How to Stop Windows 10 Updates (and Why Not to Disable Them Permanently)

Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025, and the only security fixes it still gets come through Extended Security Updates (ESU). If you just want the updates to stop for now, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and select Pause updates for 7 days, or open Advanced options and pick a date up to 35 days out. A metered connection and, on Pro, Group Policy give you more control.

The short version for Windows 10

• Pause: Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Pause updates for 7 days (repeat up to 35 days), or Advanced options > Pause updates > choose a date.
• Stop surprise restarts: set active hours on the same page.
• Limit downloads: mark your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection as metered.
• Ask before downloading (Pro, Enterprise, Education): Group Policy > Configure Automatic Updates.
• Keep getting security fixes: enroll in ESU, which runs until October 12, 2027 for home users.

If your PC already runs Windows 11, the menus are different; follow how to turn off Windows Update in Windows 11 and pause it safely instead.

What end of support means for your updates

Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates page confirms that Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. Windows 10 22H2 is the last feature release, so there are no big Windows 10 upgrades left to avoid. What still arrives on an enrolled PC is monthly security updates, plus the occasional Windows 11 upgrade offer.

That changes the math on stopping updates. On a PC without ESU, there is very little left to install, and the PC is already falling behind on security. On a PC with ESU, the updates you would be pausing are exactly the fixes you enrolled to get.

Enroll in Extended Security Updates

The same page says the consumer program covers Windows 10 22H2 Home, Pro, Pro Education and Workstations until October 12, 2027. You need the latest updates installed and to sign in with a Microsoft account that is an administrator (not a child account). Devices joined to a domain or managed by an organization’s device management aren’t eligible for the consumer option.

1. Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
2. Select the enrollment link (Enroll now on most PCs) when the ESU offer appears.
3. Choose one of the options: free by syncing your settings with Windows Backup, 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, or a one-time purchase of $30 (plus tax).

One ESU license can be used on up to 10 devices signed in with the same Microsoft account. If you don’t see the enrollment link, install all waiting updates first and check again. More setup detail is in setting up Windows 10 after end of support.

Pause Windows 10 updates for up to 35 days

Pausing works on every Windows 10 edition, including Home, and is the safest way to stop updates for a set time. Microsoft’s pause updates help page describes both the 7-day button and the Advanced options date.

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings, then select Update & Security.
2. Select Windows Update in the left pane.
3. Select Pause updates for 7 days. Select it again to add another 7 days, up to 35 days in total.

To choose an exact end date instead:

1. On the same Windows Update page, select Advanced options.
2. Under Pause updates, open the dropdown and choose the date you want updates to resume.

While the pause runs, and when it ends

• No new updates download or install, and Windows doesn’t restart for updates.
• Updates resume by themselves on the end date. To start them sooner, select Resume updates on the Windows Update page.
• On Windows 10, once the pause ends, Windows needs to install the latest updates before it lets you pause again. Plan the pause so it ends on a day when a restart is convenient.

Keep restarts out of your working hours

If the problem is a restart in the middle of a video call, you may not need to pause at all.

• Active hours: on the Windows Update page, select Change active hours and set the hours you normally use the PC. Windows won’t restart automatically for updates during that window.
• Restart warning: in Advanced options, turn on Show a notification when your PC requires a restart to finish updating so you get a warning first.
• Schedule the restart: when an update is waiting, the Windows Update page lets you schedule the restart for a specific time, such as late evening.

A small office that closes at 6 p.m. could set active hours from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and leave PCs on one night a week so updates finish without anyone waiting.

Set your connection as metered

Marking a network as metered tells Windows to save data. Microsoft’s metered connections help page says Windows Update then downloads only priority updates on that network.

1. Open Settings > Network & Internet.
2. Select Wi-Fi and then your network name, or select Ethernet and then your connection.
3. Turn on Set as metered connection (shown as Metered connection on some builds).
4. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Advanced options and check that Download updates over metered connections is off.

This only affects the network you marked, and priority updates can still come through. Treat it as a tool for hotspots and capped plans rather than a long-term block.

Make Windows 10 Pro ask before downloading

The Local Group Policy Editor isn’t available in Windows 10 Home. On Pro, Enterprise and Education, it lets you decide when updates download and install.

1. Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
2. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.
3. Double-click Configure Automatic Updates and select Enabled.
4. In the options list, choose Notify for download and auto install (option 2), then select OK.

Windows now tells you when updates are available, and you start the download from Settings when it suits you. Microsoft’s Windows Update policy reference also documents setting this policy to Disabled, which means updates must be downloaded and installed manually from Settings. That is easy to forget, so option 2 is the better choice: you still get a prompt. To return to normal, set the policy to Not Configured.

Stay on Windows 10 22H2 and decline Windows 11

Because 22H2 is the final Windows 10 version, “staying on your current version” now really means not moving to Windows 11.

• Home and Pro: when the Windows 11 offer appears on the Windows Update page, choose the option to stay on Windows 10 for now. Declining the offer doesn’t affect Windows 10 security updates.
• Pro, Enterprise, Education: in the same Windows Update area of Group Policy (inside Windows Update for Business), enable Select the target feature update version, enter Windows 10 as the product and 22H2 as the version. Security updates for 22H2 still arrive; the Windows 11 offer doesn’t.

If Windows 11 already downloaded or installed and you want to go back, see how to remove the Windows 11 update in Windows 10.

Remove a bad update or stop a driver

Uninstall one update

1. Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
2. Select View update history, then Uninstall updates.
3. In the list that opens, select the update by its KB number and choose Uninstall.
4. Restart if asked, then pause updates so it doesn’t return right away.

Some updates can’t be removed this way, and a removed update may reinstall once the pause ends. Undoing a Windows update covers the other recovery options.

Stop driver updates

• Roll back a bad driver in Device Manager: right-click the device, select Properties, open the Driver tab and choose Roll Back Driver.
• On Pro and higher, enable the Group Policy setting Do not include drivers with Windows Updates under the Windows Update node. You then get drivers from the PC or device maker.
• On Home, the older Control Panel setting found by searching Start for Change device installation settings offers a choice to stop automatic device software downloads. It is a legacy setting and may not cover every driver.

An update is already installing

If the screen shows “Working on updates,” don’t turn the PC off. Interrupting it can damage Windows. Let it finish, then uninstall the update if it causes problems.

The risks of disabling the update service

The most common “permanent” tip is to set the Windows Update service (wuauserv) to Disabled in services.msc, or to edit the registry. Neither is a Microsoft-supported way to manage updates, and both cause trouble:

• Windows includes repair components, such as the Windows Update Medic Service, that can switch the service back on, so the block quietly stops working.
• A disabled service can break the Microsoft Store and other features that depend on it.
• If the block does hold, the PC stops getting ESU security fixes, which on an out-of-support system is the main protection left against malware and ransomware.
• Third-party update blockers also make these changes behind the scenes, and if they outlast you on a shared or family PC, nobody notices the ESU fixes have stopped.

If someone already disabled the service on your PC, set its startup type back to Manual and then check for Windows 10 updates to catch up.

Moving on: Windows 11 or a new PC

Pausing buys time; it doesn’t fix the fact that Windows 10 security updates end for home users on October 12, 2027. Your options:

• Upgrade to Windows 11 free if the PC meets the requirements. The Windows Update page in Settings shows whether the PC is eligible. Some PCs fail the check because they boot in Legacy BIOS mode instead of UEFI; switching BIOS mode from Legacy to UEFI explains that step.
• Replace the PC if it can’t run Windows 11.
• Businesses can buy additional years of ESU through Microsoft’s commercial program.
• If you keep using Windows 10 after ESU ends, keep your browser and security software current, back up often and avoid sensitive tasks such as banking on that PC.

Windows 10 update questions

Can Windows 10 Home stop updates forever?

Not in a supported way. Home can pause for up to 35 days, set active hours and use a metered connection, but it has no Group Policy Editor and no permanent off switch.

Do I still get updates without ESU?

Not security updates. After October 14, 2025, only enrolled PCs get them. Microsoft Defender definitions are a separate matter and may keep arriving.

Will pausing affect my ESU enrollment?

Enrollment needs the latest updates installed, so resume updates and install everything before you select Enroll now. After you enroll, a short pause doesn’t cancel it, but the security fixes wait until the pause ends.

Can I use the 7-day button and Advanced options together?

Both control the same pause, so the total is still 35 days. Use whichever is easier; Advanced options is simpler when you know the exact date.

Why is the pause button grayed out after a long pause?

Windows 10 wants the latest updates installed once a pause ends. Install them, restart, and the pause option becomes available again. If it stays grayed out, an organization policy may be managing updates on that PC.

For most Windows 10 PCs the sensible plan is to enroll in ESU, set active hours, pause only around important dates, and use the time before October 2027 to plan the move to Windows 11 or a new computer.