6.8 KiB
title, description, ms.prod, ms.mktglfcycl, ms.sitesec, author, localizationpriority
| title | description | ms.prod | ms.mktglfcycl | ms.sitesec | author | localizationpriority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manage device restarts after updates (Windows 10) | tbd | w10 | manage | library | jdeckerMS | high |
Manage device restarts after updates
Applies to
- Windows 10
- Windows 10 Mobile
Looking for consumer information? See Windows Update: FAQ
You can use Group Policy settings or mobile device management (MDM) to configure when devices will restart after a Windows 10 update is installed. You can schedule update installation and set policies for restart, configure active hours for when restarts will not occur, or you can do both.
Schedule update installation
When you set the Configure Automatic Updates policy to Auto download and schedule the install, you also configure the day and time for installation or you specify that installation will occur during the automatic maintenance time (configured using Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Maintenance Scheduler).
When Configure Automatic Updates is enabled, you can enable one of the following additional policies to manage device restart:
- Turn off auto-restart for updates during active hours prevents automatic restart during active hours.
- Always automatically restart at the scheduled time forces a restart after the specified installation time and lets you configure a timer to warn a signed-in user that a restart is going to occur. To set the time, you need to go Configure Automatic Updates, select option 4 - Auto download and schedule the install, and then enter a time in the Scheduled install time dropdown.
- No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations prevents automatic restart when a user is signed in. If a user schedules the restart in the update notification, the device will restart at the time the user specifies even if a user is signed in at the time. This policy only applies when Configure Automatic Updates is set to option 4-Auto download and schedule the install.
Configure active hours
You can configure active hours for devices without setting the Configure Automatic Updates policy. Active hours identify the period of time when you expect the device to be in use. Automatic restarts after an update will occur outside of the active hours.
By default, active hours are from 8 AM to 5 PM on PCs and from 5 AM to 11 PM on phones. Users can change the active hours manually. Additionally, administrators can use Group Policy or MDM to set active hours for managed devices.
To configure active hours using Group Policy, go to Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Update and open the Turn off auto-restart for updates during active hours policy setting. When the policy is enabled, you can set the start and end times for active hours.
MDM uses the Update/ActiveHoursStart and Update/ActiveHoursEnd settings in the Policy CSP to configure active hours.
To configure active hours manually on a single device, go to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update and select Change active hours.
Limit restart delays
After an update is installed, Windows 10 attemtps automatic restart outside of active hours. If the restart does not succeed after 7 days (by default), the user will see a notification that restart is required. You can use the Specify deadline before auto-restart for update installation policy to change the delay from 7 days to a number of days between 2 and 14.
Group Policy settings for restart
In the Group Policy editor, you will see a number of policy settings that pertain to restart behavior in Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Update. The following table shows which policies apply to Windows 10.
| Policy | Applies to Windows 10 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Turn off auto-restart for updates during active hours |  |
Use this policy to configure active hours, during which the device will not be restarted. This policy has no effect if the No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations or Always automatically restart at the scheduled time policies are enabled. |
| Always automatically restart at the scheduled time | |
Use this policy to configure a restart timer (between 15 and 180 minutes) that will start immediately after Windows Update installs important updates. This policy has no effect if the No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations policy is enabled. |
| Specify deadline before auto-restart for update installation | |
Use this policy to specify how many days (between 2 and 14) an automatic restart can be delayed. This policy has no effect if the No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations or Always automatically restart at the scheduled time policies are enabled. |
| No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations | |
Use this policy to prevent automatic restart when a user is logged on. This policy applies only when the Configure Automatic Updates policy is configured to perform scheduled installations of updates. There is no equivalent MDM policy setting for Windows 10 Mobile. |
| Re-prompt for restart with scheduled installations |  |
|
| Delay Restart for scheduled installations | |
|
| Reschedule Automatic Updates scheduled installations | |
Note
If you set conflicting restart policies, the actual restart behavior may not be what you expected.
Related topics
- Update Windows 10 in the enterprise
- Overview of Windows as a service
- Manage updates for Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise and Windows 10 IoT Mobile
- Configure Delivery Optimization for Windows 10 updates
- Configure BranchCache for Windows 10 updates
- Configure Windows Update for Business
- Integrate Windows Update for Business with management solutions
- Walkthrough: use Group Policy to configure Windows Update for Business
- Walkthrough: use Intune to configure Windows Update for Business