Microsoft Confirms You Cannot Cancel New Windows PC Update

Microsoft’s updates and upgrades are rarely out of the headlines these days, with a succession of problems for Windows 11 users while hundreds of millions of Windows 10 users are urged to dump old for new, including their PCs in many cases. Windows 11 has now overtaken Windows 10 in the U.S. and will soon do the same elsewhere, and so here’s something else to note for all those new users.

As reported by Windows Latest, the latest Windows update “downloads even if you don’t want it… Microsoft has quietly confirmed that Windows 11 24H2 has finally entered the last phase of its ‘rollout.’” This means “as observed with Windows 11 23H2 or 22H2 in the past,” that “the last phase is when Windows 11 feature update is declared ‘fully ready’ and is configured to download automatically.”

This isn’t for all users, but it is for “devices running Home and Pro editions of Windows 11, versions 23H2, 22H2, and 21H2 that are not managed by IT departments,” Microsoft says, all of which “will receive the update to version 24H2 automatically.”

Windows Latest says “you’ll get an alert when the upgrade is being downloaded and is pending installation, and that’s where things get interesting because Windows 11 doesn’t let you cancel an ‘upgrade’ when it’s already downloaded.” Microsoft does let you postpone updates but there is no option to cancel one.

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Unless you have good reason, let the update download and install on your PC. Such is the security backdrop where Windows is concerned, that you never want to leave any update waiting around before installing. But you can run Command Prompts to quit the update if you must. Windows Latest includes details in its post.

Windows 11’s global market share is now within 10% of Windows 10 for the first time ever. Although that means more than half (53%) of all users are still on Windows 10. Support ends on October 14, and all those users will need to apply the free upgrade to Windows 11 if they have compatible hardware or buy a new PC if not. There is a $30 12-month security extension as well, albeit Microsoft isn’t talking much about it.

Whatever you do, don’t let your PC fall off support. Last year saw a record number of vulnerabilities fixed, and there’s no sign this year will be any better,