How-To

How to Disable Automatic Updates for Windows 10 Store Apps

By Brian Burgess

Published July 2, 2018

In addition to Windows 10 system updates, Store apps are set to update in the background automatically by default. Here’s how to turn it off.

Windows 10 is set to update automatically, but it does offer several ways for you to control the way your PC gets system and feature updates. We have shown you how to disable or delay automatic Windows 10 system updates. This comes in handy if you want to hold off on a feature update or are on metered connection and want to wait until you’re connected to Wi-Fi or Ethernet. We have also shown you how to set upload and download limits for system updates to save on bandwidth.

You should also know that by default, Windows Store apps are set to update automatically. This includes native Microsoft apps like Mail & Calendar, News, and Sports. It also holds true for any apps or games you download from the Microsoft Store. Depending on the app – games in particular – the updates can be quite large. If you have limited bandwidth or are on a metered connection you might want to turn the updates off. Whatever the reason, you can disable automatic Store app updates, too. Here’s how.

Disable Auto Updates for Store Apps

Launch the Microsoft Store app and click Options button (…) in the upper-right corner and choose Settings.

Then on the following screen, turn off the “Update apps automatically” switch in the App Updates section.

Now, to get updates, you will need to manually update them. You can do that by clicking the Options button (…) in the upper-right corner and choose Downloads and updates from the menu and then the “Get updates” button. You will get a list of apps with available updates and you can update them individually or all of them at once.

It’s also worth noting that if you have set up your system as a metered connection to disable system updates, it will also stop Store apps from updating. In general, you want to keep everything up-to-date on your system. Microsoft is trying to make it easier for you by having your core OS and apps update automatically in the background. Still, it’s good to know that the company is giving you control to either turn off updates or delay them for a time that’s more convenient.

When it comes to Windows Store apps, it’s also worth reminding that Microsoft now allows you to install them on multiple PCs at once.