How to Enable or Disable Safeguard Holds in Windows 11

References:

KB5006965: How to check information about safeguard holds affecting your device – Microsoft Support

Windows Update for Business reports overview – Windows Update for Business reports

Safeguard holds for Windows

Opt out of safeguard holds

Option One

Enable or Disable Safeguards for Feature Updates in Local Group Policy Editor

The Local Group Policy Editor lets you control safeguard holds through a policy that turns off automatic blocking for feature updates. A policy is a stored setting that Windows reads to decide how a feature behaves. You open the editor with the run command gpedit.msc, then browse to the Windows Update policies that govern major operating system upgrades.

The Local Group Policy Editor is only included in Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education. If Windows says it cannot find gpedit.msc, you are most likely on Windows 11 Home. In that case, use the Registry Editor method further down instead. You also need to be signed in as an administrator.

1. Press Win+R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. The Local Group Policy Editor window opens.
2. In the left pane, expand the folders until you reach the location below. The right pane then lists the Windows Update🔃 policies.
   Computer Configuration › Administrative Templates › Windows Components › Windows Update🔃 › Manage updates offered from Windows Updates

3. In the right pane of Manage updates offered from Windows Updates, double-click the Disable safeguards for Feature Updates policy. Its settings window opens.

To Enable Safeguards for Feature Updates

This policy is not configured by default. That means safeguard holds are on, and Microsoft can block a feature update on your PC if it finds a problem. Use the steps below to return to this default if you changed the policy earlier.

1. Select the Not Configured option.
2. Click OK. The window closes and the policy shows as Not configured in the list.

To Disable Safeguards for Feature Updates

To turn safeguard holds off, use the steps below. Do this only on a test machine or when you have a clear reason. Microsoft placed the hold because that device is likely to hit a real problem with the update.

1. Select the Enabled option. In this policy, “Enabled” means the safeguards are disabled.
2. Click OK. The policy now shows as Enabled in the list.
3. Close the Local Group Policy Editor. Then open Settings⚙️ › Windows Update🔃 and select Check for updates🔃. If the policy does not seem to apply, restart the🔄 PC and check again.

To undo the change at any time, set the policy back to Not Configured as shown above.

Option Two

Enable or Disable Safeguards for Feature Updates using Registry

This method works on Windows 11 Home as well as Pro, since it does not need the Group Policy Editor. The registry is the database where Windows stores its settings, so a wrong edit can cause problems. Before you start, back it up: in Registry Editor, choose File › Export, pick All as the export range, and save the file somewhere safe.

1. Press Win+R, type regedit, and press Enter.
2. Click Yes if User Account Control asks for permission. The Registry Editor window opens.
3. Follow the steps below for the result you want. One set returns safeguard holds to their default state, and the other turns them off.

To Enable Safeguards for Feature Updates

This setting leaves safeguard holds on by default, so a PC you have never changed needs nothing here. Follow the matching steps only if you want to switch the behavior, or to go back to the default later.

1. Open Registry Editor: press Win+R, type regedit, and press Enter. Select Yes if User Account Control asks.
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate — paste the path into the address bar at the top of Registry Editor and press Enter.
3. If there is no WindowsUpdate key, right-click Windows in the left pane, select New › Key, name it WindowsUpdate, and select it. Create any other missing key in the path the same way.
4. Right-click an empty area of the right pane, select New › DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it DisableWUfBSafeguards. If DisableWUfBSafeguards is already there, skip this step.
5. Double-click DisableWUfBSafeguards, set Base to Decimal, type 0 in Value data, and select OK.

To Disable Safeguards for Feature Updates

Use the steps below only on a test machine or when you have a clear reason, because Microsoft places a hold on a device that is likely to have a real problem with the update. After you finish, close Registry Editor. Restart the PC or sign out and back in if Windows Update does not reflect the change. To undo it, follow the steps above that return safeguard holds to their default.

1. Open Registry Editor: press Win+R, type regedit, and press Enter. Select Yes if User Account Control asks.
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate — paste the path into the address bar at the top of Registry Editor and press Enter.
3. If there is no WindowsUpdate key, right-click Windows in the left pane, select New › Key, name it WindowsUpdate, and select it. Create any other missing key in the path the same way.
4. Right-click an empty area of the right pane, select New › DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it DisableWUfBSafeguards. If DisableWUfBSafeguards is already there, skip this step.
5. Double-click DisableWUfBSafeguards, set Base to Decimal, type 1 in Value data, and select OK.

Summary

Safeguard holds are automated blocks from Microsoft that temporarily stop your computer from installing major updates known to cause hardware or software issues. You can turn them off in Windows Pro and Enterprise editions, but Microsoft warns that bypassing these holds may cause system instability.

You can disable safeguard holds with either the Local Group Policy Editor (in Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions) or the Registry Editor, which also works on Home. Microsoft warns that disabling holds carries risks and can cause update failures and performance problems. Testing environments are the only proper place for this configuration. Each time a new Windows version installs, the safeguards turn back on automatically to keep the device protected.

Microsoft also lists safeguard holds as a known issue in its post How to get the Windows 11 2026 Update, dated Sep 29, 2026. During the controlled feature rollout, devices with a known compatibility issue that could affect the update may be placed on a safeguard hold. That is the cause: Microsoft found a compatibility problem for that kind of device.

For status, Microsoft shares known issues and rollout progress on the Windows release health hub. Check it to see whether your hold is still active. The note names no separate workaround, so waiting for Microsoft to lift the hold is the default path.