Many a time, Windows Update gets interrupted for a variety of reasons. It could be a power failure or lost network connection. Redownloading the update, especially if its a big one not only consumes the bandwidth, it also takes more amount of time. The good news is that Windows offers the Pause Updates feature so you can delay the update, and then resume back later.
How to Pause Updates in Windows 10
- Open Windows Settings using Win + I
- The navigate to Update and Security > Windows Update
- Click on Pause updates for 7 Days to delay Windows Updates
If you want it for longer period, then go to Advanced Settings in the Update section. Under “Pause updates”, you can choose up to 35 days. The advantage here is that you can choose a specific date. Once done, no update will be installed on the device. However, you cannot immediately pause the updates again. You will need to install all the pending updates, and then you can further pause. It makes sure that consumers dont skip updates indefinitely.
You can always resume back Windows Updates when within the period of 7 days or whatever you have chosen. It is also possible to pause again when you are within the range. Windows will pause all updates including Windows Security updates which should have been an exception. Nobody likes their Antivurs updates getting paused.
In the advanced settings, you also have the option to get notified about new Windows Updates. Make sure to turn it on. It will not download or install, but only will tell you if there is something new and important.
Windows Updates have come a long way. Windows team has made sure that the update experience gets better for the consumers. Not only the updates are smaller and incremental if you have multiple PCs at home, but they all can also share the update with each other. This has effectively reduced the amount of time a general consumer spends updating his PCs.