Auto update registry settings

You can configure the update detection frequency, select when updates are received, specify the update service location and more. Additional information about settings to manage device restarts and restart notifications for updates is available on Manage device restarts after updates. Additional settings that configure when Feature and Quality updates are received are detailed on Configure Windows Update for Business. Specify Intranet Microsoft update service location allows admins to point devices to an internal Microsoft update service location, while Do not connect to any Windows Update Internet locations gives them the option to restrict devices to just that internal update service.

Automatic Updates Detection Frequency controls how frequently devices scan for updates. You can make custom device groups that'll work with your internal Microsoft update service by using Enable client-side targeting.

You can also make sure your devices receive updates that were not signed by Microsoft from your internal Microsoft update service, through Allow signed updates from an intranet Microsoft update service location. Finally, to make sure the updating experience is fully controlled by the admins, you can Remove access to use all Windows Update features for users.

For additional settings that configure when Feature and Quality updates are received, see Configure Windows Update for Business. Specifies an intranet server to host updates from Microsoft Update.

You can then use this update service to automatically update computers on your network. This setting lets you specify a server on your network to function as an internal update service. The Automatic Updates client will search this service for updates that apply to the computers on your network. You must set two server name values: the server from which the Automatic Updates client detects and downloads updates, and the server to which updated workstations upload statistics.

You can set both values to be the same server. An optional server name value can be specified to configure Windows Update Agent to download updates from an alternate download server instead of the intranet update service. If the setting is set to Enabled , the Automatic Updates client connects to the specified intranet Microsoft update service or alternate download server , instead of Windows Update, to search for and download updates.

Enabling this setting means that end users in your organization don't have to go through a firewall to get updates, and it gives you the opportunity to test updates after deploying them.

If the setting is set to Disabled or Not Configured , and if Automatic Updates is not disabled by policy or user preference, the Automatic Updates client connects directly to the Windows Update site on the Internet.

The alternate download server configures the Windows Update Agent to download files from an alternative download server instead of the intranet update service. The option to download files with missing Urls allows content to be downloaded from the Alternate Download Server when there are no download Urls for files in the update metadata. This option should only be used when the intranet update service does not provide download Urls in the update metadata for files which are present on the alternate download server.

If the "Configure Automatic Updates" policy is disabled, then this policy has no effect. If the "Alternate Download Server" is not set, it will use the intranet update service by default to download updates. The option to "Download files with no Url Specifies the hours that Windows will use to determine how long to wait before checking for available updates. The exact wait time is determined by using the hours specified here minus zero to twenty percent of the hours specified.

For example, if this policy is used to specify a hour detection frequency, then all clients to which this policy is applied will check for updates anywhere between 16 to 20 hours. If the setting is set to Enabled , Windows will check for available updates at the specified interval.

If the setting is set to Disabled or Not Configured , Windows will check for available updates at the default interval of 22 hours. The "Specify intranet Microsoft update service location" setting must be enabled for this policy to have effect. Any background update scans, downloads and installations will continue to work as configured. Even when Windows Update is configured to receive updates from an intranet update service, it will periodically retrieve information from the public Windows Update service to enable future connections to Windows Update, and other services like Microsoft Update or the Microsoft Store.

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WSUS registry keys for Internet communication. All Windows Update features are removed. Windows automatic updating is also disabled; you will neither be notified about nor will you receive critical updates from Windows Update.

This setting also prevents Device Manager from automatically installing driver updates from the Windows Update website. Users will be able to access the Windows Update website and enable automatic updating to receive notifications and critical updates from Windows Update.

All Windows Update features are available. Registry keys for Automatic Update configuration options. Time between detection cycles. Time between prompts for a scheduled restart. Length, in minutes, of the restart warning countdown after updates have been installed that have a deadline or scheduled updates.

Time in minutes that Automatic Updates waits at startup before it applies updates from a missed scheduled installation time.

This policy applies only to scheduled installations, not to deadlines.