Microsoft wants to upgrade your computer, whether you like it or not. This is especially true with Windows 10. It’s the latest operating system from Microsoft, and it’s designed to be the most useful and personal version of Windows yet. Upgrading automatically means that your old operating system won’t be able to support future software updates. If you don’t want your computer to have Windows 10, here are five ways you can opt-out of the upgrade if you’re so inclined. You may still see other updates in the form of patches and security updates, but at least you won’t see Windows 10 itself coming anytime soon unless you manually opt back in using a registry trick or a third-party tool.
Windows 10 Upgrade Guide: Step by Step
If you’re interested in opting out of the Windows 10 upgrade, start by getting a grip on what’s going on behind the scenes. Microsoft wants to upgrade your computer to Windows 10, but you don’t. You can’t opt back in. Microsoft designed Windows 10 to be part of the operating system upgrade process, whether you like it or not. So, if you want to opt-out of the upgrade, you’ll first have to block Microsoft’s efforts to upgrade your computer. The easiest way to do this is to create a bootable Windows 7 or 8.1 USB drive. You can then use this USB drive to make sure your computer isn’t attempting to upgrade to Windows 10. If you’re using Windows 7, you also have the option of creating a bootable Windows 10 DVD.
Create a manual install disk
This might seem a bit extreme if you don’t want to upgrade to Windows 10, but it’s the easiest way to block the upgrade. All you have to do is create a bootable Windows 7 or 8.1 USB drive and use it to block the upgrade. When it’s time to upgrade to Windows 10, you plug in your USB drive and your computer won’t attempt to upgrade to Windows 10. There are two caveats to this method. You’ll have to create a bootable Windows 7 or 8.1 USB drive. That means no upgrading to Windows 10. Another issue is that Windows 7 and 8.1 are out of support, so a future update from Microsoft may remove the option to create a bootable USB drive.
Opt-out of the upgrade through the registry
This method is for those who want to opt-out of the upgrade without needing to change the registry at all. The method is a bit more difficult and requires you to find a registry key to block the upgrade. You’ll have to change the “MSBuild” value in the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Install” key. To do this, you’ll need to boot up your Windows 7 or 8.1 computer, open the registry, navigate to the “Install” key, and then right-click the “MSBuild” option and select “Modify.” Change the value to “0” and then right-click the same option and select “OK.” You can now close the registry, plug in your USB drive, and your computer will see the contents of the drive as Windows 7 or 8.1 and won’t attempt to upgrade to Windows 10 when it’s time.
Get a third-party tool to block the upgrade
If you want to get a bit more in-depth, you can download a tool that will block the upgrade for you and make sure your computer never sees Windows 10. There are a few such tools, including Win10 Blocker. This is a paid tool, so you won’t be able to block the upgrade for free. But, if you don’t mind paying, it’s the best way to make sure your computer isn’t upgrading to Windows 10. If you’re looking for a free third-party tool to block Windows 10, you may be surprised. There are a few, including Windows 10 Blocker. This tool may be free, but it’s still not free enough to block the upgrade for free.
Keep Windows 7 and 8.1
If you don’t want to upgrade to Windows 10, there’s one last option. You can keep Windows 7 or 8.1 and avoid any upgrade at all. Once a new version of Windows is released, Microsoft will only provide support for the newest version. That means Windows 7 will have only security updates and patches, and Windows 8.1 will only have patches and updates. You can block the upgrade in either OS, and you can even use the same method that stops the OS from upgrading to Windows 10. There’s no reason to upgrade to Windows 10, and it’s nice to have the option to keep the OS you like.
Get a second opinion with Microsoft’s Windows Insider Program
If you’re still interested in blocking the upgrade, you may want to consider trying Microsoft’s Windows Insider Program. Through this program, you can opt into “Windows as a Service” and try out the latest builds of Windows 10 without actually upgrading to them. This only applies to Windows 10, so it’s only useful if you don’t want to upgrade to Windows 10. If you don’t want to upgrade to Windows 10, Microsoft will only provide security updates and patches for Windows 10. If you want to try out an earlier version of Windows 10, you may want to opt into the Windows Insider Program. It’s free and only takes a few minutes to sign up.
Bottom line
In an ideal world, you’d be able to upgrade to Windows 10 when it’s ready and choose to upgrade to a new version of Windows when it comes out. However, Microsoft has been pushing the free upgrade down users’ throats, and it has to get something out of the deal. It’s also not guaranteed that when you upgrade to Windows 10, it will be supported for as long as you’re using it. Windows 10 is by far the best version of Windows yet, but if you don’t want to upgrade, there are some easy ways to opt-out of the upgrade.