This article describes how to cancel an in-progress Windows update. Description: Available for Windows 10 Home and Pro.
If you haven't fully installed Windows 10 updates, but your PC has already picked up the file, and the shutdown and reset options have changed to Update and shut down and Update and restart, you can still stop these updates before they take effect. You just need to stop Windows its own "maintenance".
1. Open the "Control Panel" and select "System and Security" from the menu options list.
2. Choose safety and maintenance.
3. Select "Maintenance" to expand its options.
4. Under the header "Automatic Maintenance", select "Stop Maintenance".
Tip: You can reopen maintenance at any time to restart the update process. Follow the steps above, but instead of Stop Maintenance, select Start Maintenance.
If the above methods don't work, or you want to make sure that updates aren't applied at any point in the near future, you can turn off Windows automatic updates entirely. This should also cancel any ongoing Windows 10 updates.
Tip: To reverse this process and allow the update to be automatically installed again, follow the steps above. However, after selecting Properties, set the Startup Type to Automatic.
How to cancel Windows update in Windows 10 Pro
Windows 10 Pro users have an additional method that they can use to stop an ongoing Windows 10 update: the Windows 10 Group Policy Editor. It can provide an alternative way to stop updates, which some people may find preferable.
This is not available in Windows Home Edition, so skip this section unless you're sure you have Windows 10 Pro.
1. Press the windows key + R, and then type gpeditmsc, and then select OK.
2. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.
3. Search for and select an entry called "Configure Auto-Update".
4. Use the toggle option on the left and select "Disabled".
5. Select Apply, and then select OK.
If your PC has already started installing the update (that is, it shows a blue screen with a percentage of progress, and it explicitly tells you not to shut down your PC), let it finish the update. Although it may be tempting to press the power button to get your PC to work again and stop updating, you may damage your Windows installation, which could render your system unusable.
Instead, let the update complete and then uninstall it, or use Windows 10's System Recovery option to restore it to the state it was in before the update started.
**10,000 Fans Incentive Plan