How to Cancel Windows 11 update?

Do you see any error messages when trying to delete?

Are you logged in with an account/profile that has admin credentials?

I was able to delete the files inside that folder without any trouble just a couple of weeks ago. I used the local admin account when working on this issue.

Just a suggestion to check.

Lynn is absolutely correct with her response. There should be no reason why you can't select and then delete those files.

Are you talking about the files in the Windows Update folder? And you've kept the folder but tried to delete the files in that folder? If so, I don't know why they wouldn't delete. That folder does repopulate, though, as soon as any attempt by the computer to update occurs. So maybe it's a sequencing issue? If you do the registry edit to limit updates to Windows 10 21H2 and then delete files in the update folder, then the next time anything shows up there it should have nothing to do with Windows 11.

If anyone else has other ideas, please correct me.

I'm guessing the computer(s) had Windows 11 in the Windows Update Cache already.

If a computer has started downloading an update, there are folder names that tells the Windows Update Service that an update is in progress, and it restarts the download even if you add the registry key later.

There are additional steps that can be followed to fix this, already described in this thread (back on page 5). Unfortunately, this 'message board' doesn't seem to give me any easy way to link to that post, but it dates back to jan 14, 2022. Posts after that add additional discovery, which may be helpful. For instance, the folder name you need to delete, can be different from the one I posted.

Also, please note that rolling back the update doesn't necessarily help, since the registry key may be removed by the rollback, and Windows 11 start downloading again.

You did something wrong in the registry. When done correctly on a Windows 10 computer, there is no way that Windows 11 could have installed. I know the first time I did it, I accidentally used a lower case letter rather than an upper case letter. That one small error then did not block the downloading of Windows 11 on my computer.

***IF YOU HAVE WINDOWS 11 ALREADY FULLY INSTALLED NOW, YOU HAVE TO ROLL IT BACK AND THEN PREFORM THE REGISTRY CHANGES AS I STATE BELOW:****

I went back into the registry and carefully and I do mean carefully look at every command change you have added or changed. It has to be exact. No spaces added for example. I had the instructions up on another laptop right next to the computer I was changing. That way I could read the instructions and then do them correctly on my computer.

This is what I followed for instructions and it did make Windows 11 disappear. Scroll about halfway down in the article until you see "Block Windows 11 Update using Registry Editor". If you follow it EXACTLY, Windows 11 can simply not install. Many of us in this very long thread all did it and we stopped windows 11.

https://allthings.how/how-to-stop-windows-11-update-from-installing-on-your-windows-10-pc/