How to Turn Off Windows Update in Windows 11 (Pause It Safely)

If your PC keeps restarting for updates at the worst possible moment, you don’t need to switch Windows Update off. On current versions of Windows 11, open Settings > Windows Update, go to Pause updates and pick an end date up to 35 days away. Then set active hours and, if data is limited, turn on Metered connection. Windows 10 uses a slightly different path, covered below. A permanent off switch isn’t supported, and for good reason.

Quick answer for Windows 11

• Stop updates for a while: Settings > Windows Update > Pause updates > Pick a date (up to 35 days from today). Extend it later by picking a new date.
• Stop restarts during the day: Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Active hours.
• Stop big downloads on a limited network: turn on Metered connection for that Wi-Fi or Ethernet network.
• Decide yourself when updates install (Pro, Enterprise, Education): use the Group Policy setting Configure Automatic Updates.

The rest of this article walks through each control, what it does and doesn’t stop, and how to undo it.

Pause updates in Windows 11 with Pick a date

Pausing is the closest thing to “turning off” Windows Update that Microsoft supports. It works on every edition, including Home, and it is easy to reverse.

1. Select Start, then Settings (or press Windows + I).
2. Select Windows Update in the left pane.
3. Under More options, find the Pause updates row.
4. Select Pick a date and choose the day you want updates to start again. The calendar only lets you choose dates inside the allowed period, which is up to 35 days from today.
5. Check the top of the page. Windows shows that updates are paused and the date they will resume.

Pick a date that covers the real reason you are pausing. If you are presenting at a conference on the 20th, pausing until the 22nd is enough; pausing for the full 35 days just stacks up a bigger batch of updates for later.

Extend, resume and what a pause actually stops

Microsoft’s pause updates help page describes how the calendar behaves on current versions of Windows 11.

Extend a pause

1. Go back to Settings > Windows Update before the pause ends.
2. Open Pause updates again and pick a new end date.

The new date can again be up to 35 days from today. The time already spent paused is not added on top, so extending on day 30 of a 35-day pause gives you up to 35 days from that day, not 40.

Resume early

Select Resume updates at the top of the Windows Update page. Windows checks for updates right away, downloads what is waiting and may ask to restart. If you do nothing, the same thing happens automatically on the end date.

What happens while updates are paused

• Windows doesn’t download or install new updates from Windows Update.
• Updates that were in progress when you paused are canceled.
• Windows doesn’t restart your PC for updates until the pause ends.
• When the pause ends, Windows checks for, downloads and installs the waiting updates, so plan for a restart soon after.

Microsoft’s pause page doesn’t say whether Microsoft Defender security intelligence (virus definition) updates stop, and they may keep arriving, but don’t treat a long pause as safe because of that. The monthly security fixes for Windows itself are what get delayed.

If your PC shows a list of weeks instead of a calendar

Some Windows 11 PCs still show the older layout: a dropdown next to Pause updates with choices such as Pause for 1 week up to 5 weeks. The goal is the same, only the control differs.

1. Open Settings > Windows Update.
2. Open the dropdown next to Pause updates.
3. Choose 1 to 5 weeks. The page shows the resume date.

With this older layout, once you reach the maximum pause, Windows typically wants the waiting updates installed before it lets you pause again. Installing the latest updates also tends to bring the newer Pick a date calendar.

Windows 10: what’s different

Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. Home and Pro PCs that are enrolled in Extended Security Updates (ESU) keep getting security fixes until October 12, 2027, so pausing them carries more weight than it used to.

• Path: Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
• Pause: select Pause updates for 7 days, or go to Advanced options and pick a resume date in the Pause updates dropdown (up to 35 days).
• Active hours, metered connection and Group Policy work much the same way as on Windows 11, with slightly different labels.

For the full Windows 10 walkthrough, including ESU enrollment and the Windows 11 upgrade offer, see how to stop Windows 10 updates and why not to disable them permanently.

Keep Windows from restarting while you work

For many people the real problem isn’t updates, it’s the surprise restart. These settings leave updates running in the background but keep the restart away from your working hours.

Set active hours

1. Open Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options.
2. Select Active hours.
3. Under Adjust active hours, choose Automatically to let Windows learn when you use the PC, or Manually to set a start and end time.

Windows won’t restart automatically for updates during active hours. According to Microsoft’s restart and active hours documentation, the range can cover up to 18 hours on current versions of Windows. Someone who works 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and games until midnight could set 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. and leave the overnight hours for restarts.

Schedule the restart and get a warning

• When an update is waiting for a restart, the Windows Update page offers Schedule the restart. Pick a time when the PC is on but you aren’t using it.
• In Advanced options, turn on the notification option (labeled Notify me when a restart is required to finish updating on many builds) so you get a heads-up before Windows restarts.
• Leave the PC on and plugged in overnight now and then. Restarts that happen outside active hours can’t interrupt you.

If updates seem to install at strange hours, check that the clock is right. A wrong time zone shifts active hours with it; see changing the time and time zone to fix it.

Hold downloads on a metered network

A metered connection tells Windows that data costs money, such as a phone hotspot or a capped plan. Microsoft’s metered connections page says Windows Update will then download only priority updates.

1. Open Settings > Network & internet.
2. Select Wi-Fi, then the network you are connected to (or its properties), or select Ethernet for a wired connection.
3. Turn on Metered connection.
4. Go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options and make sure Download updates over metered connections is off.

Two limits to keep in mind. First, priority updates can still download, so this is not a complete stop. Second, the setting belongs to that one network; join a different Wi-Fi network and updates flow normally. If the toggle is grayed out, your organization controls it.

Group Policy and Windows Update for Business (Pro, Enterprise, Education)

Windows 11 Home doesn’t include the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc), so this section applies only to Pro, Enterprise and Education. On a work or school PC, these settings are usually set by IT and you shouldn’t change them.

Make Windows ask before downloading

1. Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
2. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update. On some Windows 11 builds the setting sits one level deeper, inside Manage end user experience.
3. Double-click Configure Automatic Updates and select Enabled.
4. In the options list, choose Notify for download and auto install (option 2).
5. Select OK.

Windows now tells you when updates are available and waits for you to start the download from Settings. Microsoft’s Windows Update settings reference lists the other options too: option 3 downloads automatically and asks before installing, and option 4 installs on a schedule. To undo, set the policy back to Not Configured.

Defer updates or stay on your current version

Windows Update for Business policies, described in Microsoft’s Windows Update for Business Group Policy guide, let a Pro PC wait before taking updates:

• Select when Quality Updates are Received delays the monthly cumulative updates by a number of days you set.
• Select when Preview Builds and Feature Updates are Received delays the yearly feature update.
• Select the target feature update version keeps the PC on the Windows 11 version you name (enter Windows 11 as the product and the version you are on now). Monthly security fixes for that version keep coming until it leaves servicing.

Depending on your build, these sit in a folder called Windows Update for Business or Manage updates offered from Windows Update under the Windows Update node. Check your version under Settings > System > About before you pin it, and revisit the setting before that version reaches end of servicing.

Optional updates, drivers and other Microsoft products

• Optional updates: Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates lists extra driver and feature updates. They install only if you select them, so you can simply leave them alone.
• A driver that keeps coming back: roll it back first in Device Manager (right-click the device, select Properties, open the Driver tab, then Roll Back Driver). On Pro and higher, the Group Policy setting Do not include drivers with Windows Updates, found in the same Windows Update area, stops Windows Update from offering drivers at all. You then need to get drivers from the PC or device maker.
• Early feature drops: a toggle on the Windows Update page (labeled Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available) only decides whether you get some new non-security features early. Turning it off doesn’t stop security updates.
• Other Microsoft products: Advanced options has a switch for receiving updates for other Microsoft products, such as Office. Turning it off doesn’t affect Windows itself.
• Store apps: app updates from the Microsoft Store are separate from Windows Update and are controlled in the Store app’s own settings.

Remove one update that causes trouble

If a single update broke a printer, a game or an app, removing it and then pausing is better than blocking everything.

1. Open Settings > Windows Update > Update history.
2. Scroll to Related settings and select Uninstall updates.
3. Find the update by its KB number and installed date, then select Uninstall and restart if asked.
4. Go back to Windows Update and pause updates so the same update doesn’t reinstall right away.

Some updates, such as servicing stack updates, can’t be uninstalled, and a removed update can come back once the pause ends. More recovery options are in how to undo a Windows update. If an update is already running and showing “Working on updates,” don’t power off the PC; read what to do when a Windows 11 update is in progress instead.

Why you shouldn’t switch Windows Update off for good

Microsoft’s own position is that you can’t stop updates entirely, only delay and schedule them. Plenty of guides suggest workarounds anyway. Here is why they cause more trouble than they solve:

• Security holes stay open. Monthly updates fix flaws that attackers already know about. An unpatched PC is an easy target for malware and ransomware, especially through the browser and email.
• Disabling the Windows Update service backfires. Windows has repair components that turn the service back on, and a disabled service can break the Microsoft Store, app installs and other features that rely on it.
• Registry edits and “pause for years” tricks are unsupported. They can stop working after an update, confuse troubleshooting, and leave the PC in a state that is hard to undo.
• Third-party update blockers change system settings you can’t easily reverse, and some come bundled with unwanted software.

If you change your mind and want everything current again, resume updates and follow how to update your Windows computer to check for and install the backlog.

Which control to use

Control	Editions	What it does	Good for
Pause updates	All	No downloads, installs or update restarts until the date you pick (up to 35 days, can extend)	Deadlines, trips, presentations
Active hours	All	No automatic restarts during set hours (up to 18)	Restarts during work or games
Schedule the restart	All	Moves a pending restart to a time you choose	One update waiting to finish
Metered connection	All	Downloads only priority updates on that network	Hotspots and capped data plans
Configure Automatic Updates	Pro, Enterprise, Education	Asks before downloading	Hands-on users and small offices
Target feature update version	Pro, Enterprise, Education	Stays on a named Windows 11 version	Avoiding a big upgrade for now
Uninstall updates	All	Removes one installed update	An update that broke something

When pause or updates don’t behave

• Pause updates is grayed out: the PC is managed by a work or school policy, or (on the older dropdown layout) the maximum pause was reached. Install the waiting updates, then try again.
• Updates resumed by themselves: that’s expected when the end date passes. Pick a new date before it runs out if you need more time.
• An update keeps failing and retrying: pausing hides the problem rather than fixing it. Run Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters > Windows Update, or follow how to run the Windows Update troubleshooter.
• The PC restarted during a game anyway: active hours were probably set to Automatically and hadn’t learned your evening use. Switch to Manually and cover those hours.
• A program stopped working after an update: remove that update from Update history and pause, as described above.

Windows Update pause questions

Can I pause Windows Update for longer than 35 days?

Not in one go. On current versions of Windows 11 you can keep extending by picking a new date before the pause ends, and each new date can be up to 35 days from that day. On the older dropdown layout, you typically have to install updates once you hit the limit. Microsoft’s Windows Update FAQ still says you need to install the latest updates once the pause limit is reached, so if the calendar won’t accept a new date, install the waiting updates and then pause again.

Can I stop updates for good on Windows 11 Home?

Not with supported settings. Home has pause, active hours, restart scheduling and metered connections, but no Group Policy Editor. Methods that disable the service or edit the registry are unsupported and leave the PC unprotected.

Will a metered connection stop every update?

No. Windows still downloads priority updates on a metered connection, and the setting only applies to the network you marked.

Does pausing affect apps from the Microsoft Store?

Store app updates are handled by the Store, not by Windows Update, so a pause in Settings doesn’t stop them.

Do I need to restart after resuming updates?

Usually, yes. Most cumulative updates need a restart to finish. Use Schedule the restart to pick the time.

For most people the best setup is simple: set active hours once, pause only around important dates, and let Windows catch up as soon as the pause ends.