Windows 10 Disable Update

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

Microsoft has made it mandatory for Windows 10 users to update their computer. The company has set the new operating system to automatically receive new updates by default. Windows 10 Pro users have an option to delay the updates they receive, but even Home editions of Windows 10 give you a way to stop updates from automatically downloading.

Prevent Automatic Updates on a Specific Connection

When you set a connection as “metered,” Windows 10 won’t automatically download updates on it. Windows 10 will automatically set certain types of connections — cellular data connections, for example — as metered. However, you can set any connection like as a metered connection.

So, if you don’t want Windows 10 automatically downloading updates on your home network connection, just set it as a metered connection. Windows 10 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 yes, Windows will remember this setting for each individual network, so you can disconnect from that network and reconnect all you like.

Do you have an Internet connection with limited data? Just mark it as metered and Windows 10 won’t automatically download updates on it. If your connection offers unlimited downloads at a specific time — for example, during the middle of the night — you could mark the connection as unmetered occasionally at these times to download updates and mark it as metered after the updates are downloaded.

To change this option, open the Settings app, select Network & Internet, scroll down, and select “Advanced options” below the list of Wi-Fi networks. Enable the “Set as metered connection” option. This option only affects the Wi-Fi network you’re currently connected to, but Windows will remember this setting for each individual Wi-Fi network.

After enabling this option, Windows Update will say “Updates are available. We’ll download the updates as soon as you connect to Wi-Fi, or you can download the updates using your data connection (charges may apply.)” By marking a connection as metered, you’ve tricked Windows into thinking it’s a mobile data connection — for example, you might be tethering your PC to your smartphone. You can click the Download button to download and install updates at your leisure.

Disable Windows Update Services

The best way to completely turn off this feature is to turn off from the administrative tools. This will turn off all Windows update features, including searching for new updates. You need to go to the “Control Panel” first, the easiest way to access the Control Panel is to type it in the search bar next to Start menu. From the searches, just click on the first search result of “Control Panel”.

In the Control Panel, click on “System and Security” and in there, click on “Administrative Tools”. You will see all the Administrative tools on the next page, here you need to double-click on “Services” to access all Windows services.

In the “Services”, scroll down and search for the option “Windows Update”, it should be near the end of the page. Double-click here as well to open Windows update service.

Here, just click on “Stop” to stop all the process and select “Disabled” from the “Startup type” drop down menu. It may take 1-3 seconds to stop all these services and after wards the Windows update feature will be completely disabled.

When you need to again use the Windows update feature, just go to the above location again and “Start” the service again. Afterwards, you will need to go to Windows update settings (you can search for it by typing “windows update”) and click on “Retry” to download all the available updates.

Group Policy to Disable Automatic Updates

This is a halfway house: the group policy editor will notify you about new updates without automatically installing them (how previous generations of Windows always worked) – though again security updates will still install automatically. Windows 10 Home users have to sit this one out, it is only for Windows 10 Education, Pro and Enterprise editions.

1. Open the Run command (Win + R), in it type: gpedit.msc and press enter
2. Navigate to: Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Update
3. Open this and change the Configure Automatic Updates setting to ‘2 – Notify for download and notify for install’
4. Open the Settings app (Win + I) and navigate to -> Update and Security -> Windows Updates. Click ‘Check for updates’ which applies the new configuration setting
5. Restart System

Alternatively for Windows 10 users without group policy access:

1. Open the Run command (Win + R), in it type: regedit and press enter
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU
3. In there create a ‘32-bit DWORD’ value called ‘AuOptions’ and under ‘Value Data’ type 2 and click ‘OK’
4. Open the Settings app (Win + I) and navigate to -> Update and Security -> Windows Updates. Click ‘Check for updates’ which applies the new configuration setting
5. Restart

How to Remove Already Installed Updates

Keep in mind that this will only prevent future automatic updates, but if you want to uninstall an already installed update or driver, you’ll have to do that separately. To uninstall updates go to the search bar in the bottom left corner and type “view installed updates”.

This will bring up a control panel, and once you have located the update, select it and choose uninstall. To uninstall drivers, open the Device Manager, choose the bad driver and choose uninstall. From there you’ll be able to select “delete the driver software for this device.” After that you should be all set.