Wouldn’t it be nice if Windows 11 didn’t show a restart prompt or restart automatically to install a new update while you’re using your computer? To make that happen, you can configure active hours in Windows 11. This update management feature lets you schedule updates so that your computer doesn’t restart to install automatic updates when you typically use it.
For example, if you usually work on your computer from 9 AM to 5 PM, you can set those times as your active hours. Doing so will prevent Windows 11 from installing updates during those hours, avoiding any inconvenience.
In this tutorial, I will guide you step-by-step through configuring active hours in Windows 11. Let’s get started.
Steps to Configure Active Hours in Windows 11
- Open Settings by pressing “Start key + I.”
- Go to the “Windows Update” page.
- Click on “Advanced Options.”
- Click on “Active Hours.”
- Select “Manually” from the dropdown menu.
- Set the Start Time.
- Set the End Time.
- Close the Settings window.
- Restart your computer.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
As always, the first thing we should do is open the Windows 11 Settings app. You can do that by pressing the “Start key + I” shortcut. Alternatively, open the Start menu and click the Gear icon.
Go to the “Windows Update” > “Advanced Options” page. This is where you can manage and configure various update settings.
Find and click on the “Active Hours” option on this page. By default, it is set to Automatically and you can also see the current active hours.
To manually configure active hours, select Manually from the dropdown menu.
Now, use the Start Time and End Time dropdown menus to change Active Hours in Windows 11. I chose to set the active hours from 8 AM to 10 PM.
Your changes are saved automatically, close the Settings window by clicking the X icon on the title bar.
Finally, restart your computer to apply the changes. To do that, press the Start button, click the Power icon, and select the Restart option.
Wrapping — Prevent Installing Updates During Active Hours
By default, Windows 11 automatically detects the usage patterns and sets up active hours accordingly. However, when that doesn’t align with your actual usage timings, you can manually configure active hours in Windows 11 as shown above. In extreme cases where you don’t want to install updates regardless of timing, you can temporarily pause Windows 11 updates via the settings.
If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I will answer.
