Stop Windows 10 Rebooting After Updates

You’ll all be happy to hear that it only involves changing one setting.

So many people complain about having their PC forcibly restarted after every semi-big update from Microsoft. Many people have asked us time and time again if there is a way of disabling this annoying forced restart, and we really do feel their pain. After all, it happens to best of us, as we all need to use the latest Operating Systems, and keeping them up-to-date is part of the deal. In the past, we’ve also had the unfriendly experience of Windows 10 rebooting itself mid-task, e.g. in the process of file conversion from pdf to html, and without warning after we’ve left our PCs idle for only a few minutes.

Furthermore, even when Windows 10 gives you a notice that it wants to reboot there’s no way to delay it either, meaning you have to save your work and let it happen. We understand that Microsoft wants every user to bring their PCs up-to-date as soon as possible to keep their systems safe, but imposing a reboot is not a great user experience.

Although Microsoft now lets you set active hours in order to avoid an update when you are likely to use the PC, having an update in your inactive hours can still be annoying. For example, you may need to leave vital tasks and windows open throughout the night, which is common in some workplaces that require either rendering or uploading of big files. Fortunately, you can now rest easy as there is a solution!

Process:

  • Right-click on the Start menu and select the Control Panel
  • On the left-hand side, at the very top, the first option should be Administrative Tools, click it
  • Find task scheduler and click on the ‘plus’ which will present more options
  • Find: Microsoft/ Windows/ UpdateOrchestrator
  • Select Reboot in the middle window and ‘Disable’ in the far-right window
  • Here you can edit the properties of a particular task, such as what occurs when your PC updates itself

In theory, this should prevent your PC from restarting after an update, though if you find your PC is still rebooting it’s conceivable a subsequent update from Microsoft may have reversed this change and we will all be back to square one.