Windows Update has changed a lot in Windows 10 since Windows 7 and 8, after Microsoft realized that people and businesses simply didn't update their computers. Since most Windows updates are security patches, this has led to numerous malware and infection problems around the world, with repeated criticism of Microsoft itself. For this reason, in Windows 10, Microsoft has decided that updates must always be automatic and forced, not only security patches, but also feature updates (The new versions that come out every year in April and October) and also those of the device drivers.
According to Microsoft, all PCs must have the same version of Windows, so as to no longer support older versions of Windows 10 if they are not updated within a year and a half. In addition, applications included in Windows 10 such as the Edge browser will be automatically updated through the Windows Store, separate from Windows Update.
It is therefore worth understanding how Windows Update works in Windows 10, how it is possible to disable and suspend automatic updates or delay them and how to uninstall updates with problems and go back to the previous version.
Automatic updates of Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise can be suspended . To do this you must go to the " Advanced options in the Windows Update section. From here you will find the Pause updates option which will be enough to activate to disable Windows Update. As it is written in the Settings, this option blocks automatic updates for a maximum of 35 days, after which nothing can be done to postpone or disable them further. This only applies to security patches.
UPDATE: Since the installation of Windows 10 1903 update of May 2019 it is also possible in Windows 10 Home to suspend updates for a maximum of 7 days in the Windows Update settings.
Another option can defer and suspend updates to the semi-annual features, so that they are not automatic as soon as they are available. Under " Choose when to install updates ", you can choose the number of days of suspension. Note that prior to the Windows 10 1903 update, it was only possible to switch from the targeted semi-annual channel to the semi-annual channel .
For the semi-annual updates of Windows 10, it is also possible to set the number of days of delay, to postpone the installation of the new versions of Windows up to a maximum of one year. The same can be done for the qualitative updates which are the weekly ones, even if for these the maximum number of days to postpone them is 30 days.
READ ALSO: How to delay the Windows 10 update
a trick to block the installation of automatic updates in Windows 10 with any version of Windows 10, and the computer is connected to the internet via wifi network. In fact, just go to Settings> Network and Internet> Wifi, press on Manage known networks, then press on the properties of the connected wifi network and set it as Consumption connection . Basically Windows is told that the connection in use is not flat or unlimited, therefore it does not consume network bandwidth by downloading updates automatically. This effectively blocks any installation of Windows Update .
If you want to uninstall a Windows 10 update, you can go to Control Panel> Programs> Programs and Features . From the list of programs, left click on " View installed updates ".
From the list, select the update to remove and uninstall it. In this regard, READ ALSO: How to uninstall Windows updates if they cause errors
This procedure does not apply to feature updates, for which you can restore the previous version within 15 days of installation. You can then go back to the previous version of Windows from the Settings> Update and Security> Recovery menu by pressing the Start button under the word " return to previous version ".
As for the automatic installation of the drivers by Microsoft instead there is still an option buried in the control panel that allows you to prevent the automatic download of new versions of the drivers. This option is located in Control Panel> System> Advanced system settings> Hardware tab . You can still proceed in a more linear way by reading the guide on how to disable driver updates in Windows 10 .
Going back to the Windows Update advanced options, you can click on a link that says " Delivery Optimization " and find out that Microsoft uses our computer to update the others . Virtually Microsoft updates Windows PCs around the world with a data transmission system similar to that of Bit Torrent, in Peer-to-Peer, with each computer sharing the updates with others. In this section of options you can choose, if you think this is a privacy issue or if you do not want to share network bandwidth, to disable updates from multiple locations or not to send updates to PCs on the internet, but only in local network. For example, if you have more than one Windows 10 PC at home, the same update is downloaded only once by one and then shared with the others. By default, Windows 10 allows peer-to-peer download over the Internet. If you think this is a privacy issue or if you don't want to share network bandwidth, you can disable this option by selecting only " PCs on the local network ". Note that if you run the disk cleanup tool to delete Windows Update files, your PC will not be able to send updates to other computers.
READ ALSO: Optimize Windows Update, download and delivery of updates
To finish the discussion on Windows Update it is also worth noting that you use the function to reset your PC and reset the system in order to erase everything and start from scratch (the option is found in the Settings menu -> Recovery), Windows 10 will keep the updates already installed . This allows you to keep your PC updated even if it is returned to the initial factory state.
The app also allows you to delete update files that have been installed freeing up space easily. Finally, you can set a reboot reminder that appears when a system reboot is required after installing or uninstalling updates.
According to Microsoft, all PCs must have the same version of Windows, so as to no longer support older versions of Windows 10 if they are not updated within a year and a half. In addition, applications included in Windows 10 such as the Edge browser will be automatically updated through the Windows Store, separate from Windows Update.
It is therefore worth understanding how Windows Update works in Windows 10, how it is possible to disable and suspend automatic updates or delay them and how to uninstall updates with problems and go back to the previous version.
Windows Update settings
First of all, the Windows Update settings in Windows 10 are not found in the Control Panel as in Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, but in the Settings. You can then press on the Start menu, go to Settings> Update and security to find Windows Update. From Windows Update you can check for updates . If an update is found it is automatically downloaded and installed immediately. Unlike previous versions of Windows, you cannot select individual updates to download and all of them, including optional updates and those of Windows Defender (the Windows 10 antivirus) will be installed automatically.Automatic updates of Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise can be suspended . To do this you must go to the " Advanced options in the Windows Update section. From here you will find the Pause updates option which will be enough to activate to disable Windows Update. As it is written in the Settings, this option blocks automatic updates for a maximum of 35 days, after which nothing can be done to postpone or disable them further. This only applies to security patches.
UPDATE: Since the installation of Windows 10 1903 update of May 2019 it is also possible in Windows 10 Home to suspend updates for a maximum of 7 days in the Windows Update settings.
Another option can defer and suspend updates to the semi-annual features, so that they are not automatic as soon as they are available. Under " Choose when to install updates ", you can choose the number of days of suspension. Note that prior to the Windows 10 1903 update, it was only possible to switch from the targeted semi-annual channel to the semi-annual channel .
For the semi-annual updates of Windows 10, it is also possible to set the number of days of delay, to postpone the installation of the new versions of Windows up to a maximum of one year. The same can be done for the qualitative updates which are the weekly ones, even if for these the maximum number of days to postpone them is 30 days.
READ ALSO: How to delay the Windows 10 update
a trick to block the installation of automatic updates in Windows 10 with any version of Windows 10, and the computer is connected to the internet via wifi network. In fact, just go to Settings> Network and Internet> Wifi, press on Manage known networks, then press on the properties of the connected wifi network and set it as Consumption connection . Basically Windows is told that the connection in use is not flat or unlimited, therefore it does not consume network bandwidth by downloading updates automatically. This effectively blocks any installation of Windows Update .
If you want to uninstall a Windows 10 update, you can go to Control Panel> Programs> Programs and Features . From the list of programs, left click on " View installed updates ".
From the list, select the update to remove and uninstall it. In this regard, READ ALSO: How to uninstall Windows updates if they cause errors
This procedure does not apply to feature updates, for which you can restore the previous version within 15 days of installation. You can then go back to the previous version of Windows from the Settings> Update and Security> Recovery menu by pressing the Start button under the word " return to previous version ".
As for the automatic installation of the drivers by Microsoft instead there is still an option buried in the control panel that allows you to prevent the automatic download of new versions of the drivers. This option is located in Control Panel> System> Advanced system settings> Hardware tab . You can still proceed in a more linear way by reading the guide on how to disable driver updates in Windows 10 .
Going back to the Windows Update advanced options, you can click on a link that says " Delivery Optimization " and find out that Microsoft uses our computer to update the others . Virtually Microsoft updates Windows PCs around the world with a data transmission system similar to that of Bit Torrent, in Peer-to-Peer, with each computer sharing the updates with others. In this section of options you can choose, if you think this is a privacy issue or if you do not want to share network bandwidth, to disable updates from multiple locations or not to send updates to PCs on the internet, but only in local network. For example, if you have more than one Windows 10 PC at home, the same update is downloaded only once by one and then shared with the others. By default, Windows 10 allows peer-to-peer download over the Internet. If you think this is a privacy issue or if you don't want to share network bandwidth, you can disable this option by selecting only " PCs on the local network ". Note that if you run the disk cleanup tool to delete Windows Update files, your PC will not be able to send updates to other computers.
READ ALSO: Optimize Windows Update, download and delivery of updates
To finish the discussion on Windows Update it is also worth noting that you use the function to reset your PC and reset the system in order to erase everything and start from scratch (the option is found in the Settings menu -> Recovery), Windows 10 will keep the updates already installed . This allows you to keep your PC updated even if it is returned to the initial factory state.
WAU Manager
If you want even better control, you can try WAU Manager, a free program that works as a Windows Update manager with a granular control for managing updates. WAU manager can therefore be used to stop, postpone, manage, hide, show, install, uninstall updates in Windows 10, independently of Windows Update. However, I recommend that you always install updates, especially security updates, whenever they are available.The app also allows you to delete update files that have been installed freeing up space easily. Finally, you can set a reboot reminder that appears when a system reboot is required after installing or uninstalling updates.
