How-To

How to Disable Update Notifications on Windows 11

By Brian Burgess

Published October 21, 2022

Too many Windows Update notifications can be distracting. If you want to know how to disable update notifications on Windows 11, follow this guide.

Update notifications on your Windows 11 PC can become tiresome to view. The odd pop-up is fine, but you might see too many alerts, messages, and notifications that disrupt you as you’re working on your PC.

If you’re not ready to update your PC, and you’re sick of these notifications, you can disable them. There’s a few methods you can try, from modifying the Windows Registry to making changes to Group Policy rules.

Typically, this setting is meant for system administrators, but anyone can turn them off. We’ll show you how to disable update notifications on Windows 11 below.

How to Disable Update Notifications on Windows 11 Using Group Policy

First, we’ll look at disabling the notifications via Group Policy. This option requires Group Policy which is only available on PCs running Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise. The process is straightforward—you just need to know where to look.

To disable update notifications on Windows 11 via Local Group Policy Editor:

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Type gpedit and click the top result.
3. When the Local Group Policy Editor opens, navigate to the following path:

   Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Manage end user experience

   

4. In the right panel, double-click the Display options for update notifications option.
5. Set the policy to Disabled.
6. Click Apply and OK in the bottom-right corner.

How to Disable Update Notifications on Windows 11 Using the Registry

You can’t use Group Policy rules to disable update notifications on Windows 11 if you’re running Windows 11 Home. You’ll need to make changes to the Windows Registry instead to achieve the same effect.

Note: It’s worth a note of caution before you start changing the Registry. If you make the wrong change, it can leave you with an unstable or non-working computer. Before proceeding, back up the Registry, create a Restore Point, or create a full system backup. You can then restore your system if something goes wrong.

To disable update notifications on Windows via the Registry:

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Type regedit and click Registry Editor from the top of the search results.
3. Navigate to the following path in the Registry Editor:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows

   

4. Right-click the WindowsUpdate key (if you don’t see it, you’ll need to create it) and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
5. Name the value as SetUpdateNotificationLevel and ensure it has a value data of 0.
6. When you’re done, exit the Registry Editor and restart Windows 11.

Moving forward, you’ll no longer see Windows update notifications and can get on with your work.

Configuring Windows Update

Keeping your PC updated is very important, but that doesn’t mean you need to be spammed with notifications. For example, you can always manually update Windows 11 on your own time.

If you need to make changes to Windows Update, check out how to view Windows update history or learn about pausing Windows Update. It’s also worth noting that there are 3 ways to stop automatic updates on Windows 11.

While updates are important, they can cause problems with your PC too. If Windows 11 isn’t working after updates, you’ll need to troubleshoot the problem next.