Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- PCWorld reports Microsoft is overhauling Windows Update to address years of user complaints about unexpected updates and disruptive system changes.
- Users will gain new control options including the ability to pause updates indefinitely or download them without immediate installation.
- Microsoft plans to simplify the update process with a single monthly reboot, prioritizing performance and reliability over frequent disruptions.
Some of the most unfortunate anecdotes surrounding Windows involve unexpected updates. Microsoft is trying to move to a regular schedule to make these horror stories a thing of the past.
Microsoft outlined the changes in a massive memo authored by the head of Microsoft’s Windows + Devices group, Pavan Davuluri. In it, Davuluri identified performance, reliability, and craft as the company’s top three Windows priorities for the remainder of 2026 and presumably beyond.
Basically, Davuluri’s memo did what Windows customers have been asking for years: identify the problems customers complain about and state the company’s commitment to fix them. The memo includes updates to the taskbar, such as the ability to move it anywhere you want, and fixing the Start menu. The company is also committing to a faster, more responsive Windows… with less AI.
Windows Update has remained a consistent issue, one that users have complained about since the days of Windows 10. Open Windows Update, and who knows what you’ll find. A feature update? Perhaps a tweak to your Realtek drivers? A new monthly security update? Chipset drivers? You just never know, nor do you know how long they’ll take to download and install. At least Microsoft fixed the “update and shut down” bug.
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To this, Microsoft is promising a simplified Windows Update process, with just a single monthly reboot. (It’s not clear if Windows updates will constantly stream in, or if they’ll land on your PC just once — and then you’ll need a reboot.) In any event, that should limit the pain of discovering that your PC unexpectedly updated overnight, and a critical piece of data has disappeared.
On the surface, the changes look good. Microsoft’s also promising that users who want the latest updates as soon as they can be delivered (via a toggle within the Windows Update settings menu) will still be able to get them. But there’s more: the ability to pause updates indefinitely, or even the option of downloading but not installing them, then shutting down for the night. No more babysitting the patching process!
In fact, Microsoft seems to have adopted this mindset in other parts of the Windows experience, too. Typically, setting up a new PC means clicking through a lot of feature screens and setup choices, then installing a ton of patches. (Even after you finally step through the process, more patches typically await.) Microsoft is offering the chance to skip that patching process, so you can dive right into Windows — with patching perhaps scheduled to take place overnight.
Davuluri also promised that Microsoft would keep its safety net, with “faster, more reliable update experiences, with clearer progress during updates and built‑in recovery to help keep devices stable if something goes wrong.” We’ve all probably had a patch go wrong, forcing us into recovery to roll back an update or even manually install an earlier, safer version of the OS. Microsoft appears to be considering security as well as convenience when offering this new tweak to Windows Update, and that’s something to cheer for.