I'm really frustrated with Windows updates—they just keep happening, even when I try to delay them or set a specific update window. What I really want is to completely turn them off so that I never have to deal with them again or be harassed about updates. If security updates are necessary, I could probably make time for them once or twice a year, but ultimately, it's my computer and I want the control. How can I achieve that?
5 Answers
Another trick is to set your internet connection as 'metered'. This can prevent Windows from downloading updates automatically. Just keep in mind that some features might not work as expected with a metered connection.
To permanently disable Windows updates, you could disable the Windows Update service through services.msc or you could edit the Registry. For that, set NoAutoUpdate to 1 under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindowsUpdateAU. Just remember, this might leave your system vulnerable, so proceed with caution!
If you're looking for a more straightforward method, you can also block certain websites in your hosts file. Just know that this might interfere with other Microsoft services too.
You might want to look into using the Group Policy Editor if you’re on Windows 11 Pro. You can set it to only allow security updates and not install without your say-so. Just go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update and disable automatic updates from there.
What about home users? Is there a way for us to do something similar?
Honestly, I don't recommend disabling updates permanently. Sure, they can be a hassle, but not getting security updates puts your system at huge risk. If Windows updates are too disruptive for you, have you considered switching to macOS or Linux?
It's not that simple for many of us! Windows updates have caused big problems for my work, and I keep losing data. I just need more control over when these updates happen.
That sounds risky. Wouldn't blocking those services lead to more issues down the line?