How to Block the Windows 11 Update From Installing on Windows 10

Goal: Block windows 11 Auto upgrade but at the same time you will be able to install the latest update

To use the Registry Editor method to prevent the Windows 11 update from being installed on your Windows 10 PC, first, open the Run box by pressing Windows+R keys at the same time.

In the Run box, type the following and press Enter. This opens the Registry Editor. Make Sure you have taken one set of the backup registries. 

In the Run box, type the following and press Enter. This opens the Registry Editor.

regedit

You will see a “User Account Control” prompt. Select “Yes” in this prompt to continue.

When the Registry Editor opens, from the sidebar to the left, navigate to the following directory:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate

Note: If you don’t see the final “WindowsUpdate” directory, right-click the “Windows” directory and choose New > Key. Then type “WindowsUpdate” and press Enter to create the directory.

On the right pane, double-click the “TargetReleaseVersion” entry to open it. If you don’t see this entry, then in the right pane, right-click anywhere blank and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Then type “TargetReleaseVersion” (without quotes) and press Enter to create the entry

In the “Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value” box that opens, click the “Value Data” field and enter “1” (without quotes). Then select “OK.”

Once again, on the right pane, double-click the “TargetReleaseVersionInfo” entry. If you don’t see it, then right-click anywhere blank on the right pane and choose New > String Value. Type “TargetReleaseVersionInfo” (without quotes) and press Enter to make the entry.

Here we’re going to enter the release update that we want to remain on. At the time of writing, the latest Windows 10 release is the 21H1 update. To determine the current version, review the official Microsoft documentation on the latest version of Windows 10.

On the “Edit String” box, click the “Value Data” field and type “21H1” (without quotes), or whatever your preferred release is. Then click “OK.”

Close the Registry Editor and restart your Windows 10 PC. You’re all set.

Your Windows 10 PC will block any updates after the update you entered, which includes the Windows 11 update. The downside to this method is that you will have to keep updating the release value to represent the latest Windows 10 updates. Check out the final section in this guide to learn what this means.