Updates are now changing — what to know..

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Windows updates have been a long-running frustration for a billion-plus PC users. Now that’s finally changing. And when Microsoft’s own support team starts pushing the change, you know something seismic is happening.

Per Windows Latest, “the overarching philosophy behind Windows updates has been to force them onto our PCs as quickly as possible,” but now Microsoft is “changing its tune in a somewhat surprising acknowledgment of user frustration."

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Microsoft’s new post on X, telling Windows users to “pause Windows updates” if you’re in the middle of something, should be business as usual. But it’s not. The option flagged in the post is to “pause for 1 week,” but that’s just the start.

Microsoft is actually working on “a new ‘Pick a date’ feature,” Windows Latest explains. “This new calendar in the Windows update page allows you to pause updates for up to 35 days at a time. More importantly, once that 35-day window approaches its end, you can simply open the calendar and extend the pause.”

In fact, you can “theoretically” do this over and over and push Windows updates out indefinitely. Clearly, that’s not a good move, as you’d open your PC to risks from unpatched vulnerabilities, but it’s nice to have the option anyway.

There are now so many updates, including fixes for failed updates, that Windows Latest suggests “Microsoft’s sudden push to make Windows updates less intrusive is actually them finding a solution to a problem that they created.”

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Maybe so. What’s undoubtedly true is that the optionality to control the timing and intrusiveness of updates has been well received. I have not yet heard from a Windows user that does not welcome the change.

But the warning is critical. The indefinite delay, theoretical though it may be, is not a good idea. Users should be given a deadline, which still provides the control needed without putting PCs at risk. This should be the same for all major platforms. There’s only so long you can push a convenience/security trade-off.