Changing the network settings to turn off updates
The easiest way to turn off Automatic Updates is to simply unplug the network cable or, if you are testing in a virtual environment, to assign the virtual network adapter to an internal network. If you want to access the Internet with your Windows 10 machine, this option is not really the one you want.
If you connect your Windows machine through a WiFi network, you can set the connection to a metered connection. (Click the network symbol in the system tray and then right-click the connection.) This should prevent Windows 10 from downloading updates. A downside of this method is that it will affect the behavior of other applications, such as One Drive.
Disabling the Windows Update service
However, we have another option to turn off Automatic Updates altogether. All we need to do is stop the Windows Update service and make sure that it won’t start again. I recommend to first check if updates are currently downloaded; if so, wait until all updates are installed. Then, type “services” in the Windows 10 search box and click View Local Services.
Scroll down to Windows Update and double-click the service. Set the startup type to Disabled. If the service is already running, click Stop. After the service has stopped, click OK.
If you now click Check for Updates in the Windows Update app, you should see a reassuring error message:
Yup, that is all we wanted: “some problems installing updates.”
If you want to later enable Automatic Updates again, you have to first set the startup type of the Windows Update service to Manual and then start the service.
If you plan to switch Automatic Updates on and off frequently, you can do so with this tiny PowerShell script, which you have to run with administrator privileges:
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