If required, you can Disable Automatic Updates on your Windows 11 computer and prevent the possibility of your device and work being impacted by an early update.
Stop Automatic Updates in Windows 11
The default option in Windows 11 is to automatically download and install updates as soon as they are available for your device. This ensures that your computer is always up-to-date with the latest security updates and bug fixes.
However, it is not uncommon to find users reporting performance issues and problems after installing an early Windows update. Hence, Windows operating system provides the option to pause updates for up to 35 days.
Apart from this, you can Disable Automatic Updates in Windows 11 using multiple other methods as provided below in this guide.
1. Pause Updates in Windows 11
As mentioned above, Windows 11 provides the option to Delay or Pause Updates on your computer up to a maximum period of 35 days.
Open Settings > scroll down and click on Windows Update in the left-pane. In the right-pane, click on the down arrow next to Pause Updates and select your desired Pause Period.
Depending on your requirements, you can set the computer to delay or puase updates for 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks and up-to a maximum period of 5 weeks.
2. Set Windows Updates Over Metered Connection
An easy way to Stop Windows 11 from automatically downloading updates in background is to set the computer to download updates over Metered connection.
1. Open Settings > scroll down and click on Windows Update in the left-pane. In the right-pane, click on Advanced Options.
2. On the next screen, move the toggle next to Download Updates Over Metered Connection to ON position.
3. After this, go to Settings > Network & Internet and open Properties of the most active Network (WiFi or Ethernet) on your computer.
4. On the next screen, move the toggle next to Metered connection to ON position.
Since, you are not setting any limit on this metered connection, your normal browsing activity should not be impacted. However, Apps that need to refresh their data in the background, won’t be able to do so.
3. Disable Automatic Updates Using Administrative Tools
You can also disable Auto Updates in Windows 11 by disabling Windows Update Service.
1. Right-click on the Start button and click on Run. In Run Command window, type services.msc and click on OK.
2. On the Services screen, right-click on Windows Update and select Properties in the menu that appears.
3. On Windows Update Properties screen, click on Startup type down-arrow and select Disabled option.
4. Click on Apply and OK to save the changes to your computer.
The disadvantage of this method is that it can prevent your computer from being up to date with the latest updates. Hence, make sure that you periodically check for Updates by going to Settings > Update & Security > Check for Updates.
4. Disable Automatic Updates Using Group Policy Editor
If you are using the Professional Edition of Windows 11, you can disable Auto Updates by using Group Policy Editor.
1. Right-click on the Start button and click on Run. In the Run Command window, type gpedit.msc and click on OK.
2. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Manage end user experience and double click on Configure Automatic Updates entry.
3. On Configure Automatic Updates screen, select the Disabled option.
4. Click on Apply & OK to save this setting on your computer.
5. Disable Automatic Updates Using Registry
Before going ahead with this method, it is recommended that you backup Registry files on your computer.
1. Right-click on the Start button and click on Run. In the Run Command window, type regedit and click on OK.
2. On the Registry screen, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU.
3. Right-click on the blank space in the right-pane and click New > DWORD (32-bit) Value and Name the New DWORD as NoAutoUpdate.
4. Double-click on the newly created key and sets its value to 1 and click on OK.
After this, Windows will stop automatically downloading updates on your computer. However, this does not prevent you from checking for updates and installing them on your computer.
Why Disable Auto Updates?
A common reason for disabling Auto Updates on a Windows computer is to prevent the possibility of an ongoing work/project being impacted by an early and untested Windows update.
Another reason for disabling Auto Updates is to prevent the possibility of an early update causing problems or becoming incompatible with Apps and programs installed on the computer.
In our opinion, the recommended option for most users would be to Pause Updates using the first method as provided above and see if other users are reporting any problems.