Why does Microsoft force you to automatically update?

You have the option to turn the automatic update facility off, or change the option to being notified first before you agree to the download.

Go to Google and enter “Turn off automatic updates WIndows 10. Instructions on how to do this for your particular OS will come up step by step.

“Navigate to Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Update.

“Locate the “Configure Automatic Updates” setting in the right pane and double-click it. Set it to ‘Enabled,’ and then select your preferred setting.”

How to Prevent Windows 10 From Automatically Downloading Updates

On every version of Windows that I’ve had, I’ve done my best to change my setting to “notify first” and my Windows programs have always continued to update themselves.

I just bought a Windows 7 laptop because I am not going to deal with Windows 10 while I have a choice. Windows is trying to force everyone to Windows 10 (for free). The reason for that will never really be made public.

I would use a search engine and search for “settings for Windows updates in Windows 10” or something to that effect.

Windows isn’t trying to force it, microsoft is, and there are plenty of reasons out there that everyone knows about.

@Espiritus_Corvus If you don’t have Windows 10 Pro, you have no option to tell it not to install updates automatically (most frustrating “improvement” in Win 10, in my opinion).

I’ve seen a registry edit that is supposed to work around this, but I tried it and it did not work for me at all. The only thing I can do is change the following:

PC Settings > Network & Internet > scroll down to Advanced Options, and click “Set to metered connection.

This is designed for people who have limited bandwidth, and want to choose when to download updates. Unfortunately, there is no way to choose which updates to install. It’s all or nothing. Though, on a nearly daily basis, Windows Defender tells me it wants to update, and I let it do that. That implies that only security updates are getting through, but I have a strong suspicion that when I give it permission to do security updates, it just updates everything at the same time. The lack of control is insulting and frustrating.

Now, if I could just find a way to make it stop giving me dumb platitudes in large type while configuring updates, and have it just tell me it’s configuring updates (and, yeah, maybe tell me what its progress is), that would make me feel a little less like flinging my computer against a wall. As far as I can tell, there’s no way to do that, either.

Windows 10 is now downloading without permission.
I never told it anything but “No!” and 10 hijacked my computer for a long time and downloaded itself. When I refused the agreement, it spent a while putting Win 7 back up. This exact same thing happened to a friend of mine within 24 hours.

I think there is grounds for a class-action lawsuit. I have satellite internet, which essentially means I have to pay for the internet I choose to use. Windows 10 stole whatever unauthorized internet it used from me.
This really pisses me off!