If while installing any software on your Windows 11/10 computer, you see a message It’s time to update your device, then here’s how you can bypass this message. Some Windows users have reported is when they find a message saying ‘It’s time to update your device’ while normally using their PC. Users have also reported that this message pops up when they’re trying to install a .exe package. It can be really annoying to be notified of an update when you’re trying to go about your work, so in this article, we will explain how you can bypass the ‘It’s time to update your device’ message on Windows 11/10.
How do you turn off It’s time to update your device?
If you want to turn off the ‘It’s time to update your device’ message, you can try implementing the solutions mentioned below:
- Allow Windows to download third-party apps
- Use the Media Creation Tool to update Windows
- Switch out of S mode
- Disable SmartScreen
It’s time to update your device – Says Windows
Before you begin making any changes, it is important that you comply with some pre-requisites.
- Update Windows using the Media Creation Tool
- Allow Windows to download apps from third-party sources
- Disable SmartScreen temporarily
- Switch out of S mode (If applicable)
Now, onto the solutions.
1] Update Windows using the Media Creation Tool
Sometimes Windows updates can be accompanied by errors of all sorts and you can never get over the message in the discussion if that’s the case. A way to sidestep these errors is to use the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool. This will help you update Windows with ease, thus getting rid of the ‘It’s time to update your device’ message. Here’s how to do so:
- Visit Microsoft’s official software page to download the Media Creation Tool
- Once downloaded, set it up and allot administrative privileges to the app
- Accept all the terms and conditions and from the subsequent page click on the Upgrade this PC now option
- Upon doing so, the Media Creation Tool will run a scan and download the files required for the update. This will take you to the Ready to Install page. Here, click on Change what to keep
- Select Keep personal files and apps and click on next
Now, you’re ready to install so click on Install on your bottom-right and once the process is over, check if you are still receiving that message
2] Allow Windows to download apps from third-party sources
Many users have also reported that making this change to their Windows settings has helped them bypass the ‘It’s time to update your device’ message. Here’s what you have to do:
- Press the Windows + ‘I’ key combination to open your Windows Settings
- Here, click on the ‘Apps’ settings section
- From the first tab Apps and features, open the Choose where to get apps drop-down
- Here, select Anywhere and close the Settings window to save this change
Repeat the task you were performing when you got the message and you won’t be encountering it anymore.
3] Disable SmartScreen temporarily
You can use the Registry Editor to disable SmartScreen from your Windows computer in an attempt to sidestep this error.
- Open the Registry Editor by running the command ‘Regedit’
- Visit the following location
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System
- Here, click on New > D-WORD Value (32-bit) and name it ‘EnableSmartScreen’. Further, modify it and change its bit value to 0
- Now, on that same location click to create a new String Value and name it ‘ShellSmartScreenLevel’
- Double-click to modify it and set its value data to either ‘Warn’ or ‘Block’
If this doesn’t help you get rid of the message, you can try one last solution
4] Switch out of S Mode (if applicable)
- Open the Windows Settings > Update & Security
- From the left sidebar, click on Activation
- Now, select the Go to the Store option
- Here, under the Switch out of S mode panel, click on Get
Users should note that this process only pertains to those who use the S mode and is a one-time process, so they can’t revert back once it’s done.
How to stop automatic updates in Windows 10?
Another question that is greatly related to the issue at hand here is if there is a way users can halt the automatic updates that Windows initiates, and there is. Follow the steps below to do so:
- Open Settings
- Here, click on Updates & security
- In the Windows update tab, click on the Advanced options button
- Here, you’ll see an option to pause Windows updates till a specific time period. Set it up according to your needs and exit the window.
We hope that this post was able to help you and that you are not facing the issues with the ‘It’s time to update your device’ message anymore.
