In a major move that we didn't see coming, Microsoft has announced that it's going to let users begin postponing updates indefinitely if they choose to. The news comes as part of the company's larger effort to address pain points across Windows and give users more control over how their PCs operate.
Later this year, Windows 11 will give users "more direct control over updates, including the ability to pause updates for as long as you need and restart or shut down without being forced to install them." This is a big change, as for well over a decade, Microsoft has relied on updating Windows like a service to deliver new features and fixes to users on a monthly cadence.
Giving users the option to postpone updates forever is going to really test Microsoft's ability to keep everyone up to date on the latest security patches. Until now, Microsoft's monthly security updates have been mandatory, with the only way of skipping them being to defer the update for a number of weeks.
Even then, users could only defer updates for so long. Eventually, Windows would stop allowing the user to push back updates, and automatically update to the latest security patch. It sounds like that's no longer going to be a thing that Windows 11 does, which is a huge shift.
The last version of Windows that easily let you disable Windows updates was Windows 8. Ever since Windows 10, updates have essentially been mandatory, so for Windows 11 to be getting the option to once again postpone updates indefinitely, that's a huge shift that I'm sure many power users are going to appreciate.
For those who will continue to stay up to date, Microsoft says it's making changes to the OS to ensure that updates are more reliable and quicker to install. The goal is to reduce Windows' need to restart to install an update to just once a month, and will give users the ability to skip installing a pending update when they want to shut down or quickly restart.
"Receiving updates should be predictable and easy to plan around, so we’re giving you more control," says Microsoft EVP of Windows & Devices, Pavan Davuluri. "This includes the ability to skip updates during device setup to get to the desktop faster, restart or shut down without installing updates and pause updates for longer when needed, all while reducing update noise with fewer automatic restarts and notifications."
Microsoft is making several major changes to WIndows 11 this year, with Windows Update being just one of many core Windows fundamentals being updated. Codenamed Windows K2, the company is working to deliver meaningful improvements to the OS designed to win back user trust and position the platform as something people actually want to use.
💬 Will you take advantage of being able to postpone updates?
I'd love to know how often you have found yourself wishing you could postpone updates for longer. I can't say I've ever wanted to pause the installation of an update for any reason, but I hear people complaining all the time about how they wish they could just skip updates. So, let me know in the comments whether you will take advantage of this feature.
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