Why Does Windows Pause Updates?
Windows 10 includes a feature that allows users to temporarily pause automatic updates for up to 35 days. This is incredibly useful if you are working on a critical project and cannot risk a sudden reboot or a buggy driver update ruining your workflow.
However, if you are an IT administrator managing computers for less technically savvy family members or employees, you might find that they accidentally click the “Pause updates for 7 days” button in the Settings menu, leaving their system vulnerable to security flaws for weeks. If you want to guarantee that a machine always receives security patches immediately, you can completely remove the user’s ability to pause updates.
How to Stop Users from Pausing Windows Updates
To lock down the Windows Update settings and remove the “Pause” button, you must use the Local Group Policy Editor (available in Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education).
- Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialogue box.
- Type
gpedit.mscand press Enter. - In the left-hand navigation pane, follow this exact path:
- Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update
- In the right-hand pane, look for the policy named Remove access to “Pause updates” feature.
- Double-click the policy to open its configuration window.
- Change the setting from “Not Configured” to Enabled.
- Click Apply, then click OK.
Once enabled, if the user navigates to Settings > Update & Security, the “Pause updates for 7 days” button will be completely grayed out and unclickable, ensuring the system remains on the strict, automatic update schedule.