- Get updates when you're away from your PC with active hours in Windows

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Schedule windows 10 update download time free. How to Make Microsoft Download Updates Faster

 

Click Apply. Click OK. If you have further queries, don't hesitate to contact us. Thanks for your feedback. How satisfied are you with this reply? Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site. Greg Daly. In reply to Ralph San's post on March 25, To me it seems like the download happens whenever and only the install is scheduled. Does the download follow the schedule as well?

You can take some control over this and have Windows install updates on your schedule, but these options are hidden. Windows Update really wants to automatically update on Windows Professional, Enterprise, and Education editions of Windows 10 and Windows 11 have access to group policy and registry settings for this, but even Home editions of Windows 10 and Windows 11 give you a way to stop updates from automatically downloading. Windows will automatically set certain types of connections — cellular data connections, for example — as metered.

However, you can set any connection as a metered connection. And yes, Windows will remember this setting for each individual network, so you can disconnect from that network and reconnect all you like.

Do you have an Internet connection with limited data? If your connection offers unlimited downloads at a specific time — for example, during the middle of the night — you could mark the connection as unmetered occasionally at these times to download updates and mark it as metered after the updates are downloaded. You can click the Download button to download and install updates at your leisure. You can also override those active hours to schedule certain reboots when an update is ready.

You can read more about how to do that here. You should really consider leaving automatic updates enabled for security reasons. This setting can be configured in the registry, too. This registry hack does exactly the same thing as the above Group Policy setting. However, it also only seems to work on Professional editions of Windows Download our Disable Automatic Updates on Windows 10 registry hack and double-click one of the included.

This only worked when we tried it on Windows 10 Pro, not Home. Some power settings and related policies put a device into a deep sleep or hibernation too quickly, which can prevent updates from occurring outside active hours. Microsoft provides recommendations on how to make sure updates are done, including power settings that allow devices to stay current with security updates.

IT admins using Group Policy Objects to manage policies can use the settings in the Windows security baselines, available as part of the Security Compliance Toolkit , to configure power settings. Companies might also want to consider filtering out devices that do not have the minimum update connectivity. The reasoning is that those devices are not "update healthy," and changing policies or targeting them with more updates will not help until they meet the minimum Update Connectivity measurement required for success.

Admins can check which devices have Insufficient update connectivity using Microsoft Intune. Here are the latest Insider stories. More Insider Sign Out. Some Windows 10 editions, such as Windows 10 Professional or Enterprise, include the option to defer upgrades for an extended time. Security updates, however, are excluded from this option; everyone receives them automatically.

Meanwhile, Windows 10 Home users have to accept all updates and upgrades that Windows downloads and installs in the background, often combined with a scheduled reboot. Security patches, new features, and settings changes are force-fed alike, some bordering on bloat and adware.

The only time when updates won't auto-download is when the device is on a metered connection. With Windows 10, Windows Update also became faster because much of the update process happens in the background. For example, Windows will prepare your content for migration and place the new OS into a temporary working directory before it reboots to install updates. So while the average Windows 10 update still takes about an hour, you might only have to wait for a few minutes as Windows is restarting to update system-critical files.

Should you notice a performance drop prior to the deployment of an update, it may be because Windows is busy downloading and initiating the update.

And once you're booting back into your system, Windows will continue to wrap up the update. Related: Windows 10 Slow After an Update?

In many ways, Windows Update is now easier to use and safer for the average person. Unless a user is willing and able to use advanced tools, they won't miss another security update. From a safety perspective, automated updates are a blessing. On the other hand, users are at the mercy of Microsoft, a company not exactly known for never messing up. Windows Update can work entirely in the background. It will only require your attention when it's time to reboot. With the right settings, however, you won't even notice that anymore.

Click Check for updates to see which updates are currently available. You might come to this screen and see updates waiting to be installed. That's because Windows regularly checks for updates in the background. Click the Restart Now button when Windows and you are ready to apply the updates. If you're running for a reasonably up-to-date Windows 10 version, you should have to wait no longer than a few minutes before you're back on your desktop.