How to disable updates on Windows 10 Pro and Home

You can temporarily disable automatic updates on Windows 10, and in this guide, you'll learn the steps on how to complete this task.

Avatar for Mauro Huculak
@Pureinfotech
Pureinfotech Logo
Windows 10 disable updates
Windows 10 disable updates
  • To disable updates on Windows 10, open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, and click “Pause updates.”
  • You can also defer updates for up to 35 days on Windows 10 by configuring the “Select when Quality Updates are received” policy or Registry by modifying the “DeferQualityUpdatesPeriodInDays” DWORD.

UPDATED 12/2/2023: 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, I will teach you how to use the “Pause Updates” feature to prevent updates from being installed on Windows 10.

Disable updates temporarily on Windows 10 from Settings

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

  1. Open Settings on Windows 10.

  2. Click on Update & Security.

  3. Click on Windows Update.

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

    Windows 10 disable updates temporarily

After you complete the steps, the device will no longer download updates for seven days.

Disable updates temporarily from Group Policy

If you’re using Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, you can use the Local Group Policy Editor to defer quality updates from being installed on your computer for up to 30 days.

To disable updates on Windows 10 through Group Policy, do the following:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for gpedit.msc and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

  3. Browse the following path

     Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Windows Update for Business

  4. Double-click the “Select when Quality Updates are received” policy.

    Windows Update for Business in Group Policy

  5. Select the Enabled option.

  6. Under the “Options” section, enter the number of days to disable updates on Windows 10.

    Select when Quality Updates are received policy

    Quick Tip: If you specify a starting date, your computer will defer updates for up to 35 days.

  7. Click the Apply button.

  8. Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, your device will not download and install updates for 30 days, but if you disable telemetry, this policy will not take effect.

If you want to revert the changes, you can follow the same steps, but on step 6, select the “Not Configured” option.

Disable updates temporarily from Group Registry

On Windows 10 Home, you won’t have access to the Local Group Policy editor, but you can pause cumulative updates for up to 30 days using the Registry.

Warning: It’s very important to note that modifying the Windows Registry can cause serious problems if not used properly. It’s assumed you know what you’re doing and have created a full system backup before proceeding.

To pause updates for more than seven days on Windows 10, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for regedit, and click the result to open the Registry.

  3. Browse the following path:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate

  4. Double-click the DeferQualityUpdatesPeriodInDays DWORD.

  5. Check the Decimal option.

  6. Change the volume with a number between 0 and 30 representing the days to disable updates on Windows 10.

    Windows 10 temporarily disable updates from Registry

  7. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, the computer won’t receive new updates for up to 30 days after they are released.

You can revert the changes at any time by following the same steps, but in step 5, change the value data to 0.

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.

Update December 2, 2023: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.

About the author
Avatar for Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.