for the user, others are more complex, and others require the installation of third-party programs.
Disabling via Update Center
Using Update to disable it is not the best option, although Microsoft developers offer it as an official solution. You can actually turn off automatic downloading of updates through their settings. The problem here is that this solution will be temporary one way or another. The release of a major Windows 10 update will change this setting and bring back system updates. But we will still study the shutdown process:
After these changes, minor updates will no longer be installed. But this solution will not help you get rid of downloading updates forever.
How to disable forced Windows 10 updates forever and completely - almost everyone was puzzled by this question at the beginning of 2018.
After the latest updates, Windows 10 users noticed that they no longer have the ability to disable updates at all. The Windows Update Blocker program, like no other at the moment, copes with the task of how to disable the Windows 10 pro update center completely and forever. We just download the program and run it, without installation it will immediately offer in two clicks to decide how to disable the Windows 10 Home update service. Although the problem is relevant for Windows 10, this program will cope with updates in any version of Windows, up to and including XP.
The name of the program: Windows Update Blocker v1.0
Official page: www.sordum.org/9470/windows-update-blocker-v1-0/
Interface language: English
File size: in wub.zip archive (386Kb)
System requirement:(32-bit\64-bit) Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windos Vista, Windows XP.
Checksums: MD5:
Description:
At the moment, the beginning of 2018, the latest builds and original versions of Windows 10 cannot be disabled from updates. If previously in Windows 10 it was possible through START - Settings in the update service, to disable automatic or manual updates of Windows 10 altogether, now there is no such option. According to Microsoft, this was done for the good of users, but as life shows, ordinary users suffer more from such new rules. In 99% of cases, Russian users use pirated activation of the product, since they do not have the opportunity to buy a license key for the product. Therefore, most often it disables Windows 10 updates so that the activation of Windows 10 does not fail.
Screenshots - forcefully disabling windows 10 updates forever and completely
There are many programs on the Internet that solve the problem of how to disable Windows 10 updates forever. But of all those tested, only one succeeded absolutely and completely - Windows Update Blocker v1.0. This program works without installation, with a clear and simple interface.
For a clearer understanding of how to disable automatic updates of Windows 10 on a laptop or computer, watch this video.
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In this material I step by step, with pictures I'll tell you about how to disable Update in Windows 10. This problem did not exist in previous versions of the operating system from Microsoft, since they had slightly different update system settings. Among other things, they provided for completely disabling updates OS. The current version of Windows at the settings level for the average user is completely deprived of this opportunity. Moreover, only owners of the rarer version of Windows 10 - Professional can postpone at least some updates (by the way, security updates cannot be disabled there in the usual way). Owners of the Home “tens” cannot postpone any updates to their operating system.
In general, I personally am not one of those eternally dissatisfied people who endlessly grumble about the capabilities of their Windows and curse Microsoft for its worth. I’ll express a seditious thought for many: actually I even understand why the Tens developers removed the ability to disable updates. First of all, it has to do with safety the users themselves. Any information security specialist will tell you that outdated software that is not constantly updated is the most common cause of computer infections. Moreover, if you have even three great anti-virus programs at once, but do not update your operating system and programs, then the chances of getting into trouble will be higher than with an updated system with one, not even the best anti-virus. In general, to summarize this paragraph, I will summarize my thoughts briefly: in my opinion, Don't disable Windows 10 update just like that. This "tens" feature ensures that your operating system remains as invulnerable to cybercriminals as possible. In addition, along with updates, the system’s performance improves and new interesting features appear.
When should you disable Windows 10 update?
As I said, I personally think that disabling Windows 10 Update makes sense only in really important cases. For example, this can be done if you need to guarantee 1000% uninterrupted operation of your computer for some time. Let's say there's a rush at work, and you need to do a lot of things in a short time on your Windows 10. Of course, in such a situation, the very idea of a possible prolonged reboot due to the installation of updates will make you nervous. This is where, to be on the safe side, you can disable this option for a day or two and not worry about possible forced downtime of the machine.
How to disable Windows 10 Update
Now let's move on to step by step instructions with pictures dedicated to How can I completely turn off Windows Update 10 for a while?. This can only be done by making changes to the operation of system services. This requires special care and concentration, because if you turn off something wrong, the entire operating system may start to work incorrectly.
So, for a while stop updating Windows 10, follow just 6 very simple steps. We need to do the following step by step:
- RIGHT mouse click on the menu “ Start».
- In the list of elements that opens, select item 8 “ Computer management».
- In the left menu, expand the “Services and Applications” item and select “ Services».
- A list of all Windows 10 services will appear on the right. You need to scroll to the very end and find the penultimate (maybe another in order) item “ Windows 10 Update" Double-click on it with the mouse.
- A new “Properties: Windows 10 Update (Local Computer)” window opens.
- In this new window we need the item “ Startup type" By default, I set it to “Manual” (this is on Windows 10 Pro, but on standard Home it can be “Automatic”). Change this parameter to " Disabled" and click " OK».
That's all. Windows 10 Update is completely disabled. After that, you can check how it works when you try to find updates. Open the Update Center (All settings - Update and security) and click "Check for updates".
Personally, after all the steps described above, I finally rebooted the computer, just in case, and after that I again made sure that Windows 10 Update remained turned off. Everything worked. I’ll add that the “tens” updates will now remain disabled until they are manually turned back on. Don't forget to do this! You can restore the Update Center using the same instructions. The only item that will be different is the “Startup type”: to enable Windows 10 updates in it instead of “Disabled” you need to return the “Manual” option and do not forget to click the “ OK».