If you're happy with the functionality of Windows 10 and want to avoid inadvertently switching to Windows 11, the best strategy is to block Windows 11 updates entirely. This guide explains the step-by-step process to block Windows 10 to 11 update. Employ these 4 reliable ways that allow you to continue using your computer seamlessly.
Hello, forum. My PC recently has started to give notifications about installing Windows 11 (I'm currently on Windows 10). How can I turn this off until I wish to install Windows 11 myself without needing to worry if it's going to automatically install itself? I'm happy with the way my system works, and have fears that some apps might not be compatible with Windows 11, so I want to avoid the drama for the time being. Thank you."
- Question from Windows 10 Forums
While Microsoft may be very excited about you checking for Windows 11 update, you may be less enthusiastic about "upgrading". There are several reasons why some people choose to block Windows 10 to 11 updates.
► Compatibility issues: Windows 11 has higher system requirements compared to Windows 10. Some users may have older hardware that does not meet these requirements, making upgrading to Windows 11 impractical or even impossible.
► Concerns about new features: Some users may have concerns or reservations about the new features introduced in Windows 11. They may prefer the existing features of Windows 10 and choose to block updates to avoid any unwanted changes.
► Stability and familiarity: Users who value stability and are accustomed to the Windows 10 interface and functionality may choose to block updates to Windows 11 to avoid potential disruption. They may prefer to stick with the operating system they are familiar with.
Although Microsoft has made it clear that it will not force Windows 10 users to take the Windows 11 update at launch, many users have reported that it still starts downloading and installing Windows 11 automatically. Then how to cancel the Windows 11 upgrade and stay on Windows 10? Don't worry. Read the next part and get multiple fixes.
In this part, we'll show 4 effective ways how to block Windows 10 from updating to Windows 11.
If your goal is to take short-term measures to block Windows 10 update to Windows 11, you can choose to take advantage of Windows Settings. This allows you to stop automatic updates for 7 days, providing a flexible way to adjust to your changing Windows Update preferences.
Step 1. Click Start > Settings > Update and Security.
Step 2. Select Pause updates for 7 more days under the Windows Update section.
Step 3. You will see the Updates paused information.
In this way, you can pause the Windows 11 updates every week.
Disabling the entire Windows Update service is a permanent solution to block Windows 10 to 11 updates. However, it comes with a caveat - this method will not only block Windows 11 updates but also prevent critical security patches and cumulative patches from being installed on Windows 10. your computer. Prioritize this potential issue before proceeding. To do this, follow these steps:
Step 1. Press Windows + R to open the Run box. Then enter services.msc and press OK.
Step 2. Find and select Windows Update to access the Windows Update Properties.
Step 3. Under the General tab, navigate to Startup type, select Disabled, and click OK to save changes.
Step 4. Close all Windows to exit.
In this way, all Windows updates on Windows 10 will be canceled.
Another method using the Run window to block Windows 10 to 11 updates is to utilize the Group Policy Editor. In this order:
Step 1. Press Windows + R, enter gpedit.msc, and press Enter to access Group Policy.
Step 2. Navigate to the Windows Update for Business folder via the following path:
Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Windows Update for Business
Step 3. Double-click Select the target Feature Update version.
Step 4. Set the policy to Enabled.
Step 5. Enter 21H1 under Options.
Step 6. Close all Windows to complete the process and exit.
By taking this approach, you can effectively stop Windows 11 updates using the Group Policy Editor.
Another way to disable the automatic update service is to use Registry Editor. In this order:
Step 1. Press Windows + R and type regedit to open the Registry Editor.
Step 2. Navigate to the Windows folder using the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
Step 3. Right-click the Windows folder, select New > Key, and name it WindowsUpdate.
Step 4. In WindowsUpdate, click New to create a new key named AU.
Step 5. Right-click an empty area and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Step 6. Enter NoAutoUpdate in the Value name box, change the Value data from 0 to 1, and click OK.
Step 7. Close the Registry Editor window and restart the computer.
As mentioned above, blocking the Windows 11 update process is fully accessible but some methods can be potentially risky. Additionally, there is still the possibility that Microsoft will install Windows 11 automatically, which may also result in irreversible data loss.
To proactively protect your Windows 10 system in such cases, it is recommended to clone a Windows 10 disk for backup. AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional comes as a top-notch cloning software that provides "Clone Disk" functionality. This allows for a 100% clone of the entire system drive without having to reinstall the operating system from scratch. This strategic cloning enables users to easily preserve Windows 10 to its previous stable state.
Look at the main cloning features of AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional Edition:
✍ Clone System Disk: Back up the entire system drive to a new SSD/HDD without losing data.Clone System: Only migrate Windows OS to another SSD/HDD, no fresh installation is required. ✍ Secure Boot: Ensure successful boot from the cloned drive. ✍ Clone Disk Quickly: Only transfer used sectors, you can clone a larger drive to a smaller drive as long as the target disk has enough space to accommodate the used sectors. ✍ Sector-by-Sector Clone: Performs sector-to-sector cloning, copies used and unused sectors on the source disk, and requires a larger destination drive.
To start the cloning process:
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, click "Clone" in the main interface and select "Clone Disk".
Step 2. Choose the hard disk that you need to clone as the source disk and click "Next".
Step 3. Select the destination disk to store the data on the source disk, and then click "Next".
Step 4. Then, you can check the source and destination disk in the next window or change to “Sector to Sector clone”, and click the "Confirm" button to continue if there is no problem.
Here, you can also click the "Settings" button to adjust the partition size on the destination disk or tick "4k alignment" to improve the reading and writing speed of SSD if the target disk is an SSD drive.
Step 5. At last, click "Apply" and "Proceed" in the main interface to start cloning the hard drive.
Tip: To clone the Windows Server system, try AOMEI Partition Assistant Server Edition.
This comprehensive guide describes how to block Windows 10 to 11 updates in 4 detailed ways. But if you are worrying about data loss during the blocking process, you are recommended to use AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional to clone your Windows 10 drive in advance. Then you can use the preserved Windows 10 system whenever you want.
Besides cloning disk or partition, this versatile tool also allows users to convert MBR disk to GPT without losing data, free up the C drive for more storage, directly allocate free space to another drive, and more. Don't hesitate to have a try!
