Stop and prevent automatic Windows 11 upgrade

gistfile1.txt

1. Stop the Windows 11 Installation

    Pause Windows Updates:
        Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
        Click on Pause updates for 7 days to temporarily stop the update process.

    Stop the Windows Update Service:
        Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
        Scroll down to Windows Update in the list of services.
        Right-click on Windows Update and select Stop.

2. Delete Windows 11 Installation Files

    Delete Windows Update Files:
        Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download.
        Delete all the contents of the Download folder. This will remove any partially downloaded Windows 11 files.
    Use Disk Cleanup:
        Press Win + S and type Disk Cleanup.
        Select your system drive (usually C:).
        In the Disk Cleanup window, check the following options:
            Windows Update Cleanup
            Temporary Files
            Delivery Optimization Files
        Click OK and then Delete Files.
        
 3. Prevent Future Windows 11 Upgrades

    Disable Windows 11 Upgrade in Group Policy (Only available on Windows 10 Pro):
        Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
        Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Windows Update for Business.
        Double-click on Select the target Feature Update version.
        Set it to Enabled, and in the Options section, type 21H2 (or whatever version of Windows 10 you currently have) to prevent upgrades to Windows 11.
        Click Apply and OK.

    Use the Registry Editor (For Windows 10 Home users):
        Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
        Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate.
        Right-click on WindowsUpdate, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it TargetReleaseVersion.
        Double-click the new entry, set the value to 1, and click OK.
        In the same location, right-click again, select New > String Value, and name it TargetReleaseVersionInfo.
        Double-click it, set the value to 21H2 (or your current Windows 10 version), and click OK.

4. Restart Your Computer

    After following the steps above, restart your computer to ensure that all changes are applied.