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As you probably know, Microsoft has been updating Windows 11 on a regular basis, whether we like it or not. One problem with these forced Windows updates is that sometimes they can cause end users problems and may still need to have some bugs worked out of them.
There is a method you can use to prevent Windows from upgrading to the latest feature update build until it’s actually mandatory. Microsoft will push out these updates via Windows Update when they are first available but most of the time you have the option to ignore them until they are forced upon you. In this article, we will be showing you how to prevent the Windows 24H2 update (or other updates) from being installed on your computer.
When you see the Windows Update double arrow icon with a blue dot, that means there is an optional update available. When the dot is yellow, that is a required update, or it can also mean that your computer needs to be restarted after some updates that were actually applied.
When you go to the Windows Update settings, you will see what updates are ready to be installed, including any optional updates such as the 24H2 or later updates. Once the feature update is mandatory, it will then get installed just like any other update. If you are not paying attention and choose to apply all the updates that are shown, then you might end up applying the update before you are ready to and before it’s required.
To prevent the 24H2 or other newer updates from being applied, we will be using a simple registry edit to do so. This can only be used for feature updates and not to block other types of updates. We also have an article explaining how to pause Windows Updates for longer than 5 weeks, if you want to block Windows Updates altogether.
To apply this registry change, we have provided a registry file for you that you can simply import into your computer. We also have another registry file that can be used to remove the block so your feature updates will continue as normal. You can download the registry files here.
Here are the contents of the registry file to prevent the updates from being installed on your computer.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
“ProductVersion”=”Windows 11”
“TargetReleaseVersion”=dword:00000001
“TargetReleaseVersionInfo”=”23H2”
Here are the contents of the registry file that reverses the process.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
“ProductVersion”=-
“TargetReleaseVersion”=-
“TargetReleaseVersionInfo”=-
To apply the registry change, all you need to do is extract the Keep 23H2.reg file from the zip file and double click it to run it. Don’t be too concerned with the name of the file if 23H2 is not the version you are trying to stay on.
If you need to change the feature version you are trying to prevent from being installed, you will need to first edit the file in an app such as Notepad and change the “TargetReleaseVersionInfo”=”23H2“ to whichever version you want to stay at such as 24H2.
Once you are ready to import the file, double click it and then click on the Yes button at the UAC prompt.
Then click Yes at the prompt telling you that the information will be added to the registry.
Then click the OK button telling you that the import was successful.
Now when you go to Windows update, it should allow you to install regular updates but should prevent the Windows 24H2 (or other update) from being installed on your computer.
If you need to update the feature build of Windows that you want to block, you can open the registry editor by typing regedit in the Windows taskbar search box. Then you can paste the following text into the address bar to be taken to the proper location in the registry.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate
Then you can double click on TargetReleaseVersionInfo and change the value data field to the new version of Windows that you want to prevent from installing via Windows Update.
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