How to turn ON/OFF Automatic Updates in Windows 7?

Apr 9, 2013

Just like in Windows XP and Windows Vista, the Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system also comes with option to automatically download and install latest Windows updates. Suppose someone disabled automatic updates in your system and now you want to turn it on. Not sure how to do that? If you don’t know how to enable or disable automatic updates in Windows 7, I suggest you follow the instructions in this page. It is simple and you can turn on or turn off Windows Updates within a minute.

Windows 7 Automatic Updates

Turn ON automatic updates in Windows 7:

  1. Click the Start button.
  2. Type windows update in the search box.
  3. In the search results you’ll see Windows Update. Open that.
  4. Windows Update window will appear. Click Change Settings in the left pane.
  5. Under the Important Updates, pick the option of your choice. Recommended in Install updates automatically.
  6. Check all other options such as Recommended updates, Microsoft updates and software notifications.
  7. Press OK button. If needed confirmation or administrator password, confirm or enter the correct password.

The above mentioned steps will turn on Windows Update in Windows 7 operating system.

Turn OFF automatic updating in Windows 7:

You can turn off Windows 7 automatic updates by selecting the last option in step 5. In brief, go to Start, open Windows Update by using search box. Just like in the step 4 of above mentioned instructions, open Change Settings. Then in the Important Updates section select “Never check for updates (not recommended)” from the drop down menu. Press OK button to save your changes. This will disable or turn of automatic updates in Windows 7.

Note: Important updates include both security and critical updates. Those updates are essential for keeping your system secure, stable and reliable. Recommended updates include software updates and other improved features. Optionally you can opt in to receive new Microsoft products. If you are not testing something or updating Windows 7 manually, I recommend that you keep automatic updates on.

Leave a Reply

Note: The sign * means required field. Comments are subject to moderation.