Windows 10 has brought many innovations, one of the "least appreciated" for those who often use this operating system for work and commercial activities is the automatic download and download of updates.
If on the one hand this choice by Microsoft allows you to always keep your PC safe from possible bugs exploitable by viruses, on the other it can be annoying to see the PC restarting itself while you work or the connection that slows down point by point because of the download of the updates in progress.
If you can do little for automatic download, luckily you can set a time when the PC will restart or a time slot in which the PC will avoid restarting, according to your needs.
In this guide I will show you all the steps you need to do to update Windows 10 at specific times or postpone and delay Windows updates .
READ ALSO: How to delay the Windows 10 update
To end the updates Windows 10 always asks for a restart, but you can still choose the restart time in the Windows 10 settings so as not to find yourself with the PC in restart while playing, watching a movie or working. Open the Start menu and type Schedule restart, as shown in the image below.
If you don't find this item with the Start menu search system or with Cortana you can always open the classic Windows 10 Settings menu, go to the Windows Update section and click on the Restart options item (the menu is identical, so you can make the change as you like).
In the window that will open after clicking on the item indicated by the red arrow, simply activate the ticks shown in the following image (follow the red arrows to avoid mistakes).
Once these items are activated, use the fields Choose an hour and Choose a day to schedule the restart of the PC at a specific time and day. Your computer from now on will reboot itself to install all the updates scheduled for the day and time indicated, complete with notifications on the imminent reboot (so you can save all the work and not be unprepared). Note : this item may be disabled if you have set a working time, thus making it unnecessary to program a specific time for the restart. Continue reading to update Windows 10 at a time that is outside your activity period.
Move Windows 10 restart for activity
If you use the computer in a specific time slot (if for example you work in an office that is from 9 to 18 as a time), you can set Windows 10 to never automatically restart for updates in the time slot you set, saving you from risk to see your PC restart while you're working on an important document or other business program. This feature is known as Business Hours and you can find it in the Settings menu, in the Windows Update section.
In the window that you will see there will be two fields, in which to set:
- The starting time
- The end time of the activity
Below you can see an image of the working time set on the PC.
Click on Save to confirm your business hours; as you can see the system allows you to set a maximum of 18 as a period of activity, you cannot (rightly) set 24 hours to cover the whole day.
Now while you use the PC in the time slot you set, updates will still be downloaded (if this is a problem, read the next section of the guide), but the automatic restart will not be performed. As soon as the operating time is exceeded, the PC will check if you are not using anything and that the programs are not working (i.e. that no one has moved the mouse and typed on the keyboard for a few minutes) and will restart the PC completely automatically . This function is very useful on business PCs or if you use a PC to work, because you just have to enter the first part of the working time (for example from 9 to 14) and your computer will avoid updating when it is not. As soon as you go on pause (time of end of the activity, therefore the 14) you just have to leave the PC on and without any program in the foreground; on your return from the break you will have your PC updated and ready to use.
If in addition to the problem of automatic restart for updates you also need the maximum download speed for your business, know that on Windows 10 there are only two methods to block the download of updates (at the expense of security):
- Under WiFi you can set a connection on consumption
- On Windows 10 Pro you can set the delay days to receive updates or suspend them (for a limited period of time)
If your computer is connected under WiFi Open Windows 10 Settings and go to the Network and Internet menu.
In the Status screen that appears, click on Change connection properties .
A new window will open, scroll down to find the Connection on consumption section and activate the button.
If you have Windows 10 Pro you can delay the download of updates by looking in the Start menu Advanced Windows Update options .
Scrolling in the window you will find the fields to delay the updates, as visible in the image below.
Select the number of days in the first two fields to delay the arrival of updates or use the button in the Pause updates section to delay the download of 35 days. Unfortunately after 35 days the system will start to download updates completely automatically, it is up to you to manually modify these settings when you do not need to update.
READ ALSO: Block downloads of Windows 10 updates
If on the one hand this choice by Microsoft allows you to always keep your PC safe from possible bugs exploitable by viruses, on the other it can be annoying to see the PC restarting itself while you work or the connection that slows down point by point because of the download of the updates in progress.
If you can do little for automatic download, luckily you can set a time when the PC will restart or a time slot in which the PC will avoid restarting, according to your needs.
In this guide I will show you all the steps you need to do to update Windows 10 at specific times or postpone and delay Windows updates .
READ ALSO: How to delay the Windows 10 update
To end the updates Windows 10 always asks for a restart, but you can still choose the restart time in the Windows 10 settings so as not to find yourself with the PC in restart while playing, watching a movie or working. Open the Start menu and type Schedule restart, as shown in the image below.
If you don't find this item with the Start menu search system or with Cortana you can always open the classic Windows 10 Settings menu, go to the Windows Update section and click on the Restart options item (the menu is identical, so you can make the change as you like).
In the window that will open after clicking on the item indicated by the red arrow, simply activate the ticks shown in the following image (follow the red arrows to avoid mistakes).
Once these items are activated, use the fields Choose an hour and Choose a day to schedule the restart of the PC at a specific time and day. Your computer from now on will reboot itself to install all the updates scheduled for the day and time indicated, complete with notifications on the imminent reboot (so you can save all the work and not be unprepared). Note : this item may be disabled if you have set a working time, thus making it unnecessary to program a specific time for the restart. Continue reading to update Windows 10 at a time that is outside your activity period.
Move Windows 10 restart for activity
If you use the computer in a specific time slot (if for example you work in an office that is from 9 to 18 as a time), you can set Windows 10 to never automatically restart for updates in the time slot you set, saving you from risk to see your PC restart while you're working on an important document or other business program. This feature is known as Business Hours and you can find it in the Settings menu, in the Windows Update section.
In the window that you will see there will be two fields, in which to set:
- The starting time
- The end time of the activity
Below you can see an image of the working time set on the PC.
Click on Save to confirm your business hours; as you can see the system allows you to set a maximum of 18 as a period of activity, you cannot (rightly) set 24 hours to cover the whole day.
Now while you use the PC in the time slot you set, updates will still be downloaded (if this is a problem, read the next section of the guide), but the automatic restart will not be performed. As soon as the operating time is exceeded, the PC will check if you are not using anything and that the programs are not working (i.e. that no one has moved the mouse and typed on the keyboard for a few minutes) and will restart the PC completely automatically . This function is very useful on business PCs or if you use a PC to work, because you just have to enter the first part of the working time (for example from 9 to 14) and your computer will avoid updating when it is not. As soon as you go on pause (time of end of the activity, therefore the 14) you just have to leave the PC on and without any program in the foreground; on your return from the break you will have your PC updated and ready to use.
If in addition to the problem of automatic restart for updates you also need the maximum download speed for your business, know that on Windows 10 there are only two methods to block the download of updates (at the expense of security):
- Under WiFi you can set a connection on consumption
- On Windows 10 Pro you can set the delay days to receive updates or suspend them (for a limited period of time)
If your computer is connected under WiFi Open Windows 10 Settings and go to the Network and Internet menu.
In the Status screen that appears, click on Change connection properties .
A new window will open, scroll down to find the Connection on consumption section and activate the button.
If you have Windows 10 Pro you can delay the download of updates by looking in the Start menu Advanced Windows Update options .
Scrolling in the window you will find the fields to delay the updates, as visible in the image below.
Select the number of days in the first two fields to delay the arrival of updates or use the button in the Pause updates section to delay the download of 35 days. Unfortunately after 35 days the system will start to download updates completely automatically, it is up to you to manually modify these settings when you do not need to update.
READ ALSO: Block downloads of Windows 10 updates
