Canonical Answer for Clearer Guidance - There seems to be two reason people come to this post for an answer to... 1. How do I entirely disable Windows Updates so it never runs. 2. How do I control when Windows reboots after Windows Updates are applied Since there are so many answers for this post and a Canonical Answer was requested per a bounty, I figured I'd take a stab at giving a little more clear guidance for the task at hand per the answers from this post. **Note:** *It's possible that Microsoft releases updates that change the way this correlated functionality works, so if you apply such updates, then these processes may not work as expected afterwards.* ---------- #1 Disable Windows Updates entirely - > **Warning** > > As stated in the ["Stop Windows 10 from automatically updating your > PC"](https://www.cnet.com/uk/how-to/stop-windows-10-from-automatically-updating-your-pc/) > post. . . > > "*As a general rule, an up-to-date operating system is a secure > operating system. Windows 10 automatically checks for, downloads and > installs new updates to your PC -- whether you like it or not. This > new feature is actually pretty convenient for most users, but not > everyone wants their operating system updated on Microsoft's > schedule.*" > > <sub>[source](https://www.cnet.com/uk/how-to/stop-windows-10-from-automatically-updating-your-pc/)</sub> **To disable Windows Updates entirely** you can follow the instructions from two specific answers on this post linked just below as #1 and #2 and perform the operations specified in **both** but #1 at a minimum or #1 and #2 for extra thoroughness. 1. [Disabling Windows Updates in Windows 10 Natively](https://superuser.com/questions/957267/how-to-disable-automatic-reboots-in-windows-10/1208716#1208716) 2. [Turn off Windows Updates in Windows 10 and Disabling Task Scheduler Jobs](https://superuser.com/questions/957267/how-to-disable-automatic-reboots-in-windows-10/1208440#1208440) - For this answer, in the **Disabling Task Scheduler Jobs** section where the scheduled tasks within the `/Microsoft/Windows/Windows Updates` container, it might be worth disabling all those jobs in there for complete thoroughness. ---------- #2 Control when Windows reboots after Windows Updates install - > **Warning** > > Please note that rebooting may be required before any newly patched > vulnerability becomes effective so you need to understand this and > still routinely reboot when patches are applied in a somewhat timely > manner to ensure your system stays secure. There seems to be at least two answer that work best here for most people so I'll start with the Windows native solution and then tell you about the 3rd party solution. **To control when Windows reboots post Windows Update installs** you can follow the instructions from either of these two answers on this post. . . 1. **Windows Native:** [Controlling when Windows will Reboot after Windows Updates apply](https://superuser.com/questions/957267/how-to-disable-automatic-reboots-in-windows-10/1208866#1208866) 2. **3rd Party App:** [Windows 10 Reboot Blocker](https://superuser.com/questions/957267/how-to-disable-automatic-reboots-in-windows-10/1154435#1154435) - [Download Reboot Blocker](https://www.udse.de/download/RebootBlockerSetup.exe)