How to Cancel Windows 11 update?

Sorry for the nuisance, I would like to know what is pending for my updates. I understand that I have to resume.

Question: what do I see when I resume, a popup with the list of updates? And most important do I have the time to stop it and select another date?

Thanks in advance

Not a problem. Click 'Resume Updates'. You should be able to see whether it's updating to a later version of Windows 10, or Windows 11, or if there are just other updates pending. (There have been some patches for *serious* security holes lately, so I *really* don't recommend anyone staying away from Windows 11 by just pausing updates.)

If it indicates that it is updating to Windows 11, and it displays 'downloading' or even 'reboot to install', then:

1. You need to stop wuauserv and bits, so they don't immediately recreate the directory you're going to delete in step 2.

To stop them, you either need to go to control panel, services, and locate the services by name, and stop them (do not change their startup mode!).

Or, you can open a command prompt with administrative privileges and type in the commands 'net stop wuauserv' and 'net stop bits', respectively. It should look something like this;

C:\WINDOWS\system32> net stop wuauserv

C:\WINDOWS\system32> net stop bits

Things that can go awry with this step:

If you see an error message, or 'The Windows Update Service is not started', you either don't have Administrative Privileges, or you have the Windows Update Window open. Opening the 'Windows Update' window to check what happens, actually restarts the services, so don't do that!

2. You need to delete the directory where it's downloaded the Windows 11 files.

It is the catalog 'C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download\29915d28b757d79214ddd971f3fd6134'

Now you have reset the progress on the Windows 11 patch. However, this is just a temporary solution. As soon as you go to the 'Windows Update' window, it will restart the services (wuauserv and bits), and start downloading Windows 11 again.

To make it last a bit longer, you need to do the registry hack that Rodrigo.Quieroz posted about on December 18 (the first page in this thread), so that Windows Update thinks that it should target a later version of Windows 10 instead of Windows 11.

Absolutely agree with you. The amount of angst and cost of the Windows 11 forced installation and then numerous issues with the new operating system is horrible.

It has all gone downhill for Microsoft.

Microsoft the biggest tech company in the world somehow doesn't know that they have made it impossible to stop their unrequired update. I don't believe that they know what they are doing, and they want to go the way of the mac and make it hard and slow to download anything so they can say their computers are safe and virus free.

I think I have an actual fix for this issue. I tried it on my laptop, and it stopped wanting to install Windows 11. Windows Update indicates that the installation is 'Up to date', and the big Windows 11 upgrade 'box' is nowhere to be seen.

Steps:

1. Open a command prompt with admin privileges

C:\WINDOWS\system32> net stop wuauserv

C:\WINDOWS\system32> net stop bits

This will stop the Windows Update service and Background Intelligent Download Service from doing stuff while you create the registry keys and delete the Windows 11 files that it will otherwise want to redownload.

2. Add the registry key Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate

Under that key

Add DWORD "TargetReleaseVersion" set it to 1

Add String "TargetReleaseVersionInfo" set it to "21H2"

(without any of the quotes)

3. Delete the catalog 'C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download\29915d28b757d79214ddd971f3fd6134'

This catalog contains the Windows 11 upgrade files.

You have to delete the catalog itself, not just the files in it.

The catalog name is an Id, and is enough to make Windows Update resume the Windows 11 download, unless you delete it.

4. Reboot

Done.

I deleted the contents of this folder and it removed the "Windows 11 is ready to install" icon by the clock.
Now what gets me, I have all sorts of registry blocks in place. I also have it set to metered network and NOT to update / upgrade over metered.
But it decided to anyway. Which killed my internet speed.

So now I not only deleted the contents of that folder. I also set it to read only and under security revoked ALL system access to that folder. Lets see if Windows gets the hint now..... If this keeps happening, time for Linux. I REFUSE to have an OS be malware and force itself on me. I DO NOT WANT 11.
Heck I didn't even want 10.