‘Pause Windows Updates’—Microsoft Starts Fixing PC Problem

InnovationCybersecurity‘Pause Windows Updates’—Microsoft Starts Fixing PC ProblemByZak Doffman,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Zak Doffman writes about cybersecurity, surveillance and privacy.Follow AuthorMay 23, 2026, 02:25pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Updates are now changing — what to know..Getty ImagesWindows updates have been a long-running frustration for a billion-plus PC users. Now that’s finally changing. And when Microsoft’s own support team starts pushing the change, you know something seismic is happening.Per Windows Latest, “the overarching philosophy behind Windows updates has been to force them onto our PCs as quickly as possible,” but now Microsoft is “changing its tune in a somewhat surprising acknowledgment of user frustration."Forbes‘What Matters Most’—Google Is Changing Your Gmail InboxBy Zak DoffmanMicrosoft’s new post on X, telling Windows users to “pause Windows updates” if you’re in the middle of something, should be business as usual. But it’s not. The option flagged in the post is to “pause for 1 week,” but that’s just the start.Microsoft is actually working on “a new ‘Pick a date’ feature,” Windows Latest explains. “This new calendar in the Windows update page allows you to pause updates for up to 35 days at a time. More importantly, once that 35-day window approaches its end, you can simply open the calendar and extend the pause.” if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src = '//cd.elements.video/player.js?cid=62cec241-7d09-4462-afc2-f72f8d8ef40a'; script.setAttribute('defer', '1'); script.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript'); iframeDoc.body.appendChild(script)...