We have entered into the year which will see the official release of Microsoft Windows 10 Operating System final version. As of today, most users are still occupied with Windows 8 or 8.1 version while eagerly waiting for the grand switch to Windows 10 OS. The existing versions of Windows Operating systems like 8 or 8.1 do have several good features as compared to their previous versions. One of them is the availability of a separate Windows App Store for installing apps on to our PC or laptop. Earlier we had to access the Microsoft website for any Windows apps.
In this article, we shall now understand the need to disable app updates on Windows 8 and above. Also, we shall go through the list of steps to turn off the automatic app updates for Windows version 8 and 8.1.
Why Should You Turn off Automatic App Updates
This is a valid question that will come across majority of Windows OS users. The general belief is if anything is happening automatically, we should allow it to happen as it saves our time. However, in case of automatic Windows app updates in the store, plenty of internet data (or bandwidth) is consumed. The Windows store will automatically download app updates as and when they become available. So, if you have an internet connection with limited data usage plans, then, you definitely need to switch off the automatic updates. Also, if you are one of those who like to stay informed about all updates, then, you won’t prefer the automatic updates as well. This is because with the automatic installation of updates, it is not possible to track which apps got updated and which didn’t!
Steps to Disable Automatic Windows App Updates Directly From Windows App Store
From your Windows desktop, press the “Win Key” followed by “S” key to get following screen:
Now, you can click on the “Store” option to go to the Windows App Store.
Here, open the Charms bar by pressing the “Win key” and “C” keys together.
Click on “Settings” option within the charms bar that appears on the right hand side corner of your screen. You will then arrive at the list displaying “App Updates” option as seen in the below screenshot.
Press “App Updates” option from the list shown above to display the option to switch off automatic app updates.
In the above screen, you will observe that by default the automatic update option is switched ON. You simply have to turn off the “Automatically update my apps” option to “No”. That’s it!
You will now be able to update only those apps that you need. Also, using the “Check for updates” option seen below the Automatic updates option will help you to track which apps are due for updates. It may be cumbersome for those who do not have any restriction on their internet data usage as they will have to manually update the apps every time.
The above tutorial listed some very easy steps to deactivate the “Automatically update my apps” option in Windows App Store. The only requirement for this process is that you need to have Microsoft account. In case you don’t have one, you can still achieve this by using the registry editor. However, this process is not recommended and one should instead opt for the above process by simply creating a Microsoft account.
News Update: Google posts Windows 8.1 vulnerability.
Hope this article helps you to take a decision whether you need to disable the automatic app update option. Please feel free to share your views about this process!
Excellent post, This post very helpful for me, Thanks for sharing this article.