Anyway to not update to 24H2 but still get security updates?

The Settings app has a control that lets you pause updates ...

Start > Settings > Windows Update > Pause updates

... whereby you can pause updates for up to 5 weeks. However, I don't know whether this pauses all types of updates or only some updates - and I'm too lazy to find out - because in any case, I want a pause that lasts 90 days. I'm sure there's more than one way to do this, and I prefer to use the Group Policy Editor.

(As an aside: I avoid working directly in the Windows registry at all costs.)

You have to be signed in to an Administrator account to use the Group Policy Editor. Open the Group Policy Editor and go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Manage updates offered through Windows Update > Select when Preview Builds and Feature Updates are received

(This manages when they are received.)

Double-click to open 'Select when Preview Builds and Feature Updates are received.' I provided an illustration below. Double-click on the picture to see a larger size image in a new tab.

The text refers to Feature Updates and Quality Updates. That's old terminology that Microsoft no longer uses. You can replace Feature Updates with 'new versions of Windows'. Full disclosure: Microsoft can, at its discretion, decide to include other updates in that category.

If the Policy is 'Not Configured' then 'Enable' it and set your chosen delay. You can see that I chose 90 days.

I previously delayed for 120 days. However, I no longer feel I need to wait that long, because Microsoft has gotten better at identifying problems with updates and either fixing them or blocking incompatible portions from going out to affected configurations. On that other hand, I'm not that confident in Microsoft, so I dropped down to 90 days.

I do this because I don't feel I need to have the newest thing as soon as it comes out. That's my opinion, anyway, and it's quite different from the FOMO crowd who get all uppity if they're not first on their block. I can wait. That's one of the ways I avoid computer problems.

Sadly, as of 8th February 2025 (in my case), this was no longer true. Windows decided to "upgrade" me from 23H2 to 24H2 all by itself, while I was asleep in bed, without my wish or permission. The result? My printers stopped working, my settings were trashed, and some of my go-to apps (not least Copilot, only introduced in the past year or so) had been deleted. I was NOT HAPPY.

It's taken me two and a half days to undo the damage. I immediately did a "Roll-Back", which appeared to work - but Copilot, though once again present, would not run. I did all the obvious things (uninstall, re-install / clear the cache / disk cleanup / repair Windows (SFC found corrupted files, DISM replaced them). Still no luck.

So today, after backing up everything, I did the "nuclear" option, downloading the latest version of 23H2 and reinstalling Windows on my machine, while hoping to retain all my many applications.

It SEEMS to have worked (touch wood), and everything is back to where it was. I also added the registry keys mentioned in another comment above, but with minor corrections, which currently prevents Windows Update from even mentioning 24H2, let alone downloading and installing it. Running these commands from a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges does the trick:

reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /v ProductVersion /t REG_SZ /d "Windows 11" /f

reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /v TargetReleaseVersion /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /v TargetReleaseVersionInfo /t REG_SZ /d "23H2" /f

I've put these in a batch file called "23H2.BAT" in case I need to run them again, or on another computer. If when I want to remove the 23H2 restriction, my other batch file, "24H2.BAT" removes the above key values:

reg delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /v ProductVersion /f

reg delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /v TargetReleaseVersion /f

reg delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate /v TargetReleaseVersionInfo /f

And yes, I've tested these prior to my new install today, when I immediately ran the first of these files to keep 24H2 well at bay.

This behavior of MS is just unacceptable! 24H2 is full of bugs that makes the PC unusable for work yet they force this pile of **** on us.
If hou have MS software on your PC then that PC is not yours anymore. It is just a toy for MS to play with.

Eh I'll still pause updates for now, any way to assure it won't get installed automatically? I'm willing to edit the registery... I have win 11 pro and have done it before for some tweaks

Hi Jarno,

24H2 is seeker only - it won't get installed automatically for now. After 2 or 3 months, if the telemetry thinks your device is fit, you will get it automatically. If it is not the case, you won't get it.