How to Disable Automatic Driver Updates on Windows 10

Microsoft Windows operating system is evolving day by day and launches the latest updates on a periodic interval. Microsoft recommends installing the latest Windows Updates on a weekly basis however this process requires restarting to finish installing automatic driver updates, bug fixes, latest patches, new utilities, advanced features and more. Sometimes, these automatic driver updates may cause trouble in the functionality of the beta version and may stop your devices function as desired.

You can disable driver updates manually or with the help of the best driver updater for Windows. There is no option to disable just the auto driver update in Windows. You will need to disable Windows Updates or pause Windows Updates for a certain period. Instead of installing weekly updates, you can install Windows Updates on a monthly basis. Here is how you can do it manually or with the help of the Best Driver Updater Software for Windows.

Disable Windows Updates:

You can follow these steps to disable Windows Updates on your PC. There is an option to pause them for a certain period or disable them forever.

Step 1. Press (Win + I) to get into the Settings window.

Step 2. Scroll down and click on the Update & Security option.

Step 3. In the left-hand side panel, the Windows Updates tab will be selected. Scroll down the page on the right-hand side and click on the ‘Pause updates for 7 days’ option if you temporarily wish to disable installing automatic updates. You can anytime come back to the same window and click on the Resume Updates button to initiate the updates.

Step 4. Click on the Advanced Options and toggle OFF the Updates that you don’t wish to receive on your device. You can also scroll down the list and under Pause Updates, click on the Select Date option to select the date until you want to disable driver updates. You can maximumly disable it for up to 35 days.

Also read: 5 Ways To Fix Low Volume in Windows 10: Boost Your PC Sound

How to Disable Driver Update Using System Properties

You can also disable auto driver update using the advanced system settings of your Windows operating system. Here is how you can do it!

Step 1. Right-click on the ‘This PC’ Icon on the Desktop screen and select Properties at the bottom.

Step 2. It will open the system settings window. Scroll down the page on the right and click on the ‘Advanced System Settings’ link under the ‘Related Settings’ section.

Step 3. Click on the Hardware Tab on the top. Under the Device Installation Settings section, click on the ‘Device Installation Settings’ button.

Step 4. A new window will pop up asking if you want to automatically download updates from the manufacturer. Select the ‘No’ radio button and click on the ‘Save Changes’ button.

“This option is better than disabling Windows Updates as it will disable automatic driver updates and let Windows install rest of the updates for your computer.”

Disable Auto Driver Update through Registry:

Computer geeks don’t click on a lot of windows rather they do things through group policies or registry tweaks. Here is how you can tweak registry settings to disable automatic driver updates.

Step 1. Press (Win + R) to open the Run command window, type Regedit and hit the Enter key.

Step 2. Expand the location HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SOFTWARE -> Policies -> Microsoft -> Windows to reach the right folder. You can also copy & paste the below address.

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows

Step 3. Right-click in the Windows folder and click on New à Key à and rename it as WindowsUpdate.

Step 4. Right-click on the newly created folder, click on New and select DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Step 5. Rename the key value as ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate and hit the Enter key. Double click on the DWORD key and change the value from 0 to 1. Close the window and restart the computer. You can delete the registry key when you wish to reverse the process.

Use the Best Driver Updater Software

Using the Best Driver Updater Software for Windows can allow you to quickly enable or disable driver updates on Windows. This is one of the best options to manage device drivers and their updates.

Smart Driver Care

Smart Driver Care is one of the best driver updater software to automatically detect corrupt, outdated, missing, and incompatible device drivers and replace them with the latest updated device drivers. The console is user-friendly to enable or disable automatic updates and allows you to choose which device you wish to update or use as it is.

Update all the outdated device drivers to ensure that you experience fewer device driver errors, get uninterrupted gaming performance, and attain the utmost safety of your device. Just with a single click, you can update one or all outdated device drivers and outdated software on your computer. It takes a proper backup before making any kind of changes and then replacing the outdated drivers with the new ones. In case of incompatibility, it can restore the previous device drivers.

Summing Up:

Automatic driver updates may result in driver conflicts and halt down your devices. Incompatible. Corrupt, outdated or missing device drivers will always result in faulty operations. The manual process to enable or disable auto driver update is tedious and tricky. The automated process to disable driver update is the best solution to manage your device drivers. Smart Driver Care is one of the best driver managers to automate the process. Keep it Updated!