But once this update is made mandatory, you will be forced to install the update even when you don’t want to. In this article, we will discuss three ways to block Windows 10 Version 21H1 from installing on your PC.
How to block Windows 10 Version 21H1 from installing
Pause the update for 7 to 35 days
If you don’t want to update your device, Microsoft lets users pause the updates for up to 35 days. This will pause all features and security updates for the set time period.
How to block Windows 10 Version 21H1 from installing Pause the update for 7 to 35 days Postpone all feature updates for up to 365 days using Group Policy Enforce PC to stay on the current build forever using the Group Policy Editor Stop Version 21H1 from installing using Windows Registry Conclusion
This approach will help you prevent 21H1 updates from installing on your PC. However, this will also prevent all other updates from being installed as well. Once the 35 day limit is reached, you will get the following error message:
Postpone all feature updates for up to 365 days using Group Policy
If 35 days is too short a period for you, you can make use of the local group policies to stop Windows 10 from installing the latest feature update v21H1 from installing for a year. If you are running Windows 10 Home edition, you can learn how to install group policy editor here. Your computer will now stop receiving automatic Windows updates for the said amount of days. To check that the settings have been applied, you can navigate to the Windows Update page in the Settings app and see a message stating “Some settings are managed by your organization.” To revert the changes, you’ll need to select Disabled from the same policy settings and then select Not Configured.
Enforce PC to stay on the current build forever using the Group Policy Editor
You can also force your computer to stay on the current version of your Windows 10. This is also achieved through the Group Policy Editor. With this configuration, your OS will stay on the current version while installing Windows updates. Any update that changes the version of Windows 10 will not be installed.
Stop Version 21H1 from installing using Windows Registry
If you are an advanced user and are comfortable editing the Registry, you can follow the steps below to stop Windows 10 Version 21H1 from installing. If you are not comfortable editing the Registry and don’t want to use any other method, you can download the .reg file. Just run the file and it will automatically create the required Registry keys for you. Stop Windows 10 Version 21H1 from installing (Registry) (382 bytes, 588 hits) This method has the same effect as the above mentioned group policy method where you select the maximum target version of Windows 10 to be installed on your PC.
Conclusion
The cybersecurity situation dictates that it is always recommended to install all Windows updates in order to ensure the integrity of your system. You should, however, use extra caution when updating to the latest feature update for Windows 10. If you cannot afford to break your system, you should take extra precautions. If your computer has already downloaded Windows 10 v21H1 but is awaiting installation following a reboot, you can bypass this process by following this guide.
