Windows 10 Creators Update: No automatic restarts after updates anymore

Microsoft just announced a major change in regards to how updates are delivered once the Windows 10 Creators Update is installed on a machine.

The update to Windows Update prompts users, giving them options to schedule the update for a specific date and time, or to postpone the update for three days straight.

The main idea behind the new options is to avoid situations where Windows Update restarts a PC automatically.

Automatic updates are convenient, but the Internet is filled with user complaints that Windows Update restarted the PC at the least convenient time, for instance shortly before a three day long rendering sequence completed, during a video game, or while holding a presentation.

Some users say that they don't even see the restart prompts to postpone or block them, while others were afk for minutes only to find out that the operating system restarted the machine automatically during that time.

Windows 10 Creators Update: automatic restarts are a thing of the past

Windows 10 supports Active Hours already that prevent the installation of updates during that period of the day unless initiated by the user.

The new feature adds new options to that. Windows displays an update prompt when updates are discovered that offers three options to you:

1. Restart the PC right away and complete the installation of the update.
2. Pick a time to schedule the installation and restart of the PC. This opens a schedule screen that you may use to pick a day and time for the installation of the update.
3. Snooze to postpone the installation of the update for three days.

A couple of things are unclear right now as Microsoft did not reveal them. First, whether the prompt will disappear automatically if no option is selected, and whether the machine is rebooted in that case.

Second, if there is a limit for scheduling the update to be applied to the system in the future. It seems likely that there is one, but it is unclear whether it is one day, one week, or even longer than that.

All in all though this is quite the good change from a usability point of view as it -- likely -- does away with the automatic restart after updates are downloaded situation.

Another feature that is part of the Windows 10 Creators Update is the ability to pause updates on the system for up to 35 days.

Now You: What is your take on the Windows Update change?