The supported way to stop Windows Update is to pause it: open Start, Settings, Windows Update, and pick a date on the Pause updates control. Microsoft allows a pause of up to 35 days from the current date, and updates resume on their own when it ends.
Microsoft's own FAQ says you can't stop updates entirely. Disabling the Windows Update service or setting Automatic Updates to Disabled does stop them, and leaves the computer without security fixes. A business should control updates with deferral policies and rings instead.
- Pausing is built into Settings on every Windows 11 edition, up to 35 days at a time
- Active hours and restart scheduling fix most complaints without stopping anything
- A metered connection only limits downloads to priority updates
- Disabling the service stops security fixes along with everything else
- Pro, Education and Enterprise can defer quality updates 30 days and feature updates 365
On this page
- Why a business should control Windows updates, not stop them
- How to pause Windows updates in Windows 11
- How to stop Windows 10 update downloads
- Fixing the restart problem without turning off Windows updates
- How to disable Windows Update, and why each method is a bad idea
- How a business holds updates back with deferral and rings
- Where people go wrong
- Comparison
- FAQ
The goalWhy a business should control Windows updates, not stop them
People search for how to stop Windows update for three reasons: a restart in the middle of work, an update that broke something, or a slow download on a limited connection. Each has a better fix than turning updates off, and turning them off creates a bigger problem than any of the three.
Microsoft's position is plain. Its Windows Update FAQ says you can't stop updates entirely, because they help keep your device safe, and that updates will eventually need to be installed regardless of your update settings. The monthly quality update, typically released on the second Tuesday of each month, is where most security fixes arrive.
A computer that misses those fixes stays exposed to public vulnerabilities. For a business, the goal is to decide when updates install, and on which machines first, which is what patch management is for. Knowing how to stop Windows update temporarily still helps for a trip or a deadline.
PauseHow to pause Windows updates in Windows 11
Pausing is the method Microsoft documents for anyone who needs more time, and it is how to stop Windows 11 update installs temporarily on every edition, including Home.
1. Select Start, then Settings, then Windows Update. 2. Select Pick a date on the Pause updates control. 3. Choose the date updates should resume. The calendar only offers dates within 35 days of today.
Microsoft's pause page lists what happens while updates are paused. Updates that might require a restart are not downloaded or installed until the pause ends, the device does not restart automatically to finish an installation, and any update already in progress is canceled.
Extending the pause. Select a new end date on the same calendar. Microsoft states that the new end date can be up to 35 days from today, and that previously paused time does not get added on. If you do nothing, updates resume automatically when the pause expires.
Resuming early. You can resume at any time from the same page. Windows then checks for updates, downloads them and installs the latest ones.
Windows 10How to stop Windows 10 update downloads
On Windows 10, the path is Start, Settings, Update & Security, Windows Update. Select Pause updates for 7 days, or open Advanced options and choose a resume date from the Pause updates dropdown. Microsoft's note on the same page matters more than the steps: support for Windows 10 ended on October 14, 2025.
After that date Microsoft no longer provides free security fixes through Windows Update for Windows 10. A Windows 10 computer without an extended support arrangement has no updates worth stopping, and the question to ask is when it moves to Windows 11.
RestartsFixing the restart problem without turning off Windows updates
Most requests to turn off Windows updates are really about restarts. Windows has settings for exactly that.
Active hours. Open Start, Settings, Windows Update, Advanced options, Active hours. Choose Automatically to let Windows learn when the computer is in use, or Manually to set a start and end time. Windows tries to restart for updates outside that window.
Schedule the restart. When an update is waiting, Windows Update offers Schedule the restart, so you choose the time.
One restart a month. Microsoft's support article KB5121772 describes a change for Windows 11 versions 24H2, 25H2 and 26H1. Starting with updates released on and after July 28, 2026, driver, .NET and firmware updates wait and install with the monthly security update, so they share one restart.
Microsoft says that change is rolling out gradually. Defender security intelligence updates, critical drivers and out-of-band fixes still install right away.
If a computer restarted overnight and you want to know why, the reboot event IDs in the System log record who or what started it.
DisablingHow to disable Windows Update, and why each method is a bad idea
There are three ways to disable Windows Update completely. They all work, and all three leave the computer without security fixes until somebody remembers to undo them.
Disabling the service. Press Windows key+R, type services.msc, double-click the Windows Update service and set its startup type to Disabled. The service description says that if it is disabled, users will not be able to use Windows Update or its automatic updating feature. Nothing records why it was done.
Group Policy. The Configure Automatic Updates policy lives under Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Update. Microsoft documents that when it is set to Disabled, any updates available on Windows Update must be downloaded and installed manually. The Local Group Policy Editor is not part of Windows Home.
The registry. Microsoft documents a registry value for computers without Active Directory: NoAutoUpdate, a REG_DWORD under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU, where 1 means Automatic Updates is disabled. The same page warns that modifying the registry incorrectly can cause serious problems. Use it only to set a documented policy, never as a routine fix.
A metered connection is sometimes listed alongside these. Microsoft's metered connection page says Windows Update will only download priority updates on such a network, so it slows updates rather than stopping them.
Deferral and ringsHow a business holds updates back with deferral and rings
Windows Update client policies, formerly called Windows Update for Business, are the controls Microsoft built for organizations. Microsoft lists them as available on Pro, including Pro for Workstations, Education and Enterprise.
Deferral. Quality updates can be deferred for up to 30 days from their release and feature updates for up to 365 days. In Group Policy the settings are Select when Quality Updates are received and Select when Preview Builds and Feature Updates are received.
Both sit in the Manage updates offered from Windows Update folder under Windows Update. Group Policy applies them to every domain computer at once.
Pause by policy. An administrator can pause feature or quality updates for 35 days from a start date. Pausing a feature update still lets quality updates through.
Rings. Give a few test machines no deferral, most of the office a few days, and critical machines a week. A bad update then reaches the test group first.
Deadlines. Microsoft Intune update rings accept a deadline of 2 to 30 days for quality and feature updates, plus a grace period of 0 to 7 days before a forced restart, so users cannot postpone forever. Intune can also pause a whole ring for up to 35 days.
An RMM platform offers similar approval and scheduling, and the choice between the two is covered in Intune vs RMM.
PitfallsWhere people go wrong
Disabling the service and forgetting it. A computer found months later without updates is the usual result. If a pause is needed, use one that expires.
Pausing every PC instead of the problem update. When one update breaks one application, pause or defer that update type on the affected ring, and keep security updates flowing to everyone else.
Letting users pause as they please. The Remove access to "Pause updates" feature policy takes the option away on managed computers, where IT owns the schedule.
Treating a metered connection as a switch. It limits downloads to priority updates and changes how other apps behave on that network.
Keeping Windows 10 and blocking updates too. With support ended, blocking updates changes nothing. Plan the upgrade.
ComparisonPause, metered connection, deferral policy and disabling, side by side
| Criterion | Pause in Settings | Metered connection | Deferral policy or ring | Disable service or policy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Editions | All Windows 11 editions | All editions | Pro, Education, Enterprise | Service on all, Group Policy editor not on Home |
| How long it lasts | Up to 35 days, then resumes | Until the network is changed back | As long as the policy applies | Until someone undoes it |
| Security updates | Held during the pause | Priority updates still download | Delayed by days you choose | Stopped |
| Resumes by itself | Yes | No | Updates arrive after the deferral | No |
| Works across many PCs | No, one at a time | No | Yes, through Group Policy, Intune or RMM | Only by script |
| Advisable for a business | For a short window | No | Yes | No |
The last two rows decide it. Pausing is the right answer for one person with a deadline, because it ends on its own. For a company, deferral policies and rings are the only method that holds updates back on purpose and still delivers them. Disabling Windows Update belongs in the table only so that it can be ruled out.
FAQFrequently asked questions
How do I stop Windows Update permanently?
Windows offers no supported permanent off switch, and Microsoft's FAQ says updates will eventually need to be installed. Disabling the service or the Configure Automatic Updates policy stops them, but also stops security fixes. Pause for up to 35 days, or use deferral policies on business editions.
How do I pause Windows updates in Windows 11?
Select Start, Settings, Windows Update, then Pick a date on the Pause updates control. You can choose any date up to 35 days from today. Updates resume automatically on that date, or earlier if you select resume.
How long can I pause Windows updates?
Up to 35 days from the current date. Microsoft's pause page says you can extend a pause by picking a new end date, which again can be at most 35 days from today, and previously paused time is not added on.
How to stop Windows 11 update downloads that already started?
Pause updates from Start, Settings, Windows Update. Microsoft states that if updates are in progress when you pause, those updates are canceled. When the pause ends, Windows may need to download them again.
How do I stop Windows 10 updates?
Open Start, Settings, Update & Security, Windows Update, and select Pause updates for 7 days or choose a date in Advanced options. Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025, so free security updates have stopped anyway.
How do I disable Windows Update?
The three methods are setting the Windows Update service to Disabled, setting the Configure Automatic Updates policy to Disabled, or the NoAutoUpdate registry value. Each stops security fixes too and stays in place until someone reverses it, which is why a pause is the better choice.
Is it safe to turn off Windows updates?
For a few weeks with a pause, the risk is small. Turned off indefinitely, the computer misses monthly security fixes for vulnerabilities that attackers already know about. On business computers, delay updates with a deferral policy instead of switching them off.
Does a metered connection stop Windows updates?
Not fully. Microsoft's metered connection page says Windows Update will only download priority updates on a metered network. It reduces update traffic on a limited data plan, but security updates can still arrive.
Can Windows 11 Home defer updates?
Windows 11 Home can pause updates for up to 35 days from Settings. Microsoft lists Windows Update client policies, which include deferral and deadlines, for Pro, Education and Enterprise, and the Local Group Policy Editor is not included in Home.
How do I stop Windows from restarting after updates?
Set active hours in Settings, Windows Update, Advanced options, so Windows restarts outside them, or use Schedule the restart when an update is waiting. On managed computers a deadline with a grace period sets when a restart becomes mandatory.
What is the difference between pausing and deferring updates?
A pause holds updates until a date and then releases everything available. A deferral delays each update by a set number of days after its release, up to 30 for quality updates and 365 for feature updates, so updates keep arriving on a delay.
How do businesses control Windows updates?
With Windows Update client policies applied through Group Policy, Intune or an RMM tool. Machines are grouped into rings with different deferrals, deadlines force installation within a set number of days, and a ring can be paused if an update causes problems.
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