2 Easy Ways to Disable Windows Updates on Your Computer

Want to disable Windows updates permanently? In this article, I will show you exactly how to stop the Windows Updates feature forever without any problem.

Kindly follow the step-by-step guide on how to disable Windows updates provided below for more information.

Disable the Windows Update Service

Windows Update is essentially just another Windows Service and can be turned off in a similar manner to other services.

Follow these steps to stop Windows 10 updates:

1. Fire up the Run command (Win + R). Type in “services.msc” and hit Enter.
2. Select the “Windows Update” from the Services list.
3. Locate the “General” tab and change the “Startup Type” to “Disabled”.
4. Restart your machine.

When you want to re-enable automatic updates, you just follow the same procedure except you select “Automatic” when choosing the “Startup Type”.

Disable Windows Updates with Group Policy Editor

You can make changes to the Group Policy Editor if you are using Windows 10 Education, Pro, or Enterprise editions. Users of Windows 10 Home edition are out of luck regarding this way of disabling Windows 10 updates.

If you opt for this solution, security updates will still be installed automatically. For all other updates, you will be notified that they are available, and can install them at your convenience.

This is the way Windows updates worked in the past. Today, Microsoft wants to eliminate the need for novice users to engage in updates, but it has enforced this at the cost of flexibility for more experienced users.

1. Launch the Run command (Win + R). Type in “gpedit” and click on “Enter” to open the group policy editor.
2. Drill down through “Computer Configuration” to “Administrative Templates”.
3. Locate “Windows Components” and go to “Windows Update”.
4. Choose the option on the right to “Configure Automatic Updates.”
5. Select the option that indicates “Notify for download and auto-install”.
6. Click on the “Apply” button to apply the changes and click on “OK”.
7. Now type “Windows Update” into the Start menu and select “Windows Update Settings.”

Finally, restart your Windows PC to finish updating the group policy editor.

That’s it. You are done with the whole process. That’s how to disable Windows updates permanently. Do you want more PC Tutorials? Click here.