How to disable updates on Windows 10 Pro and Home

On Windows 10, updates are mandatory, and even though the new approach helps keep devices secure and up-to-date, they will often go out with bugs and problems that can negatively affect the experience.

While automatic updates won’t stop being a part of Windows 10, Microsoft is mitigating possible problems with an option that allows you to temporarily pause updates from downloading and installing for up to 35 days. However, some updates, such as definition updates for Microsoft Defender, will continue to download automatically to secure your device.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to use the “Pause Updates” feature to prevent updates from being installed on Windows 10.

Disable updates temporarily on Windows 10

To disable updates on Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Home, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 10.

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2. Click on Update & Security.

3. Click on Windows Update.

4. Click the Pause updates button to disable updates for seven days.

   

   Pause updates option

5. (Optional) Click the Advanced options button.

6. Under the “Pause updates” section, select how long you want to disable updates (up to 35 days).

   

   Disable updates

After you complete the steps, the device will no longer download updates for the days specified in the option.

Update March 30, 2021: This guide was originally published in December 2016, and it’s been updated in March 2021 to reflect the new changes.

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