How to disable Windows 11 update restarts
- Windows 11
- Windows 11, version 22H2
Priya Natarajan5 min readQuick answer
You can prevent Windows 11 from automatically restarting after updates by setting your active hours under Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options. Alternatively, you can enable the Group Policy setting titled No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations when Configure Automatic Updates is set to option 4.
Unexpected system reboots after Windows update installations can interrupt ongoing tasks, close unsaved documents, and cause frustrating downtime. Windows 11 automatically schedules restarts after downloading and installing update packages, but you can configure several settings to prevent automatic reboots while you are working or actively logged into your device.
Managing update restarts affects all desktop versions of Windows 11 where automatic update background operations take place. By customizing your active hours or using administrative policy configurations, you ensure that mandatory restart operations occur strictly outside your working schedule or when no user session is active.
Steps
To prevent Windows 11 from automatically restarting your PC while you are working, start by configuring your active hours through the Settings application.
- Open Settings by opening the Start menu and selecting the gear icon.
- Select Windows Update from the navigation pane on the left side of the screen.
- Click Advanced options on the right side of the screen.
- Select Active hours to expand the drop-down menu and view current schedule settings.
- Change the drop-down setting from Automatically to Manually.
- Click the Start time and End time fields to set your daily activity window, ensuring the selected period does not exceed the maximum allowed range of 18 hours.
If you are managing devices that require administrative control, you can configure Group Policy settings instead. Note that Group Policy changes apply across the operating system for all configured accounts.
- Press the Windows key, type gpedit.msc, and select Local Group Policy Editor.
- Navigate through the left pane to Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Update.
- Double-click the policy setting titled Configure Automatic Updates.
- Select the Enabled option at the top of the policy configuration window.
- Under Options, choose option 4 - Auto download and schedule the install, and set your preferred Scheduled install time.
- Click Apply, then click OK to close the window.
- Double-click the policy named No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations in the Windows Update folder.
- Select Enabled and click OK.
- Alternatively, double-click Turn off auto-restart for updates during active hours in the same folder, select Enabled, configure the active hours start and end times, and click OK.
You can also use the Windows registry to achieve these settings if Group Policy is unavailable. Note that directly editing the Windows registry isn't recommended, as improper edits can cause system stability issues.
- Press the Windows key, type regedit, and select Registry Editor.
- Navigate to the following registry key path: HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU.
- Right-click in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it AuOptions.
- Double-click AuOptions and set its Value data to 4.
- Right-click in the right pane again, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers.
- Double-click NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers and set its Value data to 1.
- To configure active hours through the registry under HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate, create a DWORD named SetActiveHours with a value of 1, and set DWORD values for ActiveHoursStart and ActiveHoursEnd.
What it changes
Configuring active hours or update policies changes when and how Windows 11 executes post-update system reboots. By default, Windows 11 sets active hours from 8 AM to 5 PM. During this time frame, the system refrains from executing automatic reboots after installing background updates. Changing active hours allows you to extend this boundary up to a maximum length of 18 hours, keeping your device from rebooting throughout your entire workday.
Enabling the policy No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations ensures that as long as a user remains signed into the system, Windows 11 will not perform an automatic reboot following a scheduled update installation. This policy strictly relies on Configure Automatic Updates being set to option 4 - Auto download and schedule the install. If a signed-in user manually schedules a specific restart time inside an update notification, the system will honor that explicit request and restart at the user-specified time regardless of logged-in status. When using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections, Windows 11 only considers active RDP sessions as signed-in users. Any devices without locally logged-in users or active RDP sessions will still be subject to automatic restarts.
Starting in Windows 11, version 22H2, Microsoft added the option Apply only during active hours to the Display options for update notifications policy. When configured alongside option 1 (turn off most notifications but keep restart warnings) or option 2 (turn off all notifications including restart warnings), update notifications are suppressed specifically during active hours while still ensuring users receive necessary warnings outside those hours or when a mandatory update deadline is reached.
Several legacy update policies found in older Windows releases do not apply to Windows 11. Legacy policies that are not applicable to Windows 11 include:
- Always automatically restart at the scheduled time
- Specify deadline before auto-restart for update installation
- Configure auto-restart required notification for updates
- Configure auto-restart-reminder notifications for updates
- Turn off auto-restart notifications for update installations
- Configure auto-restart warning notifications schedule for updates
Undo
To restore default update restart behavior in Windows 11, follow these steps to revert your custom active hours, Group Policy, or registry configurations.
- Open Settings and go to Windows Update > Advanced options.
- Select Active hours.
- Change the setting from Manually back to Automatically, or reset the start and end times back to the default 8 AM to 5 PM window.
- If you configured Group Policy, open the Local Group Policy Editor and navigate to Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Update.
- Double-click No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations, select Not Configured, and click OK.
- Double-click Configure Automatic Updates, select Not Configured, and click OK.
- Double-click Turn off auto-restart for updates during active hours, select Not Configured, and click OK.
- If you modified the Windows registry, open Registry Editor and navigate to HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU.
- Double-click NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers and change its Value data to 0, or right-click the value and select Delete.
- Remove or modify AuOptions, SetActiveHours, ActiveHoursStart, or ActiveHoursEnd values to match your original administrative defaults.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Can I stop Windows 11 from automatically restarting after updates?
Yes, you can configure active hours in Settings to block reboots during working hours, or set the Group Policy No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations.
What is the maximum active hours range in Windows 11?
The maximum range for active hours in Windows 11 is 18 hours counted from your specified start time.
Does No auto-restart with logged on users work for Remote Desktop sessions?
It only applies to active RDP sessions. Devices that do not have locally signed-in users or active RDP sessions will still automatically restart.
What happens if I manually schedule a restart in a notification?
If you manually schedule a restart in an update notification, Windows 11 will restart at that scheduled time even if a user remains signed in.
Checked against Microsoft's release notes on ; re-checked when a new build ships.
Writes Thea's how-to guides for new and changed Windows 11 features: where a setting moved, how to turn it on or off, and what it actually does. Every guide is checked against Microsoft's release notes and updated when a new build changes the steps.
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