While Windows 11 has a number of great new features, such as the ability to run Android apps, it also features a significant change in the look and feels of the operating system, particularly with the new Start menu, and you may not feel invested enough in Microsoft’s new OS to make the effort to relearn your work patterns.
Microsoft will soon start pushing out the OS update to Windows 10 users who’s PC meet Microsoft’s hardware requirements, and the company is also well known for using dark patterns into tricking users into upgrading.
If you want to make sure you don’t wake up one day with Windows 11 installed on your PC, there is an easy way to block the update from being offered to your PC.
Microsoft introduced a new
TargetReleaseVersion specification in Windows 10 1803, which allows you to set which version of Windows 10 you would like your OS to upgrade to or remain at.
To prevent the new OS from being offered to you, you simply need to do a bit of registry editing.
1. Press
windows + R., type
regedit and press log into
2. Navigate to
Computer HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Policies Microsoft Windows Windows
Update 3. Create a new DWORD (32-bit) value called
TargetReleaseVersion and assign it a value of 1
4. Create another DWORD (32-bit) value called
TargetReleaseVersionInfo and assign it a value
of
21H1If you have Windows 10 Pro, you can do the same via the Group Policy Editor.
Simply go to
Local computer policy >
Computer configuration >
Administrative models >
Windows components >
Windows update >
Windows Update for Business and double click
Select the target feature upgrade version. Enter
21H1 and hit
ok before restarting your computer.
This registry option will still automatically update your PC to the latest version of the OS which Microsoft offers 60 days after your version goes out of service, but that is still likely to be several years away, by which time Microsoft will probably have fixed all Windows 11’s deficiencies.
NOTE: All registry edits are of course at your own risk.
source
