How to Cancel a Windows Update When It’s Downloaded
If you’ve not quite reached the point where the Windows 10 update is installing, but your PC has downloaded the file, and the shut down and reset options have changed to Update and Shut Down and Update and Restart, you can still stop these updates before they go into effect. You just need to stop Windows’ own “maintenance” from taking place.
How to Cancel Windows 10 Updates Indefinitely
If the above method doesn’t work or you want to make sure updates aren’t applied at any time in the immediate future, you can turn off Windows automatic updates entirely. That should also cancel any Windows 10 updates in progress.
How to Cancel Windows Update in Windows 10 Professional
Windows 10 Professional users have an additional method they can use to stop Windows 10 updates in progress: the Windows 10 Group Policy Editor. It can provide an alternative way of stopping an update that some may find preferable.
A Note About Stopping Windows 10 Updates in Progress
If your PC has already started installing the update (i.e., it’s on a blue screen with a progress percentage, and it explicitly tells you not to turn off your computer), listen to it. As much as it might be tempting to hit the power button to get your PC working again and stop the update in its tracks, you risk damaging your Windows install, which could make your system unusable. Instead, let the update finish, and then either uninstall it or use Windows 10’s system recovery options to set it back to how it was before the update began.
