You searched this because Windows Update restarted your machine at the worst possible moment, or an update broke something, or you are just tired of the interruptions. Fair on all counts. Here is how to stop Windows Update the sanctioned way, the honest tradeoffs of blocking it harder, and the fix for the situation that usually sends people here: an update that made things worse.
Open Settings → Windows Update and use Pause updates. Windows 11 offers up to five weeks from the dropdown. When the pause expires, Windows requires you to install pending updates before pausing again. That is the sanctioned route, and for most people whose real complaint is timing, it is enough, especially combined with two settings that solve the actual problem:
We fix computers for a living, and unpatched Windows machines are a steady source of that living, so believe us when we say this against interest: a permanently un-updated Windows machine is a liability. Security patches close holes that are actively exploited within days of disclosure. The malware, browser hijack, and ransomware cases that come through our shop skew heavily toward machines that had updates disabled months or years earlier. Deferring updates a few weeks so early bugs get ironed out is a reasonable strategy, and plenty of careful users do exactly that with the metered connection trick. Disabling updates permanently through service hacks or registry edits trades an occasional inconvenience for a compounding risk, and we do not recommend it on any machine that touches the internet.
There is one more wrinkle worth knowing in 2026: Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025, so a Windows 10 machine is no longer receiving regular security updates at all unless it is enrolled in Microsoft's Extended Security Updates program. If you are still on Windows 10, the update question is really an upgrade question, and our Windows 11 clean install guide covers the clean way to make that move.
The other reason people want updates stopped: the last one did damage. Slow boot, broken WiFi, a black screen, or the dreaded "Undoing changes made to your computer" loop. You can remove the most recent update yourself at Settings → Windows Update → Update history → Uninstall updates, which removes the latest quality update and usually reverses the breakage. That is the one fix worth doing at home.
If the same update fails or re-breaks things repeatedly, that pattern points below Windows: driver conflicts, low disk space, or a storage drive developing bad sectors, which is the most common root cause we find on machines with chronic update trouble. Our $75 diagnostic (credited toward the repair) checks the drive first, then clears the stuck update state properly so the machine updates cleanly going forward, instead of fighting the same battle every month. Drop-off at our Somerville shop, and most update-repair jobs are same-day or next-day.
Update broke something, or keeps failing?
Bring it to 75 N Bridge St, Somerville or call 908-428-9558. $75 diagnostic credited toward your repair. We find the root cause instead of fighting the same update monthly. Serving Somerset, Middlesex, Hunterdon, and Mercer counties since 2011.
How do I stop Windows Update temporarily?
Settings, Windows Update, Pause updates gives you up to five weeks on Windows 11. Setting your WiFi network as a metered connection defers most update downloads beyond that, and it is fully reversible with one toggle.
How do I stop Windows Update from restarting my computer?
Set Active hours under Windows Update's advanced options. Windows will not restart for updates during the hours you define. For most people this fixes the real complaint without blocking updates at all.
Is it safe to disable Windows Update permanently?
Not on a machine that touches the internet. Security patches close actively exploited holes, and the infected machines that come through our shop skew heavily toward long-unpatched Windows. Defer a few weeks if you like. Do not disable indefinitely.
How do I undo a Windows update that broke my computer?
Settings, Windows Update, Update history, Uninstall updates removes the most recent quality update. If the machine will not boot far enough for that, the recovery environment offers the same option, and if the same update keeps failing afterward, have the drive checked, because chronic update failure is a classic early sign of drive trouble.