Microsoft Is Testing a Way to Delay Windows Updates Indefinitely

Credit: willi Lumintang/Shutterstock

Table of Contents

Windows users contend with a lot of updates. There's a new update every month on the stable channel, and every week on the Windows Insider channel. But not all updates are created equal. Some are mission-critical, with important security patches you won't want to miss. On the other hand, some can create issues themselves, introducing bugs or new features you don't want.

Until now, there wasn't much you could do when an update showed up. You could try to delay, but you'd be forced to install it a week later, sometimes in the middle of important work. With the latest Insider update, however, Microsoft is trying to fix that. Now, the company is testing a roundabout way to delay updates forever (though from a security standpoint, you shouldn't), as well as a process for installing updates that won't disrupt your workflow.

How to delay Windows updates forever

In the Windows Insider update rolling out this week, you can pause updates for up to 35 days at a time. That doesn't mean you have to update your PC once those 35 days are up, however. You can keep doing this manually indefinitely. There are no limits. When you have the option on your end, go to Settings > Windows Update > Pause Updates. You'll see a new date picker here to extend the update. Here, you can choose a date you want Windows to install that update—perhaps after the deadline for an important project, so you can be sure that the update won't interrupt your work.

You'll need to enroll your PC in the Windows Insider program if you want to try this new feature out, however. Microsoft has not officially rolled it out in a public Windows update, so unless you want to join Microsoft's beta program, you'll need to wait and see if the company decides to release this feature in the near future.

Why you shouldn't delay updates forever

There are some caveats here. First, you'll have to do this manually each time to extend the pause period. Second, there's no option to cherry-pick which updates get delayed. It's just one option to pause updates, which can include multiple pending updates on your PC, even for drivers or security updates. When you pause updates, you lose out on all of it.

The monthly Windows update isn't just about new features you may or may not want: It also includes critical security updates that patch vulnerabilities and help protect your computer from attacks. In addition, it fixes longstanding bugs and issues, and introduces updates at the firmware and driver level that help improve the performance of your GPUs, memory, and peripherals. You can use this new "Pause Updates" feature to decide when exactly to install a monthly update (perhaps after waiting for a week or two), but from a security standpoint, it's not a good idea to delay updates indefinitely, just because you can.

Other changes to updates on Windows 11

You'll also be able to skip new updates when you're first setting up your Windows PC. During setup, you'll see a new Update Later button, which should get you to your desktop faster. When you do eventually install the update, the experience should be better than before. To reduce update fatigue, Microsoft is now trying to coordinate security, driver, and feature updates so they all appear together once a month. You'll also get a detailed view of all available updates in the Windows Update section. In addition, "Shutdown" and "Restart" will soon be available at all times—even when there is a pending update. You won't be forced into the "Update and restart" cycle just because you've delayed updates before.