How to Pause and Resume Updates for Windows 11

Windows 11 automatically downloads and installs updates to keep your computer secure. But sometimes, these updates can pop up at the worst possible moments. This guide will show you how to pause those updates and get them going again when you’re ready.

Why pause updates?

Pausing updates is helpful if you’re in the middle of an important project, have a slow internet connection, or want to avoid a sudden restart while you’re using your computer.

What happens when you pause?

Pausing Windows 11 updates stops your PC from downloading new software for a chosen period, but don’t worry, critical security updates like those for Microsoft Defender will still install automatically.

Note: You must be signed in as an administrator to change these settings.

Reference: Pause updates in Windows – Microsoft Support

Option 1Pause Updates in Settings

You can easily pause Windows 11 updates directly from ⚙️ the Settings app; just go to the 🔃 Windows Update section and pick how long you want to pause them.

1. Open Settings Settings by pressing the Windows key + I on your keyboard.
2. Click on 🔃 Windows Update on the left side of the window.  Open 🔃 Windows Update Settings
3. Find the Pause updates section on the right. You can choose to pause for one week, or use the drop-down menu to pick a longer time. If you have already paused, you can click Extend to add more time.

Option 2Resume Updates in Settings

If you’ve paused updates but want to get the latest security improvements right away, you can resume them manually.

1. Open Settings and click on 🔃 Windows Update.  Open 🔃 Windows Update Settings
2. Click the Resume updates button on the right.

Your computer will now immediately check for any available updates.

Option 3Resume Updates using Registry

If you need to resume Windows 11 updates and feel okay with advanced settings, you can use the Windows Terminal to make them start again.

Open Windows Terminal as an administrator and run the following commands:

reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UpdatePolicy\Settings" /v PausedFeatureStatus /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UpdatePolicy\Settings" /v PausedQualityStatus /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings" /v PauseFeatureUpdatesStartTime /f
reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings" /v PauseFeatureUpdatesEndTime /f
reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings" /v PauseQualityUpdatesStartTime /f
reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings" /v PauseQualityUpdatesEndTime /f
reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings" /v PauseUpdatesStartTime /f
reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings" /v PauseUpdatesExpiryTime /f

Summary

You can pause Windows 11 updates for up to 5 weeks to avoid interruptions. You can easily manage this via the 🔃 Windows Update section in Settings. Remember that security updates are vital, so always resume them when you have a free moment to keep your system protected.