How To Enable Or Disable Windows 8 Updates

Due to the Windows 8 Modern UI it can be a bit confusing to perform tasks which were quite simple in Windows 7, such as changing the Windows 8 Automatic Update settings. To do this you will have to switch to the classic Control Panel. In a previous post I showed you “How To Switch To Classic Control Panel In Windows 8”. This time I will show you the process for tuning off or enabling Windows 8 updates.

One of the most annoying things that you might notice when you turn on your Windows 8 device is that the Automatic Updates are getting installed. These are likely to be enabled by default and act as a leech which eats up your bandwidth. While Windows Updates have their utility, however leaving them on by default is likely to result in a slower PC due to the installation of many unwanted updates, as well as slow internet speed as the updates might begin downloading in the background. Here is how you can adjust your Windows 8 Automatic Update settings.

Step 1: Launch the Charms Bar by hovering your mouse to a corner of the screen (e.g. top right corner) or hit Windows+C. Once done, click Search and type Computer (make sure the Apps section is selected).

Select My Computer From Modern UI

Step 2: This will launch the Windows Explorer where The Control Panel is listed on the top in the Ribbon Menu, as well as on the left-sidebar. Click on the Control panel icon to proceed further.

Open Control Panel

Step 3: Select Windows Update from the Control Panel.

Select Windows Update

Step 4: Now, select Change Settings and you will be able to enable, disable, download or check for Windows Updates.

Select Windows Update

Step 5: As you can see from the below screenshot, the settings in Windows 8 are the same as Windows 7 and you can easily change Windows Update settings from the drop down menu, as well as enable/disable Recommended Updates.

Change Windows 8 Automatic Update Settings

The below video demonstrates the above mentioned process. How To Disable Windows Update in Windows 8.