How-To

How to Stop a Windows Update in Progress

By Adam Davidson

Published April 3, 2024

Has Windows started updating when you don’t want it to? You may be able to stop it. Here’s how to stop a Windows update in progress.

You’ve finished work for the day and you’re heading straight out to see that movie you’ve been wanting to see for months. All you need to do is shut down your computer, and you’re out the door. And then you see those dreaded words: “Update and Shut Down.” Now you’re going to have to wait for the update to complete before you can shut down your computer and leave. What you need is to stop that Windows update that’s in progress so you can head out.

Once the update process has reached the blue update screen, there’s nothing you safely do to stop it. However, before you get to that stage, it may be possible to stop the update process so that you can run it manually at a time more convenient to you. Here’s how to stop a Windows update in progress.

When Not to Stop a Windows Update in Progress

The most important thing to know about stopping a Windows update in progress is that if the process has reached the blue screen stage, do not try to stop the process. The blue screen itself will clearly state that you should not shut off your computer.

At this stage, the update is in the process of being installed. Trying to stop the update by forcing your computer to shut down could corrupt Windows, causing your computer to stop working properly and potentially leading to a loss of data. You may even find that you are unable to boot your PC at all.

Once the installation has reached the blue screen stage, leave the process to complete. You can always roll back the update using the methods shown later in the article.

How to Stop the Windows Update Service

Before your computer reaches the blue screen stage of the installation, it needs to download the update and then prepare it to be installed. Before the update has started it may be possible to halt the process by stopping the Windows Update service. This service is responsible for the detection, download, and installation of Windows updates, so disabling it should stop a Windows update in progress. The method is the same for Windows 10 and Windows 11.

1. Press Win+R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type services.msc and press Enter.
   
3. Scroll through the list of services until you find Windows Update.
   
4. Right-click the Windows Update service and select Stop.
   
5. The service will be stopped.

How to Stop Automatic Maintenance on Windows

Windows schedules a lot of its maintenance tasks for the middle of the night when you’re much less likely to be using your computer. Automatic Maintenance typically runs at 2 AM and includes tasks such as disk defragmentation, security scans, and app and system updates. If Automatic Maintenance is running, it may be in the process of downloading and installing Windows updates. Stopping Automatic Maintenance may stop the update in progress.

1. Type Control Panel in the search field in the taskbar.
   
2. Launch the Control Panel app from the results.
   
3. Click System and Security.
   
4. Click Security and Maintenance.
   
5. Expand the Maintenance section.
6. Under Automatic Maintenance, click Stop Maintenance.
   
7. The maintenance tasks, including system updates, will stop.

How to Temporarily Pause Updates on Windows 11

It’s not possible to completely turn off updates in the Windows settings. However, you can pause Windows updates for up to five weeks. If your update is in progress and hasn’t reached the point where it’s ready to install, pausing updates may stop the update process from completing. It will also stop any further updates from installing for the duration that you select to pause updates for.

1. Right-click the Start icon in the taskbar.
   
2. Select Settings.
   
3. In the left-hand menu, click Windows Update.
   
4. To pause for one week, click the Pause for 1 week button.
   
5. To pause for longer, click the drop-down and select a duration.
   
6. You’ll see the date when updates will resume at the top of the screen.
   
7. To extend this date further, click Extend for 1 week.
   
8. You can keep clicking this button until you see a message that you’ve reached the maximum amount of pause time.
   
9. To resume automatic updates at any point, click Resume Updates.
   

How to Temporarily Pause Updates on Windows 10

You can also pause updates on Windows 10, although the method is slightly different on the older operating system. As with Windows 11, you can’t stop the updates completely, but you can pause them for an extended period. If an update is in progress and hasn’t reached the point where it’s ready to install, this method may be able to stop an update in progress.

1. Right-click the Start icon in the taskbar and select Settings.
   
2. Click Update & Security.
   
3. To stop the updates for a week, click Pause Updates for 7 Days.
   
4. If you want to stop the updates for longer, click Advanced Options.
   
5. Click the drop-down under Pause Until.
   
6. Select a date.
7. You’ll see the date that updates will resume at the top of the screen.
   
8. To start automatic updates again, click the Resume Updates button.
   

How to Roll Back an Update on Windows 11

If you don’t manage to stop your update and it reaches the blue screen, you don’t have any choice but to let the installation happen. However, once the update has been installed, if it’s causing issues, you can roll back to the previous version. This option is only available for 10 days after an upgrade happens; after this point, you won’t see the option to go back to the previous version of Windows.

1. Right-click the Start icon in the taskbar.
   
2. Select Settings.
   
3. In the left-hand menu, select Windows Update.
   
4. Click Advanced Options.
   
5. Under Additional Options, click Recovery.
   
6. Click Go Back. If the option isn’t available, it’s too long since you updated to be able to use this option.
   

How to Roll Back an Update on Windows 10

You can also roll back an update on Windows 10, although the method for doing so is a little different. As with Windows 11, this option is only available for a limited time after an update. If you don’t see the option, too much time has passed for you to be able to use it.

1. Right-click the Start icon and select Settings.
   
2. Click Update & Security.
   
3. In the left-hand menu, click Recovery.
   
4. Click Get Started under Go Back To The Previous Version Of Windows 10.
   
5. Follow the instructions to roll back to the previous version.
6. If it’s been more than 10 days since the last update was applied, the button will be grayed out and you won’t be able to roll back.
   

Should You Stop Windows Updates?

There may be times when you want to stop a Windows update from happening. For example, you may be aware that a Windows update contains known issues that could affect your computer, and you want to hold fire until the problem. You may also want to stop an update because you don’t have time to wait for the process to complete which can take some time.

Stopping a Windows update temporarily isn’t a major issue, but stopping updates for too long may put your computer at risk. That’s because updates include security fixes that can help to protect your computer. If you don’t apply updates, your computer is much less secure and you’re at higher risk of something untoward happening.

Upgrades can also apply bug fixes which make your computer run more smoothly. Known bugs will usually be fixed in updates, so stopping your computer from updating may make it more likely to have problems.

Ultimately, this is a personal decision, but our advice would be to update regularly, even if you choose to pause automatic updates, and then update manually when you feel a new update is stable enough to use.

Stopping Windows Updates

If you’re wondering how to stop a Windows update in progress, hopefully, one of the methods above can help. Remember that it’s too late to do anything when you get to the blue update screen. Trying to stop the update at this point is highly likely to cause serious issues, so you should just let the process complete. Once it’s done, you can always roll back the update if you wish.

Our advice is always to take advantage of updates, as they can improve the security and performance of your computer. However, you may prefer to take more control of when these updates occur.