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Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support. Configure Windows Update for Business
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You can use Group Policy or your mobile device management (MDM) service to configure Windows Update for Business settings for your devices. The sections in this topic provide the Group Policy and MDM policies for Windows 10, version 1511 and later, including Windows 11. The MDM policies use the OMA-URI setting from the Policy CSP. Important Beginning with Windows 10, version 1903, organizations can use Windows Update for Business policies, regardless of the diagnostic data level chosen. If the diagnostic data level is set to 0 (Security), Windows Update for Business policies will still be honored. For instructions, see Configure the operating system diagnostic data level. Start by grouping devicesBy grouping devices with similar deferral periods, administrators are able to cluster devices into deployment or validation groups which can be as a quality control measure as updates are deployed. With deferral windows and the ability to pause updates, administrators can effectively control and measure update deployments, updating a small pool of devices first to verify quality, prior to a broader roll-out to their organization. Tip In addition to setting up multiple rings for your update deployments, also incorporate devices enrolled in the Windows Insider Program as part of your deployment strategy. This will provide you the chance to not only evaluate new features before they are broadly available to the public, but it also increases the lead time to provide feedback and influence Microsoft’s design on functional aspects of the product. For more information on Windows Insider program, see https://insider.windows.com/. Configure devices for the appropriate service channelWith Windows Update for Business, you can set a device to be on either Windows Insider Preview or the General Availability Channel servicing branch. For more information on this servicing model, see Servicing channels. Release branch policies
Starting with Windows 10, version 1703, users can configure the branch readiness level for their device by using Settings > Update & security > Windows Update > Advanced options. Note Users will not be able to change this setting if it was configured by policy. Configure when devices receive feature updatesAfter you configure the servicing branch (Windows Insider Preview or General Availability Channel), you can then define if, and for how long, you would like to defer receiving feature updates following their availability from Microsoft on Windows Update. You can defer receiving these feature updates for a period of up to 365 days from their release by setting the DeferFeatureUpdatesPeriodinDays value. For example, a device on the General Availability Channel with DeferFeatureUpdatesPeriodinDays=30 will not install a feature update that is first publicly available on Windows Update in September until 30 days later, in October. Policy settings for deferring feature updates
Note If not configured by policy, individual users can defer feature updates by using Settings > Update & security > Windows Update > Advanced options. Pause feature updatesYou can also pause a device from receiving feature updates by a period of up to 35 days from when the value is set. After 35 days has passed, the pause setting will automatically expire and the device will scan Windows Update for applicable feature updates. Following this scan, you can then pause feature updates for the device again. Starting with Windows 10, version 1703, when you configure a pause by using policy, you must set a start date for the pause to begin. The pause period is calculated by adding 35 days to this start date. In cases where the pause policy is first applied after the configured start date has passed, you can extend the pause period up to a total of 35 days by configuring a later start date. Important In Windows 10, version 1703 and later versions, you can pause feature updates to 35 days, similar to the number of days for quality updates. Policy settings for pausing feature updates
You can check the date that feature updates were paused by checking the registry key PausedFeatureDate under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UpdatePolicy\Settings. The local group policy editor (GPEdit.msc) will not reflect whether the feature update pause period has expired. Although the device will resume feature updates after 35 days automatically, the pause check box will remain selected in the policy editor. To check whether a device has automatically resumed taking feature updates, check the status registry key PausedFeatureStatus under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UpdatePolicy\Settings for the following values:
Note If not configured by policy, individual users can pause feature updates by using Settings > Update & security > Windows Update > Advanced options. Starting with Windows 10, version 1703, using Settings to control the pause behavior provides a more consistent experience, specifically:
Configure when devices receive quality updatesQuality updates are typically published on the second Tuesday of every month, although they can be released at any time. You can define if, and for how long, you would like to defer receiving quality updates following their availability. You can defer receiving these quality updates for a period of up to 30 days from their release by setting the DeferQualityUpdatesPeriodinDays value. You can set your system to receive updates for other Microsoft products—known as Microsoft updates (such as Microsoft Office, Visual Studio)—along with Windows updates by setting the AllowMUUpdateService policy. When you do this, these Microsoft updates will follow the same deferral and pause rules as all other quality updates. Policy settings for deferring quality updates
Note If not configured by policy, individual users can defer quality updates by using Settings > Update & security > Windows Update > Advanced options. Pause quality updatesYou can also pause a system from receiving quality updates for a period of up to 35 days from when the value is set. After 35 days have passed, the pause setting will automatically expire and the device will scan Windows Update for applicable quality updates. Following this scan, you can then pause quality updates for the device again. Starting with Windows 10, version 1703, when you configure a pause by using policy, you must set a start date for the pause to begin. The pause period is calculated by adding 35 days to this start date. In cases where the pause policy is first applied after the configured start date has passed, you can extend the pause period up to a total of 35 days by configuring a later start date. Note Starting with Windows 10, version 1809, IT administrators can prevent individual users from pausing updates. Policy settings for pausing quality updates
You can check the date that quality updates were paused by checking the registry key PausedQualityDate under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UpdatePolicy\Settings. The local group policy editor (GPEdit.msc) will not reflect whether the quality update pause period has expired. Although the device will resume quality updates after 35 days automatically, the pause check box will remain selected in the policy editor. To check whether a device has automatically resumed taking quality Updates, check the status registry key PausedQualityStatus under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UpdatePolicy\Settings for the following values:
Note If not configured by policy, individual users can pause quality updates by using Settings > Update & security > Windows Update > Advanced options. Starting with Windows 10, version 1703, using Settings to control the pause behavior provides a more consistent experience, specifically:
Configure when devices receive Windows Insider Preview buildsStarting with Windows 10, version 1709, you can set policies to manage preview builds and their delivery: The Manage preview builds setting gives administrators control over enabling or disabling preview build installation on a device. You can also decide to stop preview builds once the release is public.
Important This policy replaces the "Toggle user control over Insider builds" policy under that is only supported up to Windows 10, version 1703. You can find the older policy here:
The policy settings to Select when feature updates are received allows you to choose between preview flight rings, and allows you to defer or pause their delivery.
Exclude drivers from quality updatesStarting with Windows 10, version 1607, you can selectively opt out of receiving driver update packages as part of your normal quality update cycle. This policy will not apply to updates to drivers provided with the operating system (which will be packaged within a security or critical update) or to feature updates, where drivers might be dynamically installed to ensure the feature update process can complete. Policy settings to exclude drivers
Summary: MDM and Group Policy settings for Windows 10, version 1703 and laterThe following are quick-reference tables of the supported policy values for Windows Update for Business in Windows 10, version 1607 and later. GPO: HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate
MDM: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\Update
Update devices to newer versionsDue to the changes in Windows Update for Business, Windows 10, version 1607 uses different GPO and MDM keys than those available in version 1511. Windows 10, version 1703 also uses a few GPO and MDM keys that are different from those available in version 1607. However, Windows Update for Business devices running older versions will still see their policies honored after they update to a newer version; the old policy keys will continue to exist with their values ported forward during the update. Following the update to a newer version, only the old keys will be populated and not the new version keys, until the newer keys are explicitly defined on the device by the administrator. How older version policies are respected on newer versionsWhen a device running a newer version sees an update available on Windows Update, the device first evaluates and executes the Windows Updates for Business policy keys for its current (newer) version. If these are not present, it then checks whether any of the older version keys are set and defer accordingly. Update keys for newer versions will always supersede the older equivalent. Comparing keys in Windows 10, version 1607 to Windows 10, version 1703
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