Disable automatic reboot after Windows Updates in Windows 10

Martin Brinkmann
Sep 20, 2016
Updated • Jul 5, 2017
Windows, Windows 10
|
23

One of the most frustrating experiences on Windows is the operating system's default updating behavior.

Windows is configured to download and install patches automatically when they become available. Many require a restart before they are fully installed on the system, and Windows will restart the system automatically if that is the case.

While you can delay the inevitable restart if you are in front of the PC at that time, there is little that you can do about it if you are not.

Previous versions of Windows allowed you to block Windows Update restarts using the Group Policy or Registry, but it appears that these options don't work currently on Windows 10.

Disable automatic reboot after Windows Updates in Windows 10

windows update restart prompt

At least some users reported that they cannot block Windows 10 from restarting the PC after updates are installed. They changed the Group Policy entry that let them do so on previous versions of Windows, but it does not do a thing on Windows 10 on their PCs.

There is another solution as Reddit user Scurro points out on the site. It is a bit technical in nature, as it requires the disabling of a scheduled task, and taking ownership of the file associated with that task.

The process itself is straightforward however, here it goes:

Step 1: Task Scheduler

disable windows update reboot

First thing you do is open the Windows Task Scheduler and disable the reboot task. Here is how that is done:

  1. Tap on the Windows-key on your keyboard, type Task Scheduler, and hit enter.
  2. Use the left pane to navigate to the following task: Task Scheduler > Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > UpdateOrchestrator
  3. Locate the task with the name Reboot, right-click on it, and select Disable from the context menu.

This completes the first step in the process.

Step 2: Download and run Take Ownership

take ownership

While you can take ownership manually, I suggest you use a program for that instead as it makes things a lot simpler.

  1. Download Take Ownership from this Ghacks article (we host the program on our own server).
  2. Extract the archive on your system, and run the executable file afterwards.
  3. Click on the install button to add a "Take Ownership" option to the right-click menu of File Explorer.
  4. Verify that the option is available by right-clicking on any file in File Explorer or on the desktop.

Step 3: Take Ownership of the reboot task file

reboot take ownership

Now that all preparations are done, it is time to take ownership of the reboot file. We need ownership later on as we will remove access to reboot for all other users and groups.

  1. Open a File Explorer window.
  2. Navigate to the location: C:\Windows\System32\Tasks\Microsoft\Windows\UpdateOrchestrator
  3. Please note that you can copy and paste it, as it is easier than navigating to the location manually.
  4. Right-click on the file called Reboot, and select the "Take Ownership" option from the context menu.

Step 4: Disable access to reboot for all other users and groups

reboot permissions

  1. Right-click on Reboot and select properties.
  2. Switch to Security, and click on the Advanced button.
  3. Select the "change permissions" button to edit permissions for the file.
  4. Select "disable inheritance" next, and on the prompt that opens "remove all inherited permissions from this object".
  5. This should remove the majority of users and groups.
  6. Remove any other user or group still listed there.
  7. Click on the "add" button afterwards.
  8. Click on "select principal".
  9. Add your username under "enter the object name to select", and click "check names" afterwards.
  10. Click ok.
  11. Select Full Control on the next page and click on ok.
  12. You should see one permission now on the "Advanced Security Settings for Reboot" page, and that one permission should be full control for your user account.
  13. Click ok to complete the process.

The result of this lengthy process is that updates get installed automatically, but restarts are not scheduled anymore.

Now You: How do you handle Windows Updates?

Summary
Disable automatic reboot after Windows Updates in Windows 10
Article Name
Disable automatic reboot after Windows Updates in Windows 10
Description
Find out how to block Windows 10 from automatically restarting your PC after Windows updates are installed on the system.
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Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. Dan Donx said on January 15, 2023 at 10:29 am
    Reply

    What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?

    Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.

    If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.

  2. Dexter said on January 15, 2023 at 11:14 am
    Reply

    5. Rufus
    6. Ventoy

    PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.

    1. cdr said on January 15, 2023 at 3:32 pm
      Reply

      I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.

  3. sv said on January 15, 2023 at 6:40 pm
    Reply

    bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.

    ps…. time travelling?
    written. Jan 15, 2023
    Updated • Jan 13, 2023

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on January 16, 2023 at 5:49 am
      Reply

      This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.

  4. Anonymous said on January 16, 2023 at 8:24 am
    Reply

    Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.

  5. basingstoke said on January 16, 2023 at 11:18 am
    Reply

    I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:

    1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)

    2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)

    3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””

    4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows

    5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss

    Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:

    6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now

    Have I missed any group off this list?

    1. Heinz Strunk said on September 19, 2023 at 3:57 pm
      Reply

      You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.

      Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.

  6. ilev said on August 24, 2023 at 7:34 pm
    Reply

    Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update

    1. EP said on August 24, 2023 at 9:21 pm
      Reply

      only from windows update though
      KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site

  7. Anonymous said on August 24, 2023 at 11:05 pm
    Reply

    1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.

    2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.

    3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.

    This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
    Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.

    Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.

  8. john said on August 24, 2023 at 11:17 pm
    Reply

    Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.

    1. John G. said on August 25, 2023 at 12:08 pm
      Reply

      Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.

  9. EP said on August 25, 2023 at 3:10 pm
    Reply

    motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
    https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215

  10. EP said on August 29, 2023 at 7:32 pm
    Reply

    check out the following recent articles:

    Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
    https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/

    BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
    https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/

  11. Leonard Britvolli said on August 30, 2023 at 10:33 pm
    Reply

    While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.

  12. sembrador said on September 5, 2023 at 9:32 pm
    Reply

    My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.

  13. EP said on September 6, 2023 at 11:55 am
    Reply

    motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):

    https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277

  14. Raphael Benzo said on September 24, 2023 at 9:52 pm
    Reply

    I try to disable the Diagnostics Tracking Service (Connected Devices Platform User Services) but it wont let me disable it, any help will be greatly appreciated.
    Tank you for your help

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