4 Easy Ways to Stop Updates in Windows 11

Like other operating systems, Windows 11 regularly receives updates to enhance performance and fix system bugs. However, these updates often occur unexpectedly and at irregular intervals.

One common solution to manage these sudden updates is to disable the auto-update feature in Windows 11. However, turning off this feature comes with certain risks and consequences.

For instance, you will no longer receive updates for the latest features, system fixes, or security improvements, which could leave your PC or laptop vulnerable.

If you're aware of these risks and still wish to disable the update feature in Windows 11, follow these steps to turn off Windows updates:

Through Windows Settings

One of the simplest and most practical ways to disable the Windows update feature is by using the Pause Update feature. This method doesn’t turn off automatic updates permanently but temporarily suspends them for a specified period. Here are the steps to use this feature:

1. Go to Settings

The first step is to open “Settings” through the “Start/Windows” menu or search through the search field.

2. Activate Pause Update

Scroll down and select Windows Update at the bottom. Once opened, on the right side of the Pause Updates section, choose the duration you want to pause updates, ranging from 1 to 5 weeks.

Once selected, Windows updates will be paused for the specified period. You can resume updates at any time by selecting the Resume Updates option in the same menu.

Through Metered Connection

In addition to temporarily pausing Windows updates, you can also turn them off permanently or prevent them from running on a schedule. One way to achieve this is by enabling the Metered Connection feature through the Settings menu. Follow these steps to turn off updates using Metered Connection:

1. Go to Settings

The first step is to open Settings by clicking on the Start/Windows menu and selecting the Settings option.

2. Open Network & Internet

Next, select the Network & internet menu. In Network & internet, please select Properties.

Apart from the Start menu, you can also open Network & internet settings via the taskbar. All you have to do is right-click on internet access and select Network & Internet settings.

3. Activate Metered Connection

Once open, you will find a column Metered connection, then toggle the switch on the right to turn it On (it will turn blue when activated).

Once enabled, Windows will treat the connection as metered, and updates will no longer download automatically. If you want to disable the metered connection later, simply toggle the switch back to Off.

Through Regedit

The next way you can do is to use Regedit or Registry Editor. This method can be called forcibly disabling Windows updates in Windows 11. To be clearer, please refer to the following steps:

1. Open Registry Editor

The first step is to search for the Regedit or Registry Editor application through the search field. Select Run as administrator option so that you can execute all commands that require administrator permissions.

2. Change update settings

Once Regedit is open, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Policies > Microsoft > Windows. In the Windows folder, right-click, select New > Key and name the folder WindowsUpdate.

Do the same to the WindowsUpdate folder, right click on the folder then select New > Key and name it AU.

Inside the AU folder column, please right-click, then select New > DWORD (32-bit) value and name it NoAutoUpdate.

Next, right-click on the NoAutoUpdate file, select Modify and fill the value data into the number 1 with the Hexadecimal option.

Once the process is complete, please restart your PC or laptop so that the update can be processed smoothly. After completing these steps, Windows 11 will no longer perform automatic updates.

Using Command Prompt (CMD)

Another method to disable Windows updates in Windows 11 is by using the Command Prompt (CMD). The Command Prompt in Windows 11 works similarly to previous versions and offers more advanced features. Follow these steps to turn off Windows updates using the Command Prompt:

1. In the Search field, type Command Prompt and select Run as administrator to open it with administrator privileges.
2. Once the Command Prompt is open, type the following commands one by one, net stop wuauserv > net stop bits > net stop dosvc gradually while pressing the Enter key on each command.
3. After each command, you should see a "Successfully stop" message indicating that the services have been stopped.

Once all commands have been executed successfully, Windows updates will be disabled. To reactivate the update feature, repeat the steps but with a different command. You only need to replace the word stop with start until it works.

Well, those are some ways to disable the Windows update feature in Windows 11. Just remember, turning off Windows updates means you may miss important system fixes and security patches, so proceed with caution. Good luck!