How to disable Windows Automatic Updates ?

Description

This document provides you with steps required to disable the Windows Automatic Updates feature. The Automatic Updates feature provides you with updates for your Microsoft Windows operating system and its components like Internet Explorer. Now that you are using Patch Manager Plus to achieve controlled patching and patch prioritization, you can go ahead an disable the windows automatic updates.

Steps to be followed

1. Deploy the patch - 105427, to disable Windows Automatic Updates.
2. Deploy the patch - 107895, to disable Check for updates (manual update option).

Step 1: Disabling Windows Automatic Updates

The 105427 patch can be used to disable the Windows Automatic updates across all versions of the Windows OS's starting from Windows XP up to the latest, inclusive of Server OS's.

While choosing the target to deploy this patch, select All domains to ensure install this patch in machines that will be joining the network in the future as well.

To confirm the settings successfully configured in the agent, check the following steps,

1. Navigate to Windows settings -> Windows update -> Advanced options -> Configured update policies.
2. Here you will find the list of configured policies. Ensure to check if the Disable automatic updates policy is found under Policies set on your device.
3. If the policy is found, then it indicates that the policy is disabled.

You have successfully disabled Windows Automatic Updates feature by deploying a patch, with no manual intervention.

Disable Automatic Updates has been configured as a local group policy. So make sure you have not configured the same as a Domain policy as it will be overwritten.

At any point in time if you would like to Enable the Windows Automatic Updates again. Then you can deploy the patch 107896 using Patch Manager Plus to do so.

Step 2: Disabling the Check for Updates option

1. The 107895 patch can be used to disable the Check for updates option i.e the manual patch update option.
2. While choosing the target to deploy this patch, select All domains to ensure install this patch in machines that will be joining the network in the future as well.
3. You can check if the option has been disabled under settings as shown below.

If you would like to Enable the Check for Updates option again. Then you can deploy the patch 107900 using Patch Manager Plus to do so.