"Notify for download & Notify for install" missing - GPEDIT

wiivile · 15 May 2018

Recently did a fresh install of Win10 Spring update.I'm accustomed to using option (2) in Group Policy Editor which lets Windows notify me to download updates and notify me to install them once downloaded. However, this no longer seems to be an option as the only thing i can see is "Notify for download and auto install". This means that when I click the check for downloads button in Windows Update, updates are installed automatically. It used to wait for me to click "Install" after doing that.

Does anyone know what happened to the option "Notify for download and notify for install"? How can I get this behavior back?

Edit: Also, what's the difference between disabling this policy and the last option- letting local admin choose?

Bree · 03 Jun 2018

wiivile said:

Recently did a fresh install of Win10 Spring update.I'm accustomed to using option (2) in Group Policy Editor which lets Windows notify me to download updates and notify me to install them once downloaded. ... Does anyone know what happened to the option "Notify for download and notify for install"?

Welcome to TenForums @wiivile

The last version to say 'Notify for download and notify for install' for option two was 1607. From 1703 on it says Notify for download and auto install'.

1607:

1703:

wiivile · 03 Jun 2018

That's unfortunate... "notify for download and notify for install" was my preferred method. Is there any way to get that functionality back? Not sure what method to use now. I don't want to completely disable updates but I don't want them to auto-install when I click "check for updates".

Bree · 03 Jun 2018

I generally install updates as they become available, so I haven't used that policy. The most I do is set a metered connection so that I get a chance to check out the update before installing.

It would seem that up to 1607 with that Group Policy in place you were notified and had to give permission twice. The first time was permission to download an update once it had been found as available by windows update (whether by an automatic or a manual check for updates), the second was to permit it to be installed once it had been downloaded.

As far as I can tell, you will still be notified and asked for permission to download, but now the install will take place as soon as the download has completed. This change has (some) logic to it, as you wouldn't generally permit the download unless you intended to install it.

Those on these forums who want absolute control over updates seem to use Windows Update MiniTool. See this thread for more details...

Stop Windows 10 Updates Properly and Completely

Superfly · 03 Jun 2018

Still dunno why MS has this "Big Brother" attitude regarding updates...

This forced update thing is getting out-of-hand - I have a 3rd party firewall control app (more for security than anything else but blocks WU...but just saying - why do we have to go to 3rd party? if otherwise the options were natively in Windows?

rebop · 22 Nov 2018

Did a search and this was the most appropriate thread I could find. I hope you don't mind me reviving it.

I was aware the GPEDIT options had changed. But even after that I would get the notification "You need some updates". Nothing change that I am aware of, but I no longer get that notification. Any ideas how to get that back? I am set to option 2 here.Cannot recall if I ever set anything else in regards to notifying for updates, but perhaps and I do not recall. Regardless, nothing changed recently.

Thanks.

~Bob

Matthew Wai · 22 Nov 2018

rebop said:

I no longer get that notification. Any ideas how to get that back?

I get notifications via this Stop Windows 10 Updates Properly and Completely Solved - Page 21 - Windows 10 Forums

rebop · 22 Nov 2018

Thanks. Don't know that I want to go that far. And it has always worked for me until recently.

Today, for example, I had 9 updates waiting, but no notifications. I just happened to go to Updates in settings and there they were. If I had known, might have gone sooner.

Matthew Wai · 23 Nov 2018

If you just want notifications but don't want auto-updates disabled, you may just use the "Check_for_updates" VBScript in my zipped file there.

Ten Forward · 21 Dec 2018

rebop said:

Thanks. Don't know that I want to go that far. And it has always worked for me until recently.

Today, for example, I had 9 updates waiting, but no notifications. I just happened to go to Updates in settings and there they were. If I had known, might have gone sooner.

Hi, I have the same issue. Windows 10 Pro, group policy set to 2. I no longer get notifications that updates are available. I think this issue started as from the 1809 update.

I already did a completely fresh install of Windows, same issue. It would seem MS broke something while changing that policy option?