Sometimes Windows 10 forces me to reboot for an update in the middle of a project. Is there a way to delay Windows 10 updates or block Windows 10 from updating until I’m ready for the software upgrade to happen?
Microsoft adopted a very different approach to updates in Windows 10, especially for any user with the Windows 10 Home edition. Instead of allowing you to choose when updates are downloaded and installed, Microsoft will automatically download updates in the background and only provide a fairly brief window of time before you are forced to install the update. Sometimes this results in needing to stop what you are doing and perform the software update whether it’s convenient for you or not.
There is one solution to this, which is to trick Windows 10 into thinking you are on a different type of connection than your home WiFi network. By browsing to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi you can change the configuration and Set as a metered connection. This setting basically makes Windows 10 think you pay for a limited set of bandwidth every month and prevents the operating system from blowing through your data cap without your permission.
This won’t prevent all updates, because Microsoft will still download priority updates automatically, but it will give you a greater deal of control over how often you are forced to update.
Upgrade to Windows 10 Professional for More Control
Windows 10 Pro users have more control over upgrades. If you want to define more specifically when you perform updates, paying the $99 to upgrade from Windows Home to Windows Pro can give you some piece of mind. Once the update is complete, you can use the Group Policy console gpedit.msc to define the following options for updates:
Defer upgrades for the following duration allows you to choose a length of time to delay major upgrades for up to eight months.
Defer updates for the following duration allows you to choose a length of time to delay both security updates and cumulative updates for a period of up to four weeks.
Pause upgrades and updates allows you to delay until the next monthly upgrade or update.
