Windows has tons of background tasks and processes you probably don’t know about running on your PC and straining your resources. Now, don’t get me wrong, a lot of these processes are actually important to keep your device working as it should. At the same time, some don’t need to run all the time, and some are totally pointless.
The Windows Update background tasks fall into the former category, and disabling them can actually improve your PC’s overall performance and power usage. Take me, for instance: before stopping Windows Update from running in the background, my laptop lasted about three hours on a full charge. I was totally happy with that because it is a five-year-old laptop I didn’t even get brand new, and I felt that was the best I could get for battery life. However, ever since I turned off Windows Update background tasks (alongside optimizing some power settings), I get an additional 20 to 30 minutes of battery life.
Windows Update never really stops checking in
Downloading, verifying, and sharing updates takes real resources
Windows checks in with Microsoft’s servers for available updates roughly every 17 to 22 hours when you’re connected to the internet. That may seem like a stretch between each check, but the real work starts once it finds something. Windows has to automatically download the update files, verify them, and prepare them for installation. And depending on your settings, Delivery Optimization can also keep uploading update data to other devices on your network or the internet well after the check is done. All of that requires CPU, storage, network, and memory resources, and it can run in the background for a lot longer than the check that triggered it.
On a desktop plugged into a wall, you probably won’t notice any of this. But on a laptop running on battery, background activity can increase the workload and accelerate battery drain. This was particularly noticeable on my laptop. I already had limited battery capacity because of its age, so every background process mattered.
Here’s how I disabled Windows Update background tasks
You can do that through Windows’ Services Manager
Windows doesn’t give you a simple switch in the Settings app to completely stop Windows Update from running in the background, but you can disable its service through the Services Manager. To do that, use the following steps:
- Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
- Type services.msc and press Enter.
- Scroll down and find Windows Update.
- Double-click Windows Update to open its properties.
- Click Stop to stop the service immediately.
- Under Startup type, select Disabled.
- Click Apply, then OK.
No more automatic security updates
You become responsible for checking updates yourself to stay protected
This is the part that matters most if you’re considering doing this yourself. Windows Updates aren’t just about new features and cosmetic changes. Microsoft regularly releases security patches that fix vulnerabilities, and stopping Windows Update from running in the background means your PC will no longer automatically search for and install those patches. That leaves your system more vulnerable if you simply disable the service and forget about it.
Obviously, we don’t want to do that, so you will need to manually check for updates. Whenever I know it’s been a while, I open Settings -> Windows Update and click Check for updates. This usually works fine, but every so often it’ll throw an error since the service itself is disabled. When that happens, just go back to the Windows Service Manager, set Windows Update’s Startup type to Manual, start the service, run the check through Settings, and once it’s done, switch it back to Disabled.
Of course, this requires a little discipline. If you’re going to disable the background service, you need to make checking for updates part of your routine.
A major Windows feature update can sometimes reset the Windows Update service, reverting any change you made. I’ve had it happen after a big update rolled through, so I now check the service every so often instead of assuming it stays disabled.
Getting an extra 20 to 30 minutes out of an older laptop’s battery made a real difference in how often I reached for the charger. It might not sound like much, but when you’re already working with limited battery capacity, even that small a gain adds up over a full day of use. The important thing is understanding what you’re giving up. Disabling Windows Update background activity can reduce some of the work your PC does in the background, but it also means you have to take responsibility for keeping Windows updated. If you decide to try it, I wouldn’t just disable the service and forget about it. Make manually checking for Windows updates part of your routine. That’s the price I’d be willing to pay for the extra battery life on my older laptop.