Prevent Windows 10 From Connecting Windows Update Internet Locations

In our previous guide, we’ve seen how to specify intranet Microsoft update service location. When you specify local server or service to provide updates to Windows, still there is a possibility that Windows will check for updates via public update service periodically. This is done to ensure future connections to Windows Update and other Microsoft services or Store app.

If you like to prevent Windows 10 from connecting public Windows Update service periodically, you can configure its setting as described in this article. For this, you need to perform the simple registry manipulation mentioned below.

Prevent Windows 10 From Connecting Windows Update Internet Locations

1. Press + R and type regedit in Run dialog box to open Registry Editor (if you’re not familiar with Registry Editor, then click here). Click OK.

2. In left pane of Registry Editor window, navigate to following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate

3. Now in the right pane of WindowsUpdate registry key, right click in blank space, select New > DWORD Value. Name the newly created registry DWORD (REG_DWORD) as DoNotConnectToWindowsUpdateInternetLocations. This registry DWORD can be used to allow/prevent Windows 10 from connecting Windows Update Internet locations. Double click on this registry DWORD to modify its Value data.

4. Finally, set the Value data to 1 and click OK . Close Registry Editor and reboot the machine to make changes effective.

To restore back the default behaviour later, i.e. allow Windows 10 to connect Windows Update service periodically, restore DoNotConnectToWindowsUpdateInternetLocations to 0.

That’s it!