In Windows 8, one has to manually update the Windows apps, but Microsoft has made it easier in Windows 8.1. Windows 8.1 will automatically download and install updates to all your Windows Store Apps.
Automatic updates to Windows Store apps is good in my opinion and can save your time and efforts. But if for some reason you wish to turn off or disable Automatic updates to Windows Store apps, here is how you can do it.
Turn off or Disable Automatic App Updates in Windows 8.1
You will be required to log in to your Windows PC with your Microsoft Account. This is a must as some services like this one depend on the Microsoft Account. Once this condition is met, open Windows Store by clicking on its Tile on your Start Screen. Next open the Charms Bar and click on Settings. Now click on App updates.
Here you will see the setting: Automatically update my apps.
It will be enabled by default. If you wish to turn off or disable automatic updates to your Windows apps, select No.
If you do not use a Microsoft Account but a Local account on your PC, you can disable automatic updating feature via Group Policy – if your version of Windows 8 has it.
To do so, open Run, type gpedit.msc and hit Enter.
Next navigate to the following:
Computer ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsStore
In the right pane, double-click on Turn off Automatic Download of updates on Win8 machines to configure its settings.
Select Enabled. Click Apply and Exit.
This policy enables or disables the automatic download of app updates on PCs running Windows 8. If you enable this setting, the automatic download of app updates is turned off. If you disable this setting, the automatic download of app updates is turned on. If you don’t configure this setting, the automatic download of app updates is determined by a registry setting that the user can change using Settings in the Windows Store.
Do note that there is another policy setting Turn off Automatic Download and Install of updates, which will enable or disable the automatic download AND installation of app updates.
This post will show you how to Disable Automatic Updates for Windows Store Apps in Windows 10.
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Windows Update exists to help make it easy to keep Windows up to date with the latest patches, service packs, and other updates. How easy depends on how Windows Update is configured to download and apply updates.
When you first turned on your new computer or were finishing your Windows operating system install, you told Windows Update how you wanted it to act — a little more automatic or a little more manual.
If your original decision isn't working out, or you need to change how it works to avoid repeating an auto-update issue, like what happens on some Patch Tuesdays, you can simply adjust how Windows receives and installs updates.
Depending on your version of Windows, this could mean downloading but not installing the updates, notifying you but not downloading them, or even disabling Windows Update completely.
Time Required: Changing how Windows updates are downloaded and installed should only take you a few minutes at most.
Microsoft made changes to the location and wording of Windows Update and its settings almost every time a new version of Windows was released. Below are three sets of instructions for changing/disabling Windows Update: one for Windows 10, one for Windows 8, Windows 7 or Windows Vista, and one for Windows XP.
Not sure what version of Windows you're running? Use the Lifewire System Info Tool to find out:
If you're changing Windows Update settings on another device and not sure what version it's running, see What Version of Windows Do I Have? for help.
How to Change Windows Update Settings in Windows 10
Beginning in Windows 10, Microsoft simplified the options available to you regarding the Windows Update process but also removed some of the finer control you may have enjoyed in earlier versions.
- Tap or click on the Start button, followed by Settings. You'll need to be on the Windows 10 Desktop to do this.
- Choose Windows Update from the menu on the left, assuming it's not already selected.
- Tap or click the Advanced options link on the very bottom of the page.
- The various settings on this page control how Windows 10 will download and install updates for the operating system, and perhaps other software, from Microsoft.We highly recommend that you do the following: turn on Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows, turn on Automatically download updates, even over metered data connections (charges may apply), and don't enable any deferred update options (if you see them). All things considered, this is the safest way to go.
- Changes to Windows Update settings in Windows 10 are saved automatically once you make them. Once you're done selecting or deselecting things, you can close the Advanced Options window that's open.
Here are more details on all the 'advanced' Windows Update settings that are available to you in Windows 10:
Automatically download updates: Choose this option to automatically download and install updates of all kind — both important security patches as well as not-as-important non-security updates, like feature improvements and minor bugs.
We'll show a reminder when we're going to restart: Choose this option to automatically download updates of all kind — security, and non-security. You'll be told when Windows needs to restart to apply them, so that you can prepare by saving work, etc.
There is no official way to turn off automatic updating in Windows 10, nor is there a straightforward way to disable Windows Update altogether.
Here's what some of that other stuff on the Advanced Options screen is for:
Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows: This is pretty self-explanatory. We recommend checking this option so other Microsoft programs you have installed will get automatic updates, too, like Microsoft Office. (Updates for your Windows Store apps are handled in the Store. Open Settings from the Store and then toggle on or off the Update apps automatically option.)
Pause Updates: Enabling this will stop Windows from updating your computer for several days. When that time period is over, Windows Update will be forced to install the newest updates before you can pause them again.
Defer upgrades: Checking this lets you wait several months or more before major non-security updates will automatically install, like the ones that introduce new features to Windows 10. Defer upgrades does not impact security related patches and is not available in Windows 10 Home.
Choose the branch readiness level: Windows Update lets you choose when to install updates. You can pick Semi-Annual Channel (Targeted) which means the update is ready for most people, or Semi-Annual Channel which refers to updates that are ready for widespread use in organizations.
Choose how updates are delivered: These options, if you see them, allow you to enable or disable the downloading, as well as the uploading, of Windows Update related files around your local network or even the entire internet. Participating in the Updates from more than one place program helps speed up the Windows Update process in Windows 10.
Get insider builds: If you see it, it allows you to sign up to get early versions of major updates to Windows 10. When enabled, you'll have Fast or Slow options, indicating how soon after these Windows 10 test versions are made available that you'll get them.
How to Change Windows Update Settings in Windows 8, 7, & Vista
These three versions of Windows have very similar Windows Update settings but I'll call out any differences as we walk through the process.
- Open Control Panel. In Windows 8, the WIN+X Menu is the quickest way, and in Windows 7 & Vista, check the Start menu for the link.
- Tap or click System and Security, or just Security in Windows Vista.If you're viewing the Classic View, Large icons, or Small icons view of Control Panel, choose Windows Update instead and then skip to Step 4.
- Choose Windows Update from the System and Security window.
- Click or tap the Change settings link on the left.
- The settings you see on the screen right now control how Windows Update will look for, receive, and install updates from Microsoft.We recommend that you choose Install updates automatically (recommended) from the drop-down and then check all the other items on the page. This will make sure your computer receives and installs all the updates it needs.You can also customize the time that downloaded updates are installed. In Windows 8, this is behind the Updates will be automatically installed during the maintenance window link, and in Windows 7 & Vista, it's right there on the Windows Update screen.
- Tap or click OK to save the changes. Feel free to close any open windows related to Windows Update.
Here's a bit more on all of those options you have:
Install updates automatically (recommended): Choose this option to have Windows Update automatically check for, download, and install important security patches.
Download updates but let me choose whether to install them: Choose this to have Windows Update automatically check for and download important updates but not install them. You'll have to explicitly choose to install the updates either from Windows Update or during the next shutdown process.
Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them: With this option, Windows Update will check for and notify you of available updates but you'll need to manually approve the download and installation of them.
Never check for updates (not recommended): This option disables Windows Update completely in Windows 8, 7, or Vista. When you choose this, Windows Update won't even check with Microsoft to see if important security patches are available.
Here are what some of those other checkboxes mean, not all of which you'll see, depending on your version of Windows and how your computer is configured:
Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates: This option gives Windows Update permission to treat patches that Microsoft 'recommends' the same way as patches thought to be 'critical' or 'important,' and download and install them as you've selected in the drop-down box.
Allow all users to install updates on this computer: Check this if you have other, non-administrator accounts on your computer that actually get used. This will let those users install updates, too. However, even when unchecked, updates installed by an administrator will still get applied to those user accounts, they just won't be able to install them.
Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows: Check this option, which is a bit wordier in Windows 7 & Vista, if you own other Microsoft software and you want Windows Update to handle updating those as well.
Show me detailed notifications when new Microsoft software is available: This is pretty self-explanatory — check it if you want to get notifications, via Windows Update, when Microsoft software you don't have installed is available for your computer.
How to Change Windows Update Settings in Windows XP
Windows Update is more an online service than an integrated part of Windows XP, but the update settings can be set from within the operating system.
- Open Control Panel, usually via Start, and then its link on the right.
- Click Security Center.If you're viewing Control Panel in the Classic View, you won't see this link. Instead, double-click Automatic Updates and then skip to Step 4.
- Click the Automatic Updates link near the bottom of the window.
- These four options you see in the Automatic Updates window control how Windows XP gets updated.We highly recommend that you choose the Automatic (recommended) option and the everyday choice from the drop-down that appears underneath, along with a time you're not using your computer.Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft and so they no longer push updates to Windows XP. However, considering that exceptions could be made in the future and that you still might not have the most up to date patches and features, we recommended keeping the 'automatic' settings enabled.
Here are more details on what those four choices actually mean for your Windows Update experience in Windows XP:
Automatic (recommended): Windows Update will automatically check for, download, and install updates, with no input from you needed.
Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them: Updates will be checked for, and downloaded, from Microsoft's servers, but they won't be installed until you manually approve them.
Notify me but don't automatically download or install them: Windows Update will check for new updates from Microsoft, and let you know about them, but they won't be downloaded and installed until you say so.
Turn off Automatic Updates: This option completely disables Windows Update in Windows XP. You won't even be told that updates are available. You can, of course, still visit the Windows Update website yourself and check for any new patches.
Disabling Windows Update & Turning Off Automatic Updates
How To Block Auto Update In Windows 8
While it is possible, at least prior to Windows 10, we do not recommend completely disabling Windows Update. At the very least, make sure you choose an option where you're notified of new updates, even if you choose not to have them automatically download or install.
And on that thought..we also do not recommend turning off automatic updating. Letting Windows Update check, download, and automatically install updates is a very good way to make sure you're protected from being exploited by security issues after they're discovered. Yes, at least in Windows 8, 7, and Vista, you could compromise by making that critical 'install' part up to you, but that's just one more thing you have to remember to do.
Bottom line: we say keep it simple by keeping it automatic.
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Update, May 15: With the Windows 10 Creators Update, Microsoft has largely addressed the forced updates that often resulted in lost work. And, while the the recent WannaCry ransomware does not (thus far) appear to affect Windows 10, you need to make sure your PC is kept up-to-date with security patches to avoid exactly those sort of attacks. To that end, consider the information below to be out of date, with a more thorough update to come.
As a general rule, an up-to-date operating system is a secure operating system, and some people are terrible at updating their operating systems.
That's probably why Microsoft has -- controversially -- decided to make Windows 10 an automatically-updating OS. Windows 10 automatically checks for, downloads and installs new updates to your PC -- whether you like it or not. This new feature is actually pretty convenient for most users, but not everyone wants their operating system updated on Microsoft's schedule. (And it's one of the reasons you might not want to upgrade to Windows 10 just yet.)
If you're running a professional version of Windows 10 (Professional, Enterprise or Education), you actually can disable automatic updates using the Group Policy editor. But if you -- like most people -- are using Windows 10 Home, you'll need to use workarounds to stave off Windows 10's aggressive automatic updates.
Install updates manually
The most obvious -- albeit laborious -- solution is to install updates at times when it's convenient for you.
Schedule restart times
If your main issue with Windows 10's automatic updates is the fact that your PC restarts at inopportune times, you're in luck: Windows 10 allows you to schedule restarts for a specific time. When a new update has been downloaded and installed, Windows 10 will prompt you to schedule a time for your PC to restart.
A small warning: Microsoft may be scrapping this ultra-convenient feature in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. In the latest Insider Preview build (Build 14342), you can no longer schedule restarts. Instead, you have the option to set up 'active hours' -- a 10-hour time period during which your computer will not be restarted.
Meter your Internet connection
The easiest way to prevent Windows 10 from automatically downloading updates is to use a metered Internet connection -- one of the features of limiting your data is that Windows 10 won't force-download OS updates. Some networks, such as cell networks, are metered by default, but you can also meter your Wi-Fi network by going to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi> Advanced options and turning Set metered connection on.
You can't meter your Ethernet connection through the Settings menu -- Microsoft assumes your Ethernet connection allows you unlimited data, apparently. The only way to set your Ethernet connection to metered is to perform a registry edit -- it's a little complicated, but here's how to do it.
You can still download updates on a metered connection, you'll just have to do it manually by going to Settings > Windows Update> Download.
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How can the answer be improved? Oct 13, 2012 Download using Nexus Mod Manager or download manually and copy all files in the 'Data' folder to Skyrim's 'Data' folder then enable the 'Random Alternate Start.esp' file. Load order does not matter. UNINSTALLATION: To uninstall this mod, simply disable the 'Random Alternate Start.esp' file and delete all the related files from Skyrim's 'Data' folder. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Workshop Syclonix's Workshop Random Alternate Start This item has been removed from the community because it violates Steam Community &. Random Alternate Start should be at or near the top of your load order to avoid any mod conflicts. UNINSTALLATION:. To uninstall this mod, simply disable the 'Random Alternate Start.esp' file and delete all the related files from Skyrim's 'Data' folder.
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Disable automatic driver updates
While you can't really stop Windows 10 from automatically updating the OS, you can stop it from automatically updating your device drivers. To do this, right-click the Start button and click Control Panel.
In the Control Panel, go to System and click Advanced system settings to open the System Properties window.
Open the Hardware tab and click Device Installation Settings.
When prompted with this message, click No and click Save Changes.
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