How to block windows 10 update

«Every time I try to shut down my computer, I was forced to update my Windows 10. But I really don’t want to update my operating system because the automatic update might take up the system and network resources. Is there anybody who can help me solve this problem and disable Windows 10 update? Thanks in advance.»

All solutions to disable Windows 10/11 update:

Whenever you are faced with Windows’ automatic update notification like:

• Install updates automatically 
• Download Updates but choose when to install them
• Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them

What would you do? Here, we have the following solutions.

Applies to: Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8. For different system versions, the operation steps may be slightly different.

Solution 1. Disable Windows Update Service

Understand the limitations of this method. While disabling the automatic update service will temporarily halt any Windows 10 cumulative updates, the service will re-enable itself after a certain amount of time. Here are the directions:

1. Press the Windows logo key + R at the same time to invoke the Run box.

2. Type services.msc and press Enter.

3. Scroll down to Windows Update, and double-click it.

4. In Startup type, select «Disabled». Then click «Apply» and «OK» to save the settings.

Do you prefer a one-click solution to disable the Windows automatic update feature? If so, get the versatile toolkit — EaseUS CleanGenius to help you. With it, you can disable/enable Windows Update, repair hard drives, remove/enable write-protection, and more within seconds.

To disable Windows Update:

Step 1. DOWNLOAD EaseUS CleanGenius for free and install it on your computer.

Step 2. Launch EaseUS CleanGenius and go to «Optimization».

Step 3. The tool will detect the status of the Windows Update service automatically. If Windows Update is currently enabled, click the switch to stop the service.

Step 4. If you want to check whether you have disabled the service automatically, go to «Start» > type «Services» > right-click «Services» and choose «Run as administrator».

Step 5. In the list of services, find and right-click «Windows Update» > «Properties». In the «Service status» section, you should see the service has been stopped.

Solution 2. Change the Setting of the Group Policy Editor

The Group Policy feature is not available in the Home edition. So, only when you run Windows 10 Professional, Enterprise, or Education, you can use the Group Policy Editor to change the settings to prevent Windows 10 from automatically updating. The group policy editor will notify you of new updates without automatically installing them. 

• Press the Windows logo key + R then type gpedit.msc and click OK.
• Go to «Computer Configuration» > «Administrative Templates» > «Windows Components» > «Windows Update».
• Double-click «Configure Automatic Updates».
• Select «Disabled» in Configured Automatic Updates on the left, and click Apply and «OK» to disable the Windows automatic update feature.

Note: If you need to update your Windows version later, you can repeat the steps above, then select Enabled to turn on this feature, so that you can continue to download the updates.

Solution 3. Meter Your Network Connection

Understand that this method won’t work for Ethernet connections. You can only disable automatic updates by using this method on a Wi-Fi connection. If your computer is connected to WiFi, you can try this to stop Windows 10 automatic updates. 

1. Click the Start button at the bottom left on your desktop, then click the «Settings» app.

2. Click «Network & Internet».

3. Click WiF in the left pane, then click the name of your Wi-Fi connection.

4. Click to turn on Set as metered connection.

Solution 4. Change the way of Windows 10/11 Updates Using Registry

Extra Tips: Editing the registry is risky, and it can cause irreversible damage to your installation if you don’t do it correctly. It’s recommended that you make a full backup of your computer before proceeding. All you need to do is use this backup software to back up your data in three steps:

Step 1. Click «Select backup contents» to initiate a backup.

Step 2. There are four data backup categories, File, Disk, OS, and Mail, click File.

Step 3. Local and network files will be displayed on the left side. You may extend the directory to choose which files to back up.

Step 4. Select the location where you want to store the backup by following the on-screen instructions.

Click «Options» to encrypt the backup with a password in «Backup Options,» and to setup a backup schedule and choose to initiate a backup at a certain event in «Backup Scheme.» There are a variety of other customization options available for the backup process.

Step 5. You may save the backup to a local disk, EaseUS’ online service, or a NAS.

Step 6. EaseUS Todo Backup enables customers to back up data to a third-party cloud drive and its own cloud drive.

If you want to back up data to a third-party cloud drive, choose Local Drive, scroll down to add Cloud Device, add your account, and then log in.

You can also save backups to EaseUS’s cloud storage service. Sign up for an EaseUS Account and log in after clicking EaseUS Cloud.

Step 7. To begin backup, click «Backup Now» Once the backup process has been finished, it will be shown as a card on the panel’s left side. To further manage a backup job, right-click it.

With a backup at hand, now it’s safe to customize a Windows 10 update without receiving any forced updates on your computer. Here’s how to make the change in Registry:

1. Press the Windows key + R key to open the Run command.

2. Type regedit, and click OK to open the Registry.
Browse the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows

3. Right-click the Windows folder, select «New» and then click «Key».

4. Name the new key «WindowsUpdate» and press «Enter».

5. Right-click the newly created key, select «new», and click «Key».

6. Name the new key AU and press Enter.
Inside the newly created key, right-click on the right side, select «New», and click on «DWORD (32-bit) Value».

7. Name the new key AUOptions and press Enter.
Double-click the newly created key and change its value to 2. It’s for «Notify for download and notify for install». Click «OK».

8. Close the Registry to complete the task.

Using this value prevents Windows 10 from downloading updates automatically, and you’ll get a notification when new updates are available. In this way, you can avoid any auto Windows 10 update effectively.

That’s how you could make an attempt to disable Windows 10/11 updates in every way. Each method has been proved to work as long as you wish to turn off all the automatic updates in Windows 10.

FAQ on How to Disable Windows 10 Update

1. Should I stop automatic updates on Windows 10?

Automatic updates help keep your computer safe and secure by downloading and installing the latest security patches as soon as they’re released. If you disable automatic updates, you’ll need to remember to manually update your computer regularly to ensure that it remains secure. So, we suggest not stopping it, but you can pause it. 

2. How do I stop Windows 10 from automatically updating?

To stop Windows 10 from automatically updating, you can manually disable Windows update, change the settings of the Group Policy editor, meter your network connection, or change update settings using Registry. You can refer to the post for detailed steps.
 

One of the controversial features of Windows 10 is a new way that the operating system handles updates. Cumulative updates are installed automatically when Windows decides to do it. This can be extremely frustrating for Windows 10 users as they are often forced to restart their machine at an inopportune time.

Before proceeding, remember that some of the automatic updates will be security updates or important stability improvements that you will want to have installed on your system. Keep this in mind if you choose to keep automatic updates turned off for an extended period of time.

One option which we will not look at in depth is to make registry changes to your Windows operating system to disable automatic updates. This is a dangerous procedure and should only be taken by experienced users who have taken a full backup of their machine before attempting the registry changes. Mistakes during this process can have serious negative effects on your computer and its performance.

Option 1. Disable the Windows Update Service

Windows Update is essentially just another Windows Service and can be turned off in a similar manner to other services.

Follow these steps to stop Windows 10 updates:

When you want to re-enable automatic updates you just follow the same procedure except you select “Automatic” when choosing the “Startup Type”.

Option 2. Set Up a Metered Connection

If you are using WiFi to connect your Windows 10 machine to the Internet, you have the option of setting up a metered connection. In a metered connection, bandwidth is conserved by only automatically downloading and installing priority updates.

Microsoft’s method of classification may remain a mystery, but driver and software feature updates that may cause stability problems are minimized by opting for this option for stopping Windows 10 automatic updates.

To disable Windows 10 updates:

For some reason, Microsoft only offers this option if you are using a WiFi connection. If you connect to the Internet through an Ethernet cable you will not be able to set up a metered connection.

Option 3. Group Policy Editor

You can make changes to the Group Policy Editor if you are using Windows 10 Education, Pro or Enterprise editions. Users of Windows 10 Home edition are out of luck regarding this way of disabling Windows 10 updates.

If you opt for this solution, security updates will still be installed automatically. For all other updates, you will be notified that they are available and can install them at your convenience. This is the way Windows update worked in the past. Today, Microsoft wants to eliminate the need for novice users to engage in updates, but it has enforced this at the cost of flexibility for more experienced users.

Here’s how to update your Group Policy Editor to prevent automatic Windows 10 updates:

From this point forward Windows should notify you that updates are available and it is your responsibility to make sure that they get downloaded and installed.

Why Would I Need to Know How to Disable Windows 10 Updates?

Operating system, driver, and application updates can often lead to unexpected behavior on the computer on which they are installed. One way to protect yourself and your machine from unanticipated problems is to perform a backup before installing updates to your system.

Unfortunately, when automatic updates are being installed without your approval, you cannot take this precautionary step and face the possibility of having to resort to an older backup if you need to go back past the update.

Many updates need to reboot your machine when complete and certainly take up bandwidth while downloading. This can lead to slower response time and unforeseen reboots that can cause havoc with your work life.

So there are indeed valid reasons to turn off automatic updates in Windows 10. Just be careful not to turn the service off and forget to check for updates. While automatic updates can be problematic, letting your system lag behind critical updates can also have serious consequences.