How to Turn Off Auto Updates Permanently on Windows 11

Windows is infamously known for its forceful auto-updates that give users no choice but to turn off the system to let the process complete. Users like me, who set a BIOS and storage password, have to stay on the screen to enter the required password so that the process can be completed quickly.

Updates are often given for our benefit, usually arriving with the latest features, improvements, and fixes. However, it’s common for updates to mistakenly roll out with some problems that can negatively affect the experience and performance.

So, first, you have to go through a frustrating update process, and if the update comes out with some bugs or issues, you then need to get a gear and debug the system, which could have been avoided if the Windows 11 update was disabled permanently.

In this quick guide, I’ll show you different ways to disable Windows 11 auto updates permanently.

Note: First, you should never disable auto-updates for Windows Server, especially security updates, and second, there is no permanent workaround to disable Windows 11 auto-updates, but you can modify the Group Policy or Registry to disable auto-updates, while still being able to install updates manually.

Method 1: Disable Automatic Updates on Windows 11 From Settings

This method is a temporary, not permanent, solution; it is the first suggested method because it doesn’t require modifying any system configuration files and can be done entirely from the Windows settings.

To temporarily disable Windows 11 automatic updates, follow these instructions:

1. Open “Settings” in Windows 11.
2. Navigate to “Windows Update.“
3. Turn off “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” under “More options.“
4. Click the “Pause for 1 week” button next to “Pause updates” to pause the update for 1 week (it can be paused for a maximum of 5 weeks).

Once the process is complete, the Windows 11 auto-update will be paused for one week or until you click the “Resume updates” button in the top right corner.

Method 2: Block Automatic Download for a Specific Update

Windows 11 updates are often automatically downloaded in the background, but if you want to prevent a particular update from downloading on Windows 11, follow these steps.

1. First, download the “Windows Show or Hide Updates” diagnostic troubleshooting file.

   
   

2. Double-click the downloaded file and then click on the “Next” button.

3. Click the “Hide updates” button.

4. Select the Windows 11 update or driver to block.

5. After that, click the “Next” button and close the window.

This will stop the automatic download of that specific update or driver, but it will still download and install a newer version when it becomes available.

Method 3: Disable Automatic Updates on Windows 11 From Group Policy

The previous two methods temporarily disabled Windows updates. However, by editing certain rules in the Group Policy Editor, you can effectively disable automatic updates permanently on Windows 11. Note that this method is only applicable to Windows 11 Pro; for Windows 11 Home, which lacks this tool, you can use the Registry method instead.

To disable the automatic updates permanently on Windows 11 Pro from Group Policy, follow these instructions.

1. Open the “Group Policy Editor” by searching for “gpedit” and clicking on the first result, or by running “gpedit.msc” in the “Run” window.

   
   

2. Navigate to the “Computer Configuration” -> “Administrative Templates” -> “Windows Components” -> “Windows Update” -> “Manage end user experience.“

   
   

3. Double-click to open the “Configure Automatic Updates” policy.

4. Choose the “Disabled” option, and click the “Ok” button to disable automatic Windows 11 updates permanently.

Once the process is complete, automatic updates for Windows 11 will be permanently disabled, but you can still manually check for updates through Windows settings.

To re-enable the automatic update, just follow the same instructions, but in “step 4“, ensure you choose the “Not Configured” option.

Method 4: Disable Automatic Updates on Windows 11 from the Registry

Unlike the previous method, this will work on both Windows 11 Home and Pro. So, to disable the automatic updates permanently on Windows 11 from the registry, follow these instructions.

1. Open the “Registry Editor” by searching for “regedit” and clicking on the first result, or by running “regedit” in the “Run” window.

   
   

2. Navigate to the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU” path.

   
   

3. Right-click on the “AU” key (or folder), select “New” from the context menu, and then choose the “DWORD (32-bit) Value” option.

4. Name the key “NoAutoUpdate” and press “Enter.“

   
   

5. Double-click the newly created key, and change its value from “0” to “1.“

6. Click the “OK” button, and restart the computer system to apply the changes.

Once the process is complete and the system is booted, there will be no automatic updates in the future unless the user manually initiates an update. If you want to revert the change, simply follow the same instructions, just make sure to change the value to “0” in step 5.

Wrap Up

Windows updates are often criticized for their approach to rebooting the system to complete the process. However, there is no way yet to update the Windows system without rebooting, so if you are managing a Windows server system, you must go through this annoying process.

However, if you are an end user who uses a PC for normal tasks, you can skip updating the system and continue to use it unless your system is connected to the internet, as updates ensure protection from the latest spyware, malware, and trojans.

If you want my suggestion, I personally recommend using the first method in the article to pause updates for a week and then take all updates in one go.