Windows 11 automatically downloading and installing drivers has always been one of the handiest things about the operating system. Keeping everything up to date so you don't have to worry about it is a great feature to have... Until an auto update downloads and installs a bad driver that breaks everything. Thankfully, there are a couple of ways that you can disable automatic driver installs on Windows 11, and we'll guide you through them. Keep in mind that Windows may still install certain drivers during the initial setup experience or in limited recovery scenarios when they're required for essential hardware.

Takeaways:

  1. Is there a way to disable automatic driver updates on Windows 11?
  2. What’s the best way to stop certain drivers from automatically updating on Windows 11?

How to Disable Automatic Driver Installs on Windows 11 (Registry Editor)

Since Windows 11 Home doesn't include the Local Group Policy Editor, you'll need to use the Registry Editor. It's a bit more complicated, but it gets the same results. If you haven't used it before, it's a good idea to make a system restore point first, just in case you mess something up. This will give you a safe point to revert back to.

  • Open Start.
  • Search for regedit and open the Registry Editor.
  • Browse to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate

  • Right-click the WindowsUpdate key, choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  • Name the value ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate.
  • Double-click the new DWORD and change its value from 0 to 1.
  • Click OK.
  • Restart your computer.

How to Disable Automatic Driver Installs on Windows 11

After restarting, Windows Update will only install quality and security updates and no longer download driver updates automatically.

Use Command Prompt instead

You can also make the same change from Command Prompt (Admin)

reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate" /v ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

To restore the default behaviour, run:

reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate" /v ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate /f

Disable automatic driver installs with Group Policy

Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education include the Local Group Policy Editor, making it easier to disable driver updates.

  • Open Start.
  • Search for gpedit.msc and open the Local Group Policy Editor.
  • Navigate to:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Manage updates offered from Windows Update

  • Double-click Do not include drivers with Windows Updates.
  • Select Enabled.
  • Click Apply.
  • Click OK.
  • Restart your computer.

How to Disable Automatic Driver Installs on Windows

Once the policy is enabled, Windows Update will stop offering driver updates while continuing to install regular Windows updates.

Block driver updates for a specific device

Disabling all driver updates isn't always necessary. If only one device is causing problems, you can prevent Windows from replacing its driver while allowing updates for everything else.

  • Open Device Manager.
  • Right-click the device and choose Properties.
  • Open the Details tab.
  • Change Property to Hardware Ids.
  • Copy the first hardware ID.
  • Open Local Group Policy Editor.
  • Browse to:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Device Installation > Device Installation Restrictions

  • Open Prevent installation of devices that match any of these device IDs.
  • Select Enabled.
  • Click Show.
  • Paste the hardware ID into the list.
  • Click OK, then Apply, and OK again.

After the policy is applied, Windows 11 will stop downloading and installing updates for that particular device.