| Value Name | Type | Data | Effect | |------------|------|------|--------| | RebootWarningTimeout | DWORD | 5–30 (minutes) | Dismiss reboot warning after N min | | NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers | DWORD | 1 | Don’t reboot if a user is signed in | | Desired Behavior | Registry Path | Key | Value | |----------------|---------------|-----|-------| | Pause updates for 7 days | HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings | PauseUpdatesExpiryTime | (timestamp) | | Disable automatic reboot | HKLM\...\WindowsUpdate\Auto Update | NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers | 1 | | Set WSUS server | HKLM\...\WindowsUpdate | WUServer | URL string | | Block driver updates | HKLM\...\WindowsUpdate | ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate | 1 | | Set active hours | HKLM\...\UX\Settings | ActiveHoursStart , ActiveHoursEnd | 0–23 | | Target specific build | HKLM\...\WindowsUpdate | TargetReleaseVersion , TargetReleaseVersionInfo | 1 , 23H2 | Verifying Registry Changes After modifying registry keys, run the following in an elevated PowerShell to refresh Windows Update without rebooting:
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate" -Name "DeferFeatureUpdatesPeriodInDays" -Value 90 -Type DWord ✅ On Windows 11 Pro/Enterprise, these are mirrored by Group Policy: Computer Config → Admin Templates → Windows Components → Windows Update → Manage end user experience. Active hours tell Windows not to reboot for updates during your typical usage window. windows update registry settings windows 11
reg export "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate" C:\backup\wu_policy.reg | Value Name | Type | Data |
| Value Name | Type | Data | Description | |------------|------|------|-------------| | ActiveHoursStart | DWORD | 0–23 | Start hour (0 = 12 AM) | | ActiveHoursEnd | DWORD | 0–23 | End hour (must be ≤ 18 hours after start) | TargetReleaseVersionInfo | 1
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate
| Value Name | Type | Data | Effect | |------------|------|------|--------| | ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate | DWORD | 1 | Do not include drivers in updates |
net stop wuauserv net stop bits net stop cryptsvc ren %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old ren %systemroot%\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old net start wuauserv net start bits net start cryptsvc No direct registry keys are modified here, but this process resets internal update state. Stop Windows 11 from automatically installing manufacturer drivers.