Microsoft will soon start pushing the Windows 10 app notifications to Businesses, urging them to upgrade to Windows. If your organization is not ready for it or if you do not want to upgrade to Windows 10 for some reason, you can disable the disable Get Windows 10 app notifications using Group Policy. We have already seen how to remove Windows 10 App icon using the Registry Editor, now let us see how to block automatic Windows 10 Upgrade using GPO or Registry.
If your organization has deployed Windows 8.1 Pro or Windows 7 Pro, you would be eligible for the free Windows 10 Upgrade. But if you are using Enterprise or Embedded editions of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, you would not be eligible for the free upgrade.
If you have not installed update KB3035583 or if you are running any one of the following operating systems, you will not in any case be getting the upgrade:
Windows 8.1 Enterprise, Windows 8 Enterprise, Windows RT 8.1, Windows RT, Windows Embedded 8.1 Pro, Windows Embedded 8 Standard, Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry, Windows Embedded 8 Industry, Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 7 for Embedded Systems, Windows Embedded Standard 7 and Windows Embedded POSReady 7.
As a system administrator, if you want to prevent Windows 7, Windows 7 for Embedded Systems, Windows 8.1, and Windows Embedded 8.1 Pro clients from upgrading, you can enable a Group Policy setting.
TIP: You can Enable the Select the target Feature Update version Group Policy setting or use the TargetReleaseVersionInfo Registry key to stop Windows 10 from installing the next feature update.
Block Windows 10 Upgrade
Using Group Policy Setting
First, you will have to add a new Group Policy object. To do this, you will have to install a newly released Windows Update that allows you to block upgrades to Windows 10 through Windows Update. These updates install a new Group Policy Object. Computers that have this Group Policy Object enabled will never detect, download, or install an upgrade to the latest version of Windows.
- Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 users should download and install KB3065987.
- Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 users should first download and install KB3065988.
Restart your system and navigate to the following setting:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update Policy
Here you will see a setting Turn off the upgrade to the latest version of Windows through Windows Update.
Click on Enable to enable the setting.
This will block the Windows 10 upgrade.
Using Registry Editor
To block the Windows 10 upgrade via Windows Registry, navigate to the following key:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate
Here create a new DWORD value DisableOSUpgrade and give it a value of 1.
Hide Get Windows 10 app
To hide the Get Windows 10 app in the notification area, Run regedit and navigate to the following subkey:
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Gwx
Here create a new DWORD value DisableGwx and give it a value of 1.
Restart your computer.
These free tools can also help you block Windows 10 Upgrade easily.
KB3080351 talks of some additional scenarios. You may want to take a look at it too.
See how you can Stop Windows 10 from upgrading your computer automatically.
