209 ·GitHub
What is this?
This is a native Windows utility that automatically detects whether you're on Windows 7, 10, or 11, and applies the matching registry/service policies to turn off Windows Update, with a one-click way to undo it.
This is a native Windows utility that automatically detects whether you're on Windows 7, 10, or 11, and applies the matching registry/service policies to turn off Windows Update, with a one-click way to undo it.Is this an installer, a script, or something else?It's a single standalone native Win32 EXE, not an installer or a script - no .NET and no extra runtime dependencies are required to run it.
It's a single standalone native Win32 EXE, not an installer or a script - no .NET and no extra runtime dependencies are required to run it.How do I get it running?Download the prebuilt UpdateLock.exe from the GitHub Releases page, verify it against the published SHA-256 checksum, then run it with administrator rights.
Download the prebuilt UpdateLock.exe from the GitHub Releases page, verify it against the published SHA-256 checksum, then run it with administrator rights.Do I need to install anything first?Just running the released EXE needs nothing else - it's statically linked. Building it yourself from source requires Visual Studio Build Tools, the MSVC v141 toolchain, and the Windows 10 SDK 19041.
Just running the released EXE needs nothing else - it's statically linked. Building it yourself from source requires Visual Studio Build Tools, the MSVC v141 toolchain, and the Windows 10 SDK 19041.What's the main catch with turning updates off?With driver updates disabled, newly plugged-in USB or other hardware may not auto-fetch drivers online, so you'd install drivers offline or briefly re-enable updates. The EXE also isn't signed yet with a trusted Authenticode certificate, so Windows may show an 'unknown publisher' or SmartScreen warning.
With driver updates disabled, newly plugged-in USB or other hardware may not auto-fetch drivers online, so you'd install drivers offline or briefly re-enable updates. The EXE also isn't signed yet with a trusted Authenticode certificate, so Windows may show an 'unknown publisher' or SmartScreen warning.Which Windows versions does it actually support?It targets Windows only, specifically Windows 7 SP1, Windows 10, and Windows 11, each handled with version-specific policies via its own detection logic.
It targets Windows only, specifically Windows 7 SP1, Windows 10, and Windows 11, each handled with version-specific policies via its own detection logic.What exactly gets changed on Windows 7 versus Windows 10/11?On Win7 it only touches NoAutoUpdate, DisableWindowsUpdateAccess, and stops/disables the wuauserv service. On Win10/11 it manages six policies like NoAutoUpdate, AUOptions, and NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers, plus an optional SetDisableUXWUAccess=1 setting that hides the manual check/install controls in the Update page, without stopping BITS or UsoSvc.
On Win7 it only touches NoAutoUpdate, DisableWindowsUpdateAccess, and stops/disables the wuauserv service. On Win10/11 it manages six policies like NoAutoUpdate, AUOptions, and NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers, plus an optional SetDisableUXWUAccess=1 setting that hides the manual check/install controls in the Update page, without stopping BITS or UsoSvc.Can I undo the changes later?Yes - before making any change it saves your original settings to a backup file, and offers one-click restore with write-then-read verification and automatic rollback if something fails.
Yes - before making any change it saves your original settings to a backup file, and offers one-click restore with write-then-read verification and automatic rollback if something fails.Does it rely on PowerShell or sc.exe under the hood?No, it talks to Windows directly via the Win32 Registry API and the Service Control Manager API, and never shells out to PowerShell, CMD, reg.exe, or sc.exe.
No, it talks to Windows directly via the Win32 Registry API and the Service Control Manager API, and never shells out to PowerShell, CMD, reg.exe, or sc.exe.Is it safe to run while Windows is mid-update?No - the README warns not to run the disable or restore operation while the system is actively installing or uninstalling updates, and recommends backing up important data before using it on a real machine.
No - the README warns not to run the disable or restore operation while the system is actively installing or uninstalling updates, and recommends backing up important data before using it on a real machine.What are similar projects?FluentTweaker, Windows10Debloater, ContextMenuManager, Winhance, mactype, Scoop, MediaCreationTool.bat, ExplorerPatcher
FluentTweaker, Windows10Debloater, ContextMenuManager, Winhance, mactype, Scoop, MediaCreationTool.bat, ExplorerPatcherWhich topics is it in?windows-tweaker, registry-tweaks, windows-10, no-dependencies, backup, windows-app, sysadmin, cpp, c++, utility, tool, windows
windows-tweaker, registry-tweaks, windows-10, no-dependencies, backup, windows-app, sysadmin, cpp, c++, utility, tool, windows