Completely Disable Updates

5. Completely Disable Updates

As a last resort, here’s the one method that will really turn off updates, either completely or until you reboot your computer. It’s available in all editions of Windows 10.

Go to Start, type Administrative Tools, and open the matching result. Open Services > Windows Update. Below Service status, click Stop to shut down Windows Update until you reboot. Under Startup type, you can select Disabled to prevent it from booting with Windows.

Remember to turn updates back on as soon as possible or proceed to manually install security updates, for example using Portable Update.

Block Troublesome Driver Updates

Starting with Windows 10, Windows Update also handles driver updates. These updates can be particularly fragile because Microsoft only deploys standard drivers. Those drivers may break your individual settings or introduce problems, although the manufacturer version worked perfectly fine. You can troubleshoot and block driver updates that have gone awry using Microsoft’s Show or Hide Updates Troubleshooter (direct download).

You can also manually roll back damaging driver updates, install new drivers, and block future driver updates, as we’ve covered in detail in our Windows 10 Driver Update guide.Take Back Control Over Driver Updates in Windows 10 Take Back Control Over Driver Updates in Windows 10A bad Windows driver can ruin your day. In Windows 10, Windows Update automatically updates hardware drivers. If you suffer the consequences, let us show you how to roll back your driver and block future...READ MORE