How to Turn On or Off Driver Updates with Windows Update in Windows 11

What Are Driver Updates?

Drivers help your computer communicate with hardware devices. Windows Update often includes new drivers to keep your devices running smoothly.

Learn more about driver updates from Microsoft Support

Before You Start

• You need administrator access on your PC to make these changes. ⚑
• Even if you turn off driver updates, some drivers might still update automatically.

Option 1Use Local Group Policy Editor (🪟 Windows 11 Pro/Enterprise/Education)

Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education users can stop automatic driver updates using the Local Group Policy Editor. This method lets you manage when hardware drivers are updated through 🔃 Windows Update, helping to avoid unexpected changes that might cause problems with your devices.

1. Press ⊞ Win+R to open the Run box.
2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
3. In the left panel, go to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > 🔃 Windows Update > Manage updates offered from Windows Updates
4. On the right, find and double-click Do not include drivers with Windows Updates.
5. To enable driver updates (default): Select Not Configured or Disabled, then click OK.
6. To disable driver updates: Select Enabled, then click OK.
7. Close the Local Group Policy Editor.

Option 2Use Registry Editor (Works on All 🪟 Windows 11 Editions)

This method is more detailed but works on Windows 11 Home too.

To Turn ON Driver Updates (Default)

To turn on automatic driver updates in Windows 11 again, you’ll use a command in the Command Prompt. Running this command as an administrator tells 🔃 Windows Update to resume searching for and 💿 installing the latest hardware drivers for your system, ensuring your devices have the most current software.

reg delete "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate" /v ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate /f & reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching" /v SearchOrderConfig /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f & reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UpdatePolicy\PolicyState" /v ExcludeWUDrivers /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

To Turn OFF Driver Updates

You can stop Windows 11 from automatically 💿 installing driver updates by using a specific command in the Command Prompt, run as an administrator. This command tells 🔃 Windows Update to skip driver installations during its regular checks, giving you more control over which driver updates are applied to your system.

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate" /v ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f & reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching" /v SearchOrderConfig /t REG_DWORD /d 3 /f & reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UpdatePolicy\PolicyState" /v ExcludeWUDrivers /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

How to Edit the Registry Manually

1. Press ⊞ Win+R, type regedit, and press Enter. ⚑
2. Navigate to the registry paths shown in the code above using the left sidebar.
3. Change or create the values as shown. To create a new value, right-click in the right pane, choose New, then DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. Double-click the value to change its number.
5. Close Registry Editor and 🔄 restart your computer for the changes to work.

Summary

• Windows 11 automatically updates drivers with Windows Updates by default to keep your devices working well.
• You can turn off automatic driver updates using Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor.
• Group Policy Editor is easier to use but only works on certain Windows editions.
• Registry Editor works on all editions but requires careful handling.
• Administrator permission is required to make these changes.
• Turning off driver updates doesn’t always stop all driver updates completely.
• Use these steps if you want more control over driver updates on your Windows 11 PC.