Many users are still not comfortable with the changes that come along with the installation and upgrades from Windows 10. However, due to a technical defect or any other reason, they might have to turn off or stop Windows 10 upgrade on their systems. Mostly, this can happen when you have recently migrated to Windows 10 from another OS and getting forced updates. Also, users experience the issue right after clicking on Windows 10 upgrade option. Here, you will get to learn a few technical fixes to understand how to stop Windows 10 upgrades.
It will also discuss how to prevent other versions of Windows OS to download Windows 10 upgrade automatically. So, if you are experiencing this same Windows error, don’t panic and keep reading this article.
Things You Need to Remember to Stop Windows 10 Upgrade
Many times, knowing how to stop Windows 10 upgrade can provide relief from the forced installation of automatic updates. Also, stopping the upgrade is essential, if you don’t want to switch to Windows 10 from your current OS version.
Windows 10 was made available to the user as a free upgrade from Windows 7, 8, 8.1 earlier. But, after a certain time period, it became a paid upgrade for a majority of users. Hence, if you install the OS during that time, then keeping Windows 10 up to date will require additional charges based on the kind of updates.
Therefore, you can stop Windows 10 upgrade or uninstall the existing version to ignore the updates.
How to Prevent Windows 10 Updates if you are Already Using Another Windows Version?
As reported by many Windows users, you can get the notification regarding ‘Get Windows 10 on your system. If you don’t pay much attention to your PC’s settings, it can lead to the automatic downloading of Windows 10. This is why it is very crucial to disable the feature of Windows 10 on your computer.
So, you can make use of a third-party solution or program to prevent Windows from upgrading to other versions. Such a tool can also block unnecessary Windows Updates, which can remove files or make unauthorized changes. Otherwise, you can check out the stepwise guidance in the following section to turn off Windows 10 updates.
Change the Value in Registry Editor
First, be very specific about which version of Windows OS you are using on your PC. Sometimes, users can get confused regarding this and end up downloading the wrong patch for disabling Windows 10 upgrade.
Once you install the necessary Windows patch from the official website of Microsoft, reboot your system.
Then, click on the Windows Start menu and type ‘registry editor’ in the Search box. Otherwise, you can also hit both the ‘Windows logo’ and ‘R’ buttons simultaneously. After that, write ‘regedit’ in the text field and press the ‘Enter’ key.
As the ‘Registry Editor’ window appears on your PC’s screen, first open the folder for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. Then, select ‘Software’ and click on ‘Microsoft’ within the ‘Policies’ folder.
After this, locate the folder of ‘Windows Update’ within the Windows section and click on it. Now, you need to create a new 32-bit DWORD key for this Windows Update folder. In order to do so, simply right-click on the Windows node to create this key and search for ‘DisableOSUpgrade’ file in it. Make sure to change the value for this file to ‘1’ and save these changes.
Decide When to Download and Install Windows Update
Many users, might have enabled the feature of Windows Update but, never download anything. So, if you also fall under this category, you can modify the settings and there will be no need to stop Windows 10 update.
Hence, for disabling Windows 10 updates, open the Windows Update window. Then, select the tab for ‘Change settings’ and go through the list of options in the drop-down menu. Now, below the heading of ‘Important Updates, click on the ‘Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them’ button.
Clicking this option will ensure that you don’t have to deal with unnecessary notifications on your system regarding the updates. Also, you can stop Windows 10 upgrade and install it as per your choice.
Apart from the above information, you can apply a few technical steps to stop the Windows 10 upgrade. So, let’s have a look at the instructions to turn off the feature of automatic Windows 10 update and upgrade.
Learn How to Stop Windows 10 Upgrade by Following Few Simple Methods
If you want to understand how to stop Windows 10 upgrade, check out the following methods and relevant discussions. Often, it can become impossible to prevent Windows 10 updates even if you try multiple techniques.
However, if there is a Windows 10 Update Assistant running in your PC, turning it off might work. So, if you are sure about not upgrading to Windows 10 or apply any relevant updates, you can disable the Update Assistant.
For doing this, you need to make use of the Task Scheduler on your Windows-based device.
Instructions to Disable Windows Update Assistant
First, click on the Windows Start button and find ‘Control Panel’ by entering the name in the Search box. Then, open the window of ‘Administrative Tools’ below the heading of ‘System and Security’.
In some Windows versions, you may have to click on ‘System and Maintenance’ to open ‘Administrative Tools’. Then, locate the icon for Task Scheduler’ and hit the ‘Continue’ button to proceed with the tool. You may also have to enter your admin password in order to modify the values in Task Scheduler.
Find the item of ‘Task Scheduler (Local) on the left panel and go through the Summary report. Then, select the option of Task Scheduler Library and find the folder for Microsoft. After this, you can choose the subtasks or folders for Windows Update from this root directory. This can include the folder for ‘UpdateOrchestrator’, which you can select right away.
Then, click on ‘Update Assistant’ and ensure that you are disabling each and every trigger under the tab for ‘Triggers’.
Instructions to Uninstall Windows 10 Update Assistant
If you are sure about removing the entire feature of Windows 10 Update Assistant, you can go through the following steps.
- First, open the Run dialog box by pressing both the Windows logo and R buttons at the same time.
- Then, write ‘appwiz.cpl’ in the text field and hit the ‘Enter’ key.
- From the list of programs, select ‘Windows 10 Update Assistant’ and right-click on it.
- After that, click on the ‘Uninstall’ option and confirm this action.
- Now, open the Windows File Explorer and click on ‘This PC’. Then navigate to the C drive and locate the folder ‘Windows10Upgrade’ by clicking on ‘Windows’. Make sure to erase this folder in order to stop Windows 10 upgrade.
In this article, you came across the stepwise process on how to stop Windows 10 upgrades by applying various methods. If you find any difficulty in applying these steps, you can consult a Windows professional for a technical solution. However, if you are aware of some effective ways to prevent Windows 10 updates, you can share them in the comments section.
