AKB1000005: Disable Automatic Update in Windows 10

By @woody

Published 6 Feb 2017 Revised 1 April 2019 rev 1.2

As most of you know, I recommend that you normally turn off Automatic Updates. I’ve been saying – in print – for almost two decades that Windows Automatic Update is for chumps. It’s just as true now as it ever was. Given the “Get Windows 10” campaign, the horrible record of Win10 updates clobbering things, and the slow incursion of advertising into Win10, I’d say it’s more important now than before.

The method for blocking Windows 10 updates varies depending on which edition of Win10 you’re using, and which version. Look here to see which version you have, if you don’t know already.

If you have Win10 1703 or later

The easiest way to block automatic updates is to designate the internet connection as a metered connection. That isn’t a long-term solution, it’s a short-term fix, to opt out of patches until you’re convinced they’re ready.

The easiest way to do that: Click the Notification (er, Action) Center icon in the lower right corner of your screen. Click on your internet connection (it can be Wi-Fi or wired), then click the link marked Network & Internet settings. Click Change connection properties. Locate the Set as metered connection slider (which can be in one of several places; click around and you’ll find it), and slide it off.

In addition, if you have Win10 Pro

Here’s where the version of Win10 comes into play. If you have any Win10 Pro (or Enterprise or Education) edition, it’s easy to defer updates. Home users are out of luck. In spite of what you have read elsewhere, Even if you manage to get gpedit installed on your Home machine, the changes it makes won’t “take.”

If you’re running Pro (Enterprise/Education), click Start > Settings > Update & security > Windows Update > Advanced Options. In the box marked Choose when updates are installed, choose “Semi-Annual Channel” or “Current Branch for Business.” In the drop-down list labeled A feature update… choose 365. In the drop-down list labelled A quality update, choose 30.

That’ll keep cumulative updates (Microsoft calls them “quality updates,” although their quality may vary) off your machine for 30 days, and it’ll delay version changes (“feature updates”) for a year after the new version has been declared suitable for deployment by businesses.

That’ll keep you out of the unpaid beta tester ring for as long as possible.

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