Windows users will no longer be forced to run automatic updates in the middle of a game or on a busy day. Microsoft is rolling out some long-awaited changes to Windows Update for users on its Dev and Experimental Windows Insider channels, including the ability to delay updates indefinitely, up to 35 days at a time.
Last month, Microsoft announced several upcoming changes to improve Windows 11 and address some of the most common complaints from users about the platform. Chief among the company’s planned improvements was to make updates less disruptive. In its blog post on Friday, Microsoft says you’ll be able to “extend the pause end date as many times as you want” and that there’s “no limit” to how many times you can reset to another 35-day window. If you don’t stop updates again at the end of the 35-day period, updates will run normally.
Changes to Windows Update also include more detailed headings for driver updates, which will now include the device classes they apply to, such as display, audio, or battery.
Additionally, the Power menu in Windows 11 will now have options to always restart or shut down without running updates, as well as an option to skip updates when setting up a new Windows device. Microsoft is also “unifying the update experience” to bundle updates together so users don’t have to reboot repeatedly. Instead, “Updates will download in the background, then wait for a coordinated installation and restart.”
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