Microsoft and Apple roll out new operating systems every year in the fall. If the automatic update feature is enabled, your computer and devices get updated without you being asked, and could prohibit students from opening Examplify and taking exams. In order to prevent that from happening, you can disable the automatic update feature.
Your Mac is designed to keep itself up-to-date. It automatically checks Apple鈥檚 servers for new software updates, and it tries to automatically install new updates when they become available. But sometimes you don鈥檛 want your Mac to automatically install new software. If that鈥檚 the case, you should disable automatic updates on your Mac.
Here鈥檚 how to disable automatic updates on your Mac:
- From the Apple menu, select System Preferences.
- Click Software Update. [
- Deselect the Automatically keep my Mac up to date checkbox. []
- Or, if you鈥檇 prefer to only disable some automatically updates, click the Advanced button. Here you can configure which type of updates you鈥檇 like to have automatically installed. []
- That鈥檚 it! You鈥檝e successfully disabled automatic updates on your Mac.
Your iPad is designed to keep itself up-to-date. It automatically checks Apple鈥檚 servers for new software updates, and it tries to automatically install new updates when they become available. But sometimes you don鈥檛 want your iPad to automatically install new software. If that鈥檚 the case, you should disable automatic updates on your iPad.
Here鈥檚 how to disable automatic updates on your iPad:
- From the iPad鈥檚 home screen, tap Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap Software Update. []
- Tap Automatic Updates. [
- Tap the Install iOS Updates switch so it鈥檚 in the off position. This will prevent your iPad from automatically installing software updates. []
- That鈥檚 it! You鈥檝e successfully disabled automatic updates on your iPad.
You can鈥檛 stop updates altogether, but you can pause them. There is also a way to disable updates, but it, too, is not permanent. If you want to hold off in case of any potential glitches or would rather put them off as long as possible, here is how to adjust your settings.
Stop Windows 11 automatic updates temporarily in Settings
This is by far the simplest method, but it鈥檚 also the most limited. If you鈥檙e getting bombarded with updates right now but don鈥檛 want to have to check manually long-term, it鈥檚 worth trying:
- Open Settings
- Select Windows Update from the left pane 鈥 it鈥檚 usually at the bottom of the list
- Under 鈥楳ore updates鈥, you鈥檒l find an option to 鈥楶ause updates鈥. Click the button marked 鈥楶ause for 1 week鈥, after which automatic updates will continue again []
- Windows 11 turn off automatic updates
- However, this setting completely disables updates for seven days, or until you resume them. There鈥檚 no option to continue installing them manually.
NOTE: Unfortunately, unlike with Windows 10, where you could pause updates for up to 35 days, in Windows 11, you only get up to those three weeks.
How to turn off automatic updates: Pause updates
Permanently disabling automatic updates in Windows 10 may cause security and stability problems, so you may prefer to 鈥減ause鈥 to install them at a more convenient time.
Here鈥檚 how to do it. For all these steps, make sure you're logged in as a user with administrative privileges.
- Open the Settings app in Windows 10 by clicking the Start button and selecting the gear icon. When the Settings window opens, click Update & security. []
- Select Windows Update in the left-hand menu. To turn off automatic updates for one week, click the Pause updates for 7 days option. []
- Windows 10 will tell you the date that updates will start again. To turn them back on manually before then, click Resume updates. [v]
- If you think that seven days is too short a period to pause automatic updates, click Advanced options instead.
- Scroll down to Pause updates and select a date from the Pause until drop-down menu. This date can be up to 35 days into the future.
- Once you reach that date, you鈥檒l need to install the latest Windows updates before you can pause them again. []