Windows Update settings
It was used Windows 10 1903 (May 2019 Update) or a later version of the Microsoft operating system, you can turn off automatic Windows 10 updates, or rather, postpone the installation continuously by acting directly from the Windows Update settings. This possibility is offered on all editions of the system, including this one Home. Other more advanced options, however, as we will see shortly, are reserved for Pro / Enterprise editions.
To pause Windows Update, you simply need to press the button Home (the flag icon located in the lower left corner of the screen) and click on thegear present in the menu that opens, in order to access the panel PC settings. On the next screen, select the item Update and security and you will immediately find yourself in the presence of the Windows Update management menu with, among the many options, also the one called Suspend updates for 7 days: Click on it and Windows will stop updating activities for 1 week.
If you want to postpone the break, you can click on the item Suspend updates for another 7 days, for a maximum of 5 times (therefore for a maximum of 35 days). If, on the other hand, you change your mind and want to resume Windows Update activities, you have to click on the button Resume updates.
Alternatively, you can postpone the download and installation of Windows updates until a specific date (always max 35 days from the current day), by clicking on the item Advanced options and selecting the date of your interest from the drop-down menu Select date (at the bottom of the page that opens). Convenient, right?
Alternative procedure (Windows 10 Pro / Enterprise only)
It was used Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, you can take advantage of specific settings that allow you to disable automatic updates, or rather, to postpone them by months, if not even a year.
To adjust the Windows Update settings and postpone the installation of Windows 10 Pro / Enterprise updates, click on the button Home (the Windows flag icon located in the lower left corner of the screen) and access the menu Settings selecting the icon ofgear which is on the left.
In the window that opens, go to Update and security, select Windows Update from the left sidebar, click on the link Advanced options located at the bottom and adjust the Windows Update settings according to your preferences.
- Via the drop-down menu Choose when to install updates, you can choose whether to install updates to the semiannual channel or the semi-annual channel (targeted). The difference is that the updates of the "semi-annual channel" are tested to be used in a widespread manner in companies (therefore they are released a little later than those of the "targeted semi-annual channel", which concerns consumer users).
- Via the drop-down menu A feature update includes new features and improvements. It can be postponed for the following number of days, you can set the number of days (max 365) for which to postpone the installation of updates that include new features, such as the Creators Update or the Fall Creators Update.
- Via the drop-down menu A quality update includes security improvements. It can be postponed for the following number of days, you can set the number of days (max 30) for which to postpone the installation of security updates. Personally, I advise you not to postpone this kind of updates for a long time.
Finally, in the final part of the screen, there is the lever Pause updates which, if activated, allows you to suspend all updates for the device in use for a period of 35 days. If you want to opt out of receiving any updates for 35 days, slide the toggle up On and you will be able to sleep peacefully about Windows Update activities.
Some updates, such as those related to Windows Defender, will continue to be installed to ensure system security.
If you want, you can postpone the installation of quality updates and feature updates by also acting through theLocal Group Policy Editor.
Then press the key combination Win + R on the computer keyboard, in order to bring up the window Esegui ..., type the command gpedit.msc and by Submit. This will open the Local Group Policy Editor.
At this point, use the left sidebar to go in Local Computer Policy> Computer Configuration> Administrative Templates> Windows Components> Windows Update> Windows Update for Business and double-click the icon Select the time to receive quality updates. In the window that opens, put the check mark next to the option Activated and use the field After a quality update is released, postpone receiving it for the next number of days (bottom left) to specify the number of days for which you intend to postpone the installation of quality updates (max 30) and click on your button OK per salvare i Cambiomenti.
Next, double click on the icon Select a time to receive preview releases and feature updates. In the window that opens, put the check mark next to the option Activated and use the menus located at the bottom left to select the type of updates to receive (eg. Semi-annual channel, Semi-annual channel (targeted) o Preview version to receive non-final versions of Windows) and the number of days of their postponement (max 365). Finally click on the button OK per salvare i Cambiomenti.
Utility Show or Hide Updates
Microsoft has released a utility, called Show or Hide Updates, which allows you to select "unwanted" system updates and prevent their installation by hiding them from Windows Update.
To use it, connected to this page of the Microsoft website and click on the item download the "Show or Hide Updates" troubleshooting package. When the download is complete, open the file Wushowhide.diagcab double-clicking on it and, in the window that appears on the screen, first click on NEXT and then Hide updates.
Then put the check mark next to the names of the updates you want to hide from Windows Update and click first on NEXT and then Close per salvare i Cambiomenti.
If you have second thoughts, you can make a previously hidden update available again in Windows Update by launching the program Wushowhide.diagcabby clicking on the buttons NEXT e Show hidden updates and selecting the update to “unlock”. Then click on the buttons NEXT e Close And that's it.
Set up a metered connection
If the method to disable automatic Windows 10 updates that I have already proposed has not particularly attracted your attention and if you are still looking for a solution to deal with it, I suggest you activate the option dedicated to pay-as-you-go connections, that is that particular feature that Microsoft has decided to include in its latest operating system and that winks at all those who have a connection with a limited amount of data (e.g. the connections of 4G keys or portable modems ).
By activating the function in question, the download of data in the background is blocked for both the operating system and the apps (in order to avoid surprise costs for the user) and thus also the download of updates is postponed. Convenient, right? So let's see immediately how to use them.
To disable automatic Windows 10 updates using the function dedicated to metered connections, the first step you need to take is to press the search field located next to the button Home, on the taskbar. Then type settings and click on the first result in the list, the one placed under the item Best match (or click on the icon ofgear located on the left of the menu).
In the new window that will open, click on Rete and Internet, then locate the entry Wi-Fi o Ethernet from the sidebar located on the left (depending on the type of connection you use) and click on it.
In the screen that will be shown to you at this point, click on the name of the connection in use or on the item Advanced options placed under the name of the Wi-Fi network to which your PC is connected, locate the entry Set as a metered connectionand click on the relative switch in order to bring it up ON.
In addition to performing these steps, it is necessary to "instruct" the computer on what to do when the connection is metered. To do this, you have to go back to Settings, click on devices and then Printers and scanners. Next make sure the option Download with metered connections And that's it.
Another operation that I advise you to do is to go to the menu Settings> Update and security, select the item Windows Update from the left sidebar and check that the option If you enable this policy, updates will be downloaded automatically, even on metered connections is disabled in the menu Advanced options. In this way you will be sure that Windows Update will not "override" the settings related to metered connections and will not start working.
Clearly, in case you think about it again and in case the trick just seen to disable automatic updates Windows 10 does not interest you anymore, know that you can always and in any case retrace your steps.
To disable the function that allows you to disable Windows 10 automatic updates, all you have to do is access the section again Rete and Internet Windows 10 settings, press on the item Wi-Fi located on the sidebar, click Advanced options, select the wireless network that your computer is connected to and bring up OFF the switch present under the item Set as a metered connection.
Disabling the Windows Update service
If you want to completely disable Windows Update, and therefore the automatic download of updates for Windows 10, you can stop the service that manages the latter.
To do this, press the key combination Win + R on the computer keyboard, in order to bring up the window Esegui ..., type the command services.msc and by Submit. The Windows services management panel will open.
At this point, double-click the icon for the service Windows Update and, in the window that opens, set the drop-down menu Startup type su disabled. Click Quindi Sul Pulsating Apply to save the settings and presses the button Stop to immediately stop the service related to Windows updates.
Now you need to make sure that Windows does not restart the service related to Windows Update without your consent. Then move to the tab Restoration, set the drop-down menus First try, Second try e Subsequent attempts su No action, type the value 9999 In fields Reset the count of failed attempts after e Restart the service after (this field will be gray if you choose "No action" in the "First attempt" field) and click on Apply e OK per salvare i Cambiomenti.
Mission accomplished! Now the service related to Windows Update is completely disabled and Windows should not restart it (except in exceptional cases). In any case, I advise you not to take this measure as it also blocks the receipt of security updates, which as reiterated several times are of fundamental importance.
To check if the Windows Update service is actually stopped, you can go back to the services management panel, double-click on the entry Windows Update and check it out service status (which should be on Arrested).
To get Windows Update back to working properly, set the Startup type su Manual o Automatic and click on the button starts. Then go to the tab Restoration and configure the default values that were there before you made the changes to the service.
Changing the notification for the restart schedule (older versions of Windows 10)
If you use a Windows 10 version earlier than 1709 (Fall Creators Update), you can take advantage of the notification function for the restart schedule, which allows you to install updates only after a notification of their availability and having the possibility to postpone the installation of some updates for several months.
To take advantage of this solution, the first step you need to take is to press the search field located next to the button Home, on the taskbar, type Windows Update settings and click on the first result that is shown to you, the one placed immediately below the item Best match.
In the window that will open at this point, presses on the item Advanced options then click on the menu under the item Choose how to install updates e seleziona l'opzione Notification for restart schedule.
Considering the fact that on Windows 10 there is no function that allows you to disable automatic updates completely, keep in mind that by selecting this option, the updates available for the operating system will be downloaded anyway but in a more "soft" way. In other words, by selecting this option you will be asked to schedule a reboot to complete the installation of the updates and in the case of a non-flat Internet connection they will not be downloaded.
To further intervene on Windows updates I suggest you then put a check mark on the box next to the item Delay updates. Check this item some of the new features available for the operating system will not be downloaded and installed for several months.
In addition to automatic Windows updates, it is also possible to interrupt the automatic download procedure for other Microsoft products. To do this, just make sure that there is no check mark on the box next to the item Download updates for other Microsoft products during the Windows update.
Obviously, if you then have to think again and if it were your intention to cancel the procedure to disable automatic updates of Windows 10, you can always and in any case retrace your steps. To return everything to the default settings, access the section again Windows Update settingsclick your Advanced options, select the voice Automatic (recommended) from the drop-down menu located under the item Choose how to install updates and remove the check mark you added next to the item Download updates for other Microsoft products during the Windows update and next to the item Delay updates.
Change of business hours
If your purpose is not to completely disable Windows 10 automatic updates, but to avoid restarting your computer at the times you usually work, you can take advantage of the function Change of business hours, which is present in all editions of the Microsoft operating system.
To access it, click on the button Home (the Windows flag icon located in the lower left corner of the screen) and go to the menu Settings selecting the icon ofgear which is on the left. In the window that opens, go to Update and security, select Windows Update from the left sidebar and click on the link Change of business hours.
Now, use the fields Start time e End time to set the times when you usually start and finish working on the PC, click on the button Save and Windows Update won't bother you at that time slot for installing updates and / or restarting your PC.
How to disable Windows 10 automatic updates