The Windows 10 May 2019 update (version 1903) which was released starting May 21, is gradually being delivered by Microsoft to all computers in the world via the Windows Update service, which sooner or later will notify the user of the availability of the new update. As explained in the guide to update Windows 10 1903 Update, you can either force the installation manually, or wait for Windows Update to think about it, which can also happen in a few months.
This is because Microsoft may have detected the use of an old computer or with uncertified hardware parts and wants to limit the possibility of complaints and error and block reports to the maximum.
If you are not yet ready to face the installation of this important update or if you still want to wait before updating, there are several ways to delay the installation of the Windows 10 May 2019 update, while continuing to receive updates of maintenance and patches released to correct security issues.
Temporarily delaying a new version of Windows 10 is not a significant risk to computer security, so it can be done without problems.
1) The first way to postpone and delay the installation of a Windows 10 update, in this case that of May 2019, you can go to the Settings menu, to the Update and security section and click on Windows Update .
On the right side, press the Advanced Options link and then turn on the switch to the " Pause updates " option.
Once the steps are complete, the quality and functionality updates will not be downloaded to your computer for a maximum of 35 days since the option was activated.
2) Postpone the installation of an Update if the new version has already been downloaded and is ready for installation.
In this case, go to Settings > Update and security and on the right side click on the link of the restart options .
Here you can activate a time switch by choosing the time and date on which you want to install the update (up to seven days in the future).
If you plan to install the new version today, but later, you can instead click the " Change business hours " link to set a time interval during which no updates will be installed.
After this time, obviously, the installation of the update can start.
3) To delay the installation of the Windows 10 May 2019 update (or even other updates) in Windows 10 Professional or Enterprise, you can press on Settings> Update and security, press on the advanced options and then on "Choose when to install the "updates.
You can then choose to postpone the installation with:
- Semi-annual channel (targeted) : to postpone updates up to 365 days from release
- Semi-annual channel : to postpone updates up to 365 days from when the update is considered stable for organizations.
Typically, this occurs four months after a new version becomes available in the Semi-Annual (Targeted) Channel branch.
Under this option, there are two numbers to enter, one relating to the days of delay for feature updates, as well as the April Update.
The second issue concerns fixes and security updates to correct any vulnerabilities, which can be left at 0 to never postpone them.
4) To block the installation of the Windows 10 May 2019 update in Windows 10 Home there are no options in the Windows Update Settings.
To delay therefore the May update, and not to install the 1903 version as well as any other future automatic update, you can use a little trick, setting the connection on consumption.
The pay-as-you-go connection is a feature that helps reduce data usage on limited Internet data plans.
This means that downloads of new updates are also prevented, all of them.
To use this option, go to Settings> Network and Internet, click on Wi-fi (or on Ethernet if you don't use wifi) and press on the network connection you use to connect to the Internet.
Among the available options, activate the connection on consumption .
Be aware, however, that this option blocks all Windows updates, including security updates.
At any time, the instructions described above can be used to remove the lock and disable the toggle switch of the consumer connection.
For Windows 10 Home there is also another way to delay the installation of updates.
Just download and run an automatic tool provided by Microsoft that allows you to hide updates for 30 days.
If you want to postpone for a longer period, you can run this tool every 30 days.
All this, however, must be done only in special cases and only for the first initial period (the first two or three months) because in general the updates are extremely important to keep the computer healthy and improve both the functionality of Windows 10 and its security.
New versions of Windows 10 are supported for at least 18 months, so it is theoretically possible to postpone an Update for more than a year, still receiving security patches and maintenance updates to correct vulnerabilities and compatibility issues.
In particular, at the moment, we can say that:
- Windows 10 Anniversary Update (version 1607) is no longer supported in Home and Pro editions as of April 10, 2018 (October 9, 2018 for Enterprise and Education editions) so it can no longer be used today.
- Windows 10 Creators Update (version 1703) was supported in Home and Pro editions until 9 October 2018.
- Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (version 1709) will be supported until April 9, 2019 for Pro editions and until October 8, 2019 for Enterprise and Education editions.
- Windows 10 version 1803 will be supported until 9 October 2019 for the Pro editions and until 10 April 2019 for the Enterprise and Education editions.
READ ALSO: Schedule (postpone) Windows updates at specific times
