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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 | DaniHalfin | 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, mobile device management (MDM) or Registry (not recommended) 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
In Group Policy, within Configure Automatic Updates, you can configure a forced restart after a specified instllation time.
To set the time, you need to go to Configure Automatic Updates, select option 4 - Auto download and schedule the instal, and then enter a time in the Scheduled install time dropdown. Alternatively, you can specify that installtion will occur during the automatic maintenance time (configured using Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Maintenance Scheduler).
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.
While not recommended, the same result can be achieved through Registry. Under HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU, set AuOptions to 4, set the install time with ScheduledInstallTime, enable AlwaysAutoRebootAtScheduledTime and specify the delay in minutes through AlwaysAutoRebootAtScheduledTimeMinutes. Similar to Group Policy, AlwaysAutoRebootAtScheduledTimeMinutes sets the timer to warn a signed-in user that a restart is going to occur.
For a detailed description of these regsitry keys, see Registry keys used to manage restart.
Delay automatic reboot
When Configure Automatic Updates is enabled in Group Policy, you can enable one of the following additional policies to delay an automatic reboot after update installtion:
- Turn off auto-restart for updates during active hours prevents automatic restart during active hours.
- 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.
You can also use Registry, to prevent automatic restarts when a user is signed in. Under HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU, set AuOptions to 4 and enable NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers. As with Group Policy, if a user schedules the restart in the update notification, it will override this setting.
For a detailed description of these regsitry keys, see Registry keys used to manage restart.
Configure active hours
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.
Administrators can use multiple ways to set active hours for managed devices:
- You can use Group Policy, as described in the procedure that follows.
- You can use MDM, as described in Configuring active hours with MDM.
- While not recommended, you can also configure active hours, as descrbied in Configuring active hours through Registry.
Configuring active hours with Group Policy
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.
Configuring active hours with MDM
MDM uses the Update/ActiveHoursStart and Update/ActiveHoursEnd settings in the Policy CSP to configure active hours.
Configuring active hours through Registry
This method is not recommended, and should only be used when neither Group Policy or MDM are available. Any settings configured through Registry may conflict with any existing configuration that uses any of the methods mentioned above.
You should set a combination of the following registry values, in order to configure active hours. Under HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate use SetActiveHours to enable or disable active hours and ActiveHoursStart,ActiveHoursEnd to specify the range of active hours.
For a detailed description of these regsitry keys, see Registry keys used to manage restart.
Note
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
You can only choose one path for restart behavior.
If you set conflicting restart policies, the actual restart behavior may not be what you expected.
Registry keys used to manage restart
The following tables list registry values that correspond to the Group Policy settings for controlling restarts after updates in Windows 10.
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate
| Registry key | Key type | Value |
|---|---|---|
| ActiveHoursEnd | REG_DWORD | 0-23: set active hours to end at a specific hour starts with 12 AM (0) and ends with 11 PM (23) |
| ActiveHoursStart | REG_DWORD | 0-23: set active hours to start at a specific hour starts with 12 AM (0) and ends with 11 PM (23) |
| SetActiveHours | REG_DWORD | 0: disable automatic restart after updates outside of active hours 1: enable automatic restart after updates outside of active hours |
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU
| Registry key | Key type | Value |
|---|---|---|
| AlwaysAutoRebootAtScheduledTime | REG_DWORD | 0: disable automatic reboot after update installation at scheduled time 1: enable automatic reboot after update installation at ascheduled time |
| AlwaysAutoRebootAtScheduledTimeMinutes | REG_DWORD | 15-180: set automatic reboot to occur after given minutes |
| AUOptions | REG_DWORD | 2: notify for download and automatically install updates 3: automatically download and notify for instllation of updates 4: Automatically download and schedule installation of updates 5: allow the local admin to configure these settings Note: To configure restart behavior, set this value to 4 |
| NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers | REG_DWORD | 0: disable do not reboot if users are logged on 1: do not reboot after an update installation if a user is logged on Note: If disabled : Automatic Updates will notify the user that the computer will automatically restarts in 5 minutes to complete the installation |
| ScheduledInstallTime | REG_DWORD | 0-23: schedule update installation time to a specific hour starts with 12 AM (0) and ends with 11 PM (23) |
There are 3 different registry combinations for controlling restart behavior:
- To set active hours, SetActiveHours should be 1, while ActiveHoursStart and ActiveHoursEnd should define the time range.
- To schedule a specific instllation and reboot time, AUOptions should be 4, ScheduledInstallTime should specify the installation time, AlwaysAutoRebootAtScheduledTime set to 1 and AlwaysAutoRebootAtScheduledTimeMinutes should specify number of minutes to wait before rebooting.
- To delay rebooting if a user is logged on, AUOptions should be 4, while NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers is set to 1.
Related topics
- Update Windows 10 in the enterprise
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- 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