How to turn off/disable forced updates in Windows 10

Windows 10 PCs automatically check for updates and install any updates they find. You can take some control over this and have Windows 10 install updates on your schedule, but these options are hidden. Professional, Enterprise, and Education editions of Windows 10 have access to group policy and registry settings for this.

There’s actually an option that will let you choose how updates are installed on your own schedule, but it’s buried in Group Policy. Only Professional, Enterprise, and Education editions of Windows 10 have access to the Group Policy editor. To access the group policy editor, press Windows Key + R, type "gpedit.msc" without quotes into the Run dialog, and press Enter.

Navigate to Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Update.

Locate the “Configure Automatic Updates” setting in the right pane and double click it. Set it to “Enabled”, and then select your preferred setting. For example, you can choose “Notify for download and notify for install”. Save the change.

Visit the Windows Update pane, click “Check for updates”, and then select “Advanced options”. You should see your new setting enforced here. You’ll also see a note saying “Some settings are managed by your organization”, informing you that these options can only be changed in Group Policy.

 To disable this later, go back to the Group Policy editor then navigate to Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Update, locate and double click on “Configure Automatic Updates” setting, and then change it from “Enabled” to “Not configured”. Save your changes, visit the Windows Update pane again, click “Check for updates”, and then select “Advanced options”. You’ll see everything change back to the default setting. Windows Update only notice the setting change after you click “Check for updates.”