In recent months, Windows 11 updates have become a nightmare for millions of users. What initially served as a way to fix bugs, patch vulnerabilities, or download extra content has now become fertile ground for errors that crash or slow down your computer. If you’ve ever wondered if there’s a way to avoid them, we have the solution .
Before showing you how to stop Windows 11 updates, we need to talk about their function. Windows Update debuted in 1998 as a feature that provided added value to Win 98 users through downloads of themes, additional components, and drivers. With the arrival of Windows XP and the internet, updates became essential for blocking viruses and patching vulnerabilities.
This last point hasn’t changed much, at least in essence. Microsoft security researchers are concerned with patching holes that could compromise your personal information. Unfortunately, the company has turned the operating system into “Windows as a service,” meaning that these updates also include features intended to improve the user experience, but often have the opposite effect.
Although many users are looking for ways to block Windows 11 updates, this isn’t something we recommend at Hipertextual. Disabling them completely will prevent further errors, but it also won’t address any security issues that might arise later. Therefore, we suggest delaying updates for one or two months , which is ample time for Microsoft to fix any bugs that may appear in their patches.
How to easily pause Windows 11 updates
The easiest way to delay updates is to pause them within the Windows Update settings . In Windows 11, Microsoft offers the option to defer updates for up to five weeks, so during this time you won’t receive notifications about new patches or downloads unless you reactivate them.
To activate them, just follow these steps.
- Click the Start button and select Settings.
- In the side menu, click on Windows Update.
- Look for the Pause updates option and click on the drop-down menu to choose “Pause for 5 weeks”.
- Once done, Windows Update will display a message warning that the system will not check for updates until the specified date.
- Once the deadline has passed, Windows Update will automatically reactivate, although you can do it manually.
If you have Windows 10, the process is similar, although Microsoft only allows you to pause updates for 7 days.
How to stop Windows 11 updates
If five weeks isn’t enough and you need more time, Microsoft offers an alternative through Group Policy . This feature is only available in Windows 11 Pro and is intended for system administrators, so if you have the Home edition, you won’t be able to activate it. The purpose of these policies is to give you greater control over what the system can and cannot do , including installing security updates.
- To open the editor, press the key combination Win+R.
- Type mscin the dialog box and press Enter.
- In the editor’s left menu, navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.
- Go to the Manage end-user experience folder.
- Double-click the Configure automatic updatesoption and choose Disabled to stop them completely.
- If you want to pause them temporarily, select the Manage updates offered by Windows Updatefolder within Windows Update (same path).
- Double-click on Select when to receive previews and feature updates.
- Click on Enabledand enter the number of days you wish to postpone the update in the box (maximum 365 days).
- Restart your computer.
If you want to disable these policies and return to the initial Windows state, just choose the “Not configured” option in the templates you modified.
