How to prevent Windows 10 from installing the Fall Creators Update

Windows 10 just like any other OS comes with frequent updates to keep your device secure with the latest security patches, features, and improvements. However, when a new feature update becomes available (e.g., Windows 10 Fall Creators Update), it can cause a lot of problems in the early days.

Usually, during a major rollout, a new version of Windows 10 may still have unknown bugs, and features and devices drivers may still not work as expected, which is why sometimes it could be better defer an upgrade for a few months until most of the problems are fixed.

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to temporarily prevent Windows 10 from downloading and installing the Fall Creators Update on your PC using the Settings app, Local Group Policy editor, and using a metered connection on Windows 10 Home.

• How to defer Windows 10 Fall Creators Update using Settings
• How to defer Windows 10 Fall Creators Update using Group Policy
• How to defer Fall Creators Update on Windows 10 Home

How to defer Windows 10 Fall Creators Update using Settings

Starting with the Windows 10 Creators Update, using the Settings app is possible to configure the defer options for new features updates and pause quality updates. However, these options are only available on Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education.

Microsoft provides two branch readiness levels to receive feature updates. The “Current Branch” is the readiness level everyone is enrolled by default, and this level gets updates when Microsoft releases a new version of Windows 10. 

On the other hand, the “Current Branch for Business” gets feature updates when Microsoft confirms that features are ready for enterprise deployment. If you want to delay updates as long as possible, you should considering selecting this option.

If you’re running Windows 10 in the “Current Branch”, you can defer feature updates for up to 365 days since the day it was original released. In the “Current Branch for Business”, you can also defer updates for up to 365 days, but devices in this level get new features update 4 months after the “Current Branch”. Therefore, in the Current Branch for Business, you can defer feature updates up to 16 months.

To defer feature updates using the Settings app, do the following:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on Update & security.

3. Click on Windows Update.

4. Click the Advanced options link.

5. Under Choose when updates are installed, select the readiness level: Current Branch or Current Branch for Business.

6. Select the number of days up to 365 days.

   

   Quick Tip: To delay a new version of Windows 10 as long as possible, select Current Branch for Business and select 365 days. These settings will block new feature updates for 16 months.

Once you completed the steps, Windows 10 will not download and install new versions until after the defer time you specified.

It should also be noted that there is an option to defer quality updates (those updates you get every month), but you can only delay these updates up to 30 days. However, you can use the Pause Updates option that temporarily prevents new updates from being installed for up to 35 days.

How to defer Windows 10 Fall Creators Update using Group Policy

The easiest way to defer the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is using the Settings app. However, it’s also possible to use the Local Group Policy editor to achieve the same result with the difference that you can also pause feature updates for up to 60 days.

To defer feature updates using the Local Group Policy editor, do the following:

1. Use the Windows Key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.

2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

3. Browse the following path:

   Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Defer Windows Updates

4. Double-click the Select when Feature Updates are received policy.

   

5. Select the Enabled option.

6. Under “Options”, select Current Branch for Business from the drop-down menu.

7. Choose for how long you want to defer upgrades. You can defer receiving feature updates up to 365 days.

   

8. On Pause Feature Updates, you can also to temporary pause major releases from downloading and installing on your PC. The pause will remain in effect for 60 days or until you clear the check box.

9. Click Apply.

10. Click OK to complete the task.

How to defer Fall Creators Update on Windows 10 Home

If you’re running Windows 10 Home, you don’t have an option to block the Fall Creators Update from downloading and installing automatically. However, you can set your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection as metered, which limits how the OS access and uses an internet connection, and when enabled, updates won’t download automatically to your PC.

Setting a Wi-Fi connection as metered to defer Fall Creators Update

If you want set a wireless network connection as metered, do the following:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on Network & Internet.

3. Click on Wi-Fi.

   

4. Click on the Wi-Fi connection to access its settings.

5. Turn on the Set as metered connection toggle switch to enable and restrict background data usage.

   

Setting an Ethernet connection as metered to defer Fall Creators Update

If you want set a Ethernet (wired) network connection as metered, do the following:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on Network & Internet.

3. Click on Ethernet.

   

4. Click on the wire Ethernet connection to access its settings.

   

5. Turn on the Set as metered connection toggle switch to enable and restrict background data usage.

This method will block all kinds of updates, meaning that your computer will be unprotected until you disable the metered connection.

Wrapping things up

Although these instructions allows you to temporarily delay the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update from installing automatically, it’s not meant to discourage your from installing feature updates. On Windows 10, and on any operating system, updates are crucial to protect your device and data from hackers and viruses, ransomware and other type of malware.

The Fall Creators Update not only improves Windows 10, but it brings a slew of new features, such as My People, Timeline, Story Remix, Microsoft Graph, Microsoft Fluent Design System, new Settings options, security improvements, and much more.

These steps are only meant to postpone the update to a later date, until you know for sure that bugs and issues that may appear during the early days have been fixed to reduce issues on your PC, laptop, or tablet.

Are you installing the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update as soon as it comes out or you’re planning to wait? Tell us in the comments below.