The Windows 10 Update service, which coordinates the work of the Update Center and the installation of new packages, is somewhat annoying to many users. Not only do downloads and integration of updates into the system take place, but some installed components can cause quite serious malfunctions in the operation of the OS. Just the other day it became known that the latest released packages after installation lead to the appearance of blue screen, which is almost impossible to get rid of. Let's see how to stop Windows updates 10 if their download or installation is in the active phase. Several techniques are also proposed to completely deactivate such processes. For both cases, there are several options for action, the use of which exclusively uses the tools of the operating system.
How to stop Windows 10 updates if they are in progress, in the simplest way?
In principle, if a pop-up message appears in the system tray stating that there are available updates or redirection to the update service occurs, for example, through a standard antivirus, everything is simple.
How to stop Windows 10 updates? Elementary! Disable network cable(if you have a wired connection) or deactivate Wi-Fi. Please note that when reconnection Downloading updates without further deactivating them in the system settings will continue.
But it also happens that the user does not personally see the activation of the download process, but receives a message about installing updates only when the computer is turned off or restarted. On blue screen progress is displayed with a warning that there is at the moment You cannot turn off the computer. If you use reboot through the “Start” button, a line will be displayed asking you to restart and install updates. This is not recommended. Further actions will be discussed separately. But when the installation has already begun, you need to force shutdown the computer or laptop by long pressing the power button, then boot into safe mode and cancel the installation. But more on that later.
Disabling the wireless update
The question of how to stop Windows 10 updates when using a Wi-Fi-based wireless connection is even easier to solve (although there is no pause button as such to pause these processes in the system).
To do this, in the system tray, through the notification icon, you need to select the activation of the “Airplane” mode. This mode disables everything wireless connections. Pause downloading Windows update in this option for wired networks doesn't work. But, again, when restoring wireless communication the download will continue.
You can also use the installation option metered connection, in which the system will not download updates. This method, by the way, is suitable for all those users who actually have traffic restrictions set, and not just for pausing the download or installation of available packages.
Pausing an update via the command line
In general, by and large, the above actions can lead to failures and errors when installing updates. Therefore, to correctly pause a download or installation, only one main tool is used - the command console (cmd in the Run menu).
It requires three commands:
- net stop wuauserv - stop the service Windows Update;
- net stop bits - deactivation of the intelligent transmission service;
- net stop dosvc - stop the delivery optimization service.
Re-enabling all components is done in the same way, only in the stop commands it is changed to the start parameter. When both shutdown and reactivation commands are executed, a system reboot is not required.
Deactivating Windows 10 Update through the settings menu
The question of how to stop Windows 10 updates manually has been sorted out a little. Now let's see what tools the system offers the user if he wants to disable the search and installation of updates altogether.
There are several ways to disable Windows 10 Update. The first method is to use the settings menu and the corresponding update and security section, then enter the additional settings for the “Update Center”, where you need to enable a reboot notification in the installation method selection list (in this case, the system will restart without your consent will not), check the box next to the “Delay update” line, and also deactivate receiving updates from several places.
Windows 10 Local Group Policy Editor
Now let's move on to the main tools that allow you to partially or completely disable Windows service 10 Update. The solutions proposed for consideration are in many ways similar to each other, since, by and large, they duplicate each other. And first, let's look at the Windows 10 Local Group Policy Editor, which is called by the gpedit.msc command entered in the Run menu.
Here, in the configuration through administrative templates and system components, you need to go to the “Update Center” section and edit the setting parameter automatic update. By double-clicking or through the RMB menu, a window with settings is called up, where “Disabled” is set as the current parameter, after which the changes are saved by pressing the OK button.
Services Section
Yes, indeed, the above proposed method allows you to disable the search and installation of updates, but, so to speak, only at the global level, since the service itself remains active at the moment. Thus, the essence comes down to not only disabling it, but also stopping its current action. To do this, as is already clear, the corresponding section is used, called from the “Run” console using the services.msc command (you can also use the administration menu for access).
In the editor you need to find “Update Center” and go to edit the settings, using either RMB and selecting properties, or double-clicking. Disabling is done by clicking the “Stop” button, and in the startup type, so that the service does not work in the future, the startup type is set to disabled.
System registry
Finally, updates can be completely deactivated through the system registry. The editor, like all previous tools, can be launched through the “Run” menu by entering the regedit command in it.
Here you need to use the HKLM branch and the SOFTWARE and Microsoft sections, where through the policy and update directories you navigate to the final AU directory, as shown in the image above. As a rule, there is no key responsible for disabling the receipt of updates, so you will have to create it manually (32-bit DWORD parameter), give it the name NoAutoUpdate and, by editing the parameters, set the current value to one.
As you can already see, such actions represent a repetition of group policy settings, but the registry has higher priority. This means that you can change policy settings in the registry, but you cannot change the settings in the registry in policies.
How to cancel installation of updates?
In a situation where the updates are installed, you can undo the changes made using several methods. In the simplest case, canceling Windows 10 updates is done by restoring the system to a point that preceded the installation of the packages. Again, updates will not be installed only if you perform the steps described above to deactivate the corresponding services.
On the other hand, you can use the same settings menu and the update and security section, where in the “Update Center” you need to go to view the update installation log, select the latest or unnecessary packages and use their removal.
Similarly, you can uninstall updates through the “Control Panel”, in which you select the programs and components section, after which you go to view installed updates by clicking the hyperlink on the left. Next, an unnecessary package is selected, and the line to delete it is called up via RMB.
Finally, to remove updates, you can use the command console, in which you first need to display full list installed packages (line wmic qfe list brief /format:table), remember or write desired number package (all of them begin with the letters KV), and then enter the uninstallation command wusa /uninstall /kb:number, where number corresponds to the update number, which is indicated after the combination of letters.
How to prevent installation of unnecessary or problematic update packages
But let’s assume that the user did not completely disable the update, and does not want to install some packages when searching again. In this case, their automatic integration can be disabled.
To do this, in the Update Center settings, you set up a manual search for available updates, after which the unnecessary ones are selected from the results found, and then the hide command is used. Similarly, updates are disabled through the programs and components section with the choice of viewing installed packages.
To remove system build updates, you must use the restore item with the option to return to previous version. But this option can only be used if the user has not deleted the Windows.old directory, in which all previous configurations are stored. If this folder does not exist on your hard drive, you can reset the system to the factory state with full reset parameters.
Prohibition of driver updates
With questions related to how to stop Windows 10 updates and the services responsible for them, I think everything is already clear. It remains to consider the ban on spontaneous installation of drivers.
To do this, call the “Run” console, enter the line rundll32 newdev.dll,DeviceInternetSettingUi in it, after which in the options selection window that appears, the line for providing a choice to the user is activated, and the item prohibiting the installation of drivers from the “Update Center” itself is enabled.
Note: if you still need to install driver updates, use automated utilities like Driver Booster, which download the most latest versions Software from the Internet resources of device manufacturers, and then integrates new drivers into the system without user intervention.
Afterword
That, in fact, is all that concerns stopping, completely or partially disabling the installation of updates in Windows 10. However, despite the presence of a fairly large number of tools that allow you to perform such operations, it is not recommended to completely deactivate update services, since the main packages are intended mainly for patching security holes and installing updates for some major platforms that may be involved when using modern programs or games. The best option would be to set parameters in which the system is allowed to search for available packages on its own, but leave the right to choose the installation to the user. This way you can immediately eliminate the installation of unnecessary or potentially faulty updates.
You should not refuse Windows updates, as thanks to them the system increases the level of protection and learns new functions. But there are times when it is necessary to interrupt the downloading of new versions or prohibit it.
Why interrupt the update process?
The procedure for downloading or installing updates should be completed manually if it freezes or you do not want to install the proposed version because you think it will harm your system. Both downloading update files and their installation can be completed abnormally.
Please note that manually interrupting the installation process may cause errors, since at this moment some system files, and abrupt completion of this procedure will lead to the recording ending in the middle, before reaching the end. Of course, the system was prepared for the fact that this could happen, so it will try to independently roll back to the version that was used before the update was installed. But it’s not a fact that she will be able to do this; the chance of an error remains.
Force completion of installation
The complete system update path takes place in several stages: downloading files, pre-installing them and, finally, rebooting the computer to finally install the updates. How to stop the process in the first two stages is described below in the paragraph “Forcing the download to complete.” If you are at the last step, that is, the computer has rebooted, displaying a notification on the screen that an update is in progress, and information about the completion of the process (what percentage of updates have already been installed), then the only way to prevent updates from installing completely is to deprive computer power supply.
The computer rebooted and began installing the update.To do this, you need to hold down the on/off button on system unit for 5–10 seconds, without releasing it until the screen goes dark.
Press the power button for 5–10 seconds When the computer turns off due to your actions, updates will no longer be installed. But, as soon as you start the system again, the update procedure will begin again and will reach the end, unless manually interrupted again. To prevent this from happening, you must start in safe mode.
Starting in Safe Mode
When safe mode is activated, all services that are not involved in ensuring the operation of the system are disabled, including the installation of updates. To tell the computer in which mode to start, you need to press the F8 key on the keyboard several times at the moment when the system just starts to turn on (that is, 1-2 seconds after pressing the “Enable” button). If you do this in time, a list will appear on the screen available modes launcher, select the “Safe Mode” line using the arrows on the keyboard and press the Enter key.
Select the line “Safe Mode” The system will continue to boot, but updates will not be installed. But as soon as you switch to normal mode again, updates will continue. To prevent this from happening, without leaving safe mode, follow the steps described in the “Forcing the boot to complete” section.
Force download completion
There are several ways to prevent your computer from downloading new updates. For example, you can activate the “Limited Connection” function, “Airplane” mode, etc. But there is only one method that allows you to prohibit, or rather, suspend indefinitely, the installation of already downloaded updates.
If you are in safe mode or know for sure that new versions have already been downloaded, then follow the steps described in the “Using the Command Line” paragraph. If you want to prevent the downloading of files that have not yet been downloaded, so as not to receive any updates in the future, use one of the instructions below.
Using the Command Line
When you want to get updates, run all the same commands, replacing the word stop with start in each of them.
Since many users have a metered Internet plan, Windows 10 now has the “Limited Connection” feature, the activation of which results in downloading system updates and drivers only with the user’s consent. By turning it on, you can independently choose which updates are worth downloading and which are not:
- Expand PC settings.
Open system parameters - Go to the "Network and Internet" section.
Open the “Network and Internet” section - After scrolling to the middle, go to additional settings.
Click on the line “Advanced settings” - Move the slider in the “Limited connection” block so that the function is turned on.
Turn on the “Limited connection” mode
Activating Airplane Mode
Enabling the “Airplane” mode disables all mobile and Wi-Fi modules, that is, using this mode, the computer is prohibited from any access to the Internet, and if there is no access to it, then updates cannot be downloaded. Of course, this method is only suitable for those who do not intend to use the Internet from a computer.
How to disable the update permanently
If you are sure that you do not want to update the system in the near future, then you can use one of the methods that allows you to disable auto-update forever, more precisely, until you manually enable it again. For example, you can use Group Policy Editor, Registry Editor, Command Prompt, etc. But the simplest and most quick way- disable update center:
- Launch the Run window by holding down the Win+R combination on your keyboard. Run a services.msc query to open a list of all services available on the system.
Execute the request services.msc - In the window that opens, find the update center and double-click on it.
Double-click on the “Update Center” service - Stop the service, and then set the startup type to Disabled. Done, now the update center will not start, and accordingly, there will be no one to download and install updates.
Stop the service and set the startup type to “Stopped”
Video: Disabling Windows 10 Update
You can interrupt the installation of updates by forcefully shutting down the computer and exiting safe mode. You can prohibit downloading new versions via command line, enable metered connection and Airplane mode. To completely disable auto-updates, quit the update center.
With the development of the Internet constant update operating system has become commonplace. Now developers can fix and improve the system throughout the entire period of its support. 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 may 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 shut down work quickly, for example 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, updates alone can open your system to virus attack, while others will simply disrupt its operation immediately 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.
Disable Windows 10 Update Service
Since Windows Update is a system service, we can completely rid ourselves of updates by simply disabling this service. IN Windows versions 10 Home or Home Premium this is done like this:
Unlike the previous option, operating system updates will be disabled forever. Well, or until the user independently turns on this service.
Instructions for Windows 10 Pro
The professional version of the system contains elements that are not present in home version. This allows you to use the Local Group Policy Editor to disable Windows updates. The result will be exactly the same as when disconnecting using another method:
Disabling Windows 10 updates by editing the registry
Disabling it through the registry will also disable updates once and for all. But it is worth remembering that you make any changes to the registry at your own risk, and inattention can harm your computer. You need to create a new setting in the registry and configure it:
Limiting updates using metered internet
Windows updates should not be downloaded when connection traffic is limited. Automatically, this feature does not always work correctly, but we can enable this setting to limit updates manually:
Video: Disable Windows 10 updates
Disable Windows restart for update
As mentioned above, Windows 10 may force a reboot to complete the update. It is worth limiting this feature of the operating system if you want to work with convenience. Eat different ways, how to configure the reboot so that it does not occur on its own. The simplest one is to increase the number of notifications before restarting:
Limiting reboots through the “Task Scheduler”
If Windows 10 is about to reboot, this task appears in the corresponding service. So do the following:
Unfortunately, just disabling this task is not enough. In the future, Windows 10 can reactivate it without the user's knowledge. To fix this, do the following:
Setting the time to restart
If your main problem is not the fact of a forced reboot itself, but the fact that it happens at an inconvenient time, you can independently set up a schedule for such work. This is done by setting the time when the user is active on the device. Once configured, updates will not occur at the specified time. The setup itself is done as follows:
Disabling automatic reboot through the Local Group Policy Editor
In Windows 10 Professional, this element can also be configured through the Group Policy Editor:
Thus, we prevented the computer from restarting if there are active user sessions.
For other versions of Windows 10 that do not have a Local Group Policy Editor, you can configure the same through the registry. The instructions are almost identical to the guide on disabling updates through the registry, there is only one difference: the DWORD value that we created in the AU directory should be called NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers 
Create a NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers parameter with a value of 1
Disabling Windows Store software updates
The Windows 10 Store may start downloading updates for you on its own. installed programs. In some situations this is convenient, but sometimes it is undesirable for the user. To disable these updates, follow these steps:
After this, your programs will not be updated and you will be able to work in older versions. You can return the ability to download updates by simply sliding this slider back.
Disable automatic downloading of drivers
The next thing that Windows 10 can download without users knowing is hardware drivers and their updates. You can also disable this action:
Prohibition of peer-to-peer distribution of updates
Windows 10 uses a p2p system for downloading updates. This means that you download updates not only from Microsoft servers, but also from a network of other users. This means a greater load on your network as update files will be distributed from your computer. You can disable this as follows:
These steps will be enough to prevent other users from receiving Windows 10 updates using your Internet traffic.
Programs to disable Windows 10 updates
If you don't want to manually disable updates, there are many reliable and convenient programs available. Most of them are simple utilities whose only job is to turn off Windows updates.
A simple program that comes in two versions. In one case it will require installation on the system, and in another it will work as a utility. The portable version is, of course, more convenient, as it can work from a flash drive. It's easy to use:
After rebooting, you will be able to see in Windows Update that everything was successful. 
If you see an error in the update center, then the shutdown was successful
Windows Update Blocker utility
One more simple program, made for the same purpose. After downloading, do the following:
Video: Quick way to disable Windows 10 updates permanently
Disable update notifications
In another situation, the updates themselves will not bother you, but annoying messages about the need to install them will be quite distracting. They can also be disabled:
Windows 10 is a good operating system made by professionals. But, unfortunately, it is not flexible enough to configure important functions. In this way, they try to protect users from rash actions, which can sometimes include disabling updates. But now that you know why you should disable them and how to do it, you are experienced enough to bypass this limitation in any way convenient for you.
How to disable Windows updates - this question is asked by users who need to prevent the installation of system updates on their computer. With default settings, the operating system itself automatic mode searches for, downloads and installs updates released for Windows.
Microsoft releases operating update packages approximately once a month. Windows systems. From time to time, Microsoft makes unscheduled updates designed to solve emerging problems in the operation of the OS, or to close discovered security holes in Windows.
The main part of the updates concerns system security. When installing updates, system fixes are applied or some new features are added.
In addition to regular updates, so-called major updates are released in Windows 10, after which, essentially, the computer is installed new version Windows 10. Similar major updates are released once or twice a year.
Some users disable system updates by various reasons. The main reasons for refusing Windows updates:
- sometimes it happens that after installing updates, the standard Windows work and installed programs
- if the user has a limited Internet connection, downloading updates affects the amount of traffic consumed
- lack of free space on the computer disk
- after applying the update, the user is afraid of losing activation of the operating system
How to disable automatic updates? You can solve the problem using system tools, or using third-party software. In this article we will look at 3 ways to disable updates on Windows 10 using the operating system.
Simply disabling Windows Update on Windows 10, as in Windows 7 or Windows 8, will no longer work. The maximum that can be done in this way is to pause updates for up to 35 days.
How to disable automatic updates in Windows 10 (1 method)
Windows 10 tools automatically detect, download and install updates on your computer.
On Win 10, you can disable updates in a way that disables the Windows Update service. This method works on all versions of Windows 10 and ensures that Windows updates are disabled forever.
Login to "Administration" from the Control Panel, or using more easy way: In the Windows Search box, type "administration" (without the quotes), and then open Administrative Tools.
In the “Administration” window, double-right-click on the “Services” shortcut.
In the Services window that opens, in the Services (Local) section, find the Windows Update service.
In the Properties window: Windows Update ( Local computer)", in the "General" tab, change the "Startup type" setting to "Disabled".
In the “Status” setting, click on the “Stop” button to stop the service Windows updates 10.
After this, Windows 10 updates will stop coming to your computer.
To enable automatic updates, in the Properties: Windows Update (Local Computer) window, select your preferred startup type: Automatic (Delayed Start), Automatic, or Manual.
How to disable Windows 10 updates using Local Group Policy Editor (method 2)
Now let's see how to disable Windows 10 updates in the Local Group Policy Editor.
note that this method Not suitable for Windows 10 Home (Windows 10 Home) and Windows 10 Single Language (Windows 10 Home for one language). This feature is present in older versions of the operating system: Windows 10 Pro (Windows 10 Professional) and Windows 10 Enterprise (Windows 10 Enterprise).
First you need to log into the Local Group Policy Editor. In the Windows Search box, type "gpedit.msc" (without the quotes), and then launch the editor.
Alternatively, you can enter the Local Group Policy Editor in the following way: press the “Win” + “R” keys, enter the expression “gpedit.msc” (without quotes) in the “Open” field, and then click on the “OK” button.
In the “Local Group Policy Editor” window, follow the path: “Computer Configuration” => “Administrative Templates” => “Windows Components” => “Windows Update”.
In the “Windows Update” section, find the “Set up automatic updates” item, right-click on it, and in context menu select "Edit".
In the Automatic Update Settings window, enable the Disabled setting, and then click OK.
After this, the operating system will not search for, download or install automatic Windows 10 updates.
Disable Windows 10 update in Registry Editor (3rd method)
The third way to disable Windows 10 updates is to make changes to the Registry Editor. This method works in all versions of Windows 10.
In Windows Search, type "regedit" (without the quotes), and then run the command.
In the Registry Editor window, follow the path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsWindowsUpdate\AU
In the Registry Editor window, right-click on the free space. From the context menu, select New and then DWORD Value (32-bit). Give the parameter a name: “NoAutoUpdate” (without quotes).
Right-click on the “NoAutoUpdate” parameter and select “Change...” in the context menu.
Enter the parameter “1” (without quotes) in the “Value” field and click the “OK” button.
To enable updating in Windows 10, you need to change the value of the parameter to “0” (without quotes), or simply delete the “NoAutoUpdate” parameter from the registry.
Conclusion
If necessary, the user can disable automatic updating of Windows 10 permanently using operating system tools: by disabling the Windows Update service, in the Local Group Policy Editor, or in the Registry Editor.
