Turn Off Windows 11 Upgrade Screen: What to Identify First

Updated 4 November 2026 · Standard formula, shown below

Before you block or dismiss the Windows 11 upgrade screen, you need to identify exactly which notice you are seeing, because there are at least four different prompts that all look similar but require different actions. The most common one is the full-screen Windows 11 upgrade advertisement in Windows Update, but you may also see a taskbar badge, a notification toast, or a pop-up in the Settings app. This article explains how to tell them apart and how to turn off each one without disabling Windows Update entirely.

Why the Upgrade Screen Appears

Microsoft has been pushing Windows 11 to eligible Windows 10 devices since the operating system launched. The upgrade screen is part of a gradual rollout that uses the Windows Update service to offer the new OS. The notice appears when your device meets the hardware requirements (TPM 2.0, 4 GB RAM, 64-bit CPU, and so on) and Microsoft has deemed your PC ready for the upgrade. If your hardware is not compatible, you will not see the upgrade offer; instead, you may see a message saying your PC doesn’t meet the minimum requirements.

The reason the screen keeps reappearing is that Windows Update treats the upgrade as an optional but recommended update. Even if you click “Stay on Windows 10 for now,” the offer can return after a few weeks or after a major Windows 10 update. Understanding that the prompt is tied to the Windows Update service is key to turning it off permanently.

Identifying the Different Notices

Not every Windows 11 prompt is the same. Here are the four most common ones and how to recognize each:

Full-screen upgrade ad in Windows Update: This appears when you open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. It shows a large banner with “Upgrade to Windows 11” and a “Download and install” button. It does not interrupt your work; it only appears when you visit that page.
Taskbar badge: A small Windows logo with a red dot appears on the taskbar’s Windows icon. Clicking it opens a panel that says “Windows 11 is ready” with a “Get it” button. This is the most intrusive because it sits on your screen until you click it.
Notification toast: A pop-up notification slides in from the bottom-right corner, similar to other Windows notifications. It says “Windows 11 is available for your device” and offers to start the upgrade.
Settings banner: Inside the Settings app, at the top of the Windows Update page, you may see a yellow or blue banner saying “Windows 11 is available” with a link to review it.

Once you know which one you are seeing, you can apply the correct fix. The full-screen ad and the Settings banner are easy to dismiss—just click “Stay on Windows 10 for now” or the X button. The taskbar badge and notification toast require a registry tweak to stop them from coming back.

How to Turn Off Each Notice

For the full-screen ad and Settings banner, simply click “Stay on Windows 10 for now.” This tells Windows Update to stop showing the offer for a while, but it may reappear later. To make it permanent, you need to block the upgrade at the registry level.

Here are the steps to disable all Windows 11 upgrade prompts:

Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate. If the WindowsUpdate key doesn’t exist, right-click the Windows key, choose New > Key, and name it WindowsUpdate.
Right-click on the WindowsUpdate key (or the Windows key if you’re creating a new one) and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Name it TargetReleaseVersion and set its value to 1.
Create another DWORD named TargetReleaseVersionInfo and set its value to 21H2 (or the version of Windows 10 you are currently on, like 22H2).
Close regedit and restart your PC.

This registry tweak tells Windows Update to only offer the version you specify, effectively blocking the Windows 11 upgrade. It also stops the taskbar badge and notification toast because they all rely on the same upgrade offer logic.

If you don’t want to edit the registry, you can use the Show or hide updates troubleshooter from Microsoft’s support site. Download it, run it, and select “Hide updates” to hide the Windows 11 upgrade. This is a safer method for less technical users, but it only works for the current offer; future offers may require repeating the process.

What Not to Do

A common mistake is to disable the Windows Update service entirely (set it to “Disabled” in Services). That will stop the upgrade prompt, but it also stops all security updates, which is dangerous. Another mistake is to uninstall the “Windows 11 Upgrade” app from the list of installed updates—that only removes the current offer, and it will come back.

Also, avoid using third-party “Stop Windows 11” tools that modify system files. They often break Windows Update, and some have been found to contain adware. The registry method above is the official, supported way to control which version of Windows you receive.

How to Reverse the Block

If you change your mind and want to upgrade to Windows 11 later, simply delete the two registry values you created. Go back to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate, right-click on TargetReleaseVersion and TargetReleaseVersionInfo, and choose Delete. Restart your PC, and the Windows 11 offer will appear again in Windows Update within a few days.

If you used the Show or hide updates troubleshooter, run it again and choose “Show hidden updates” to unhide the Windows 11 upgrade. Then you can install it normally.

Common Problems and Fixes

Sometimes the registry tweak doesn’t work immediately. Here are a few things to check:

Registry path is wrong: Make sure you are under Policies\Microsoft\Windows, not Microsoft\Windows directly. The Policies key is where group policy settings live.
Value names are case-sensitive: They are not, but they must be spelled exactly as shown. A typo like “TargetReleaseVersionInfo” vs “TargetReleaseVersionInformation” will cause the block to fail.
Windows 10 version number is wrong: Check your current version by typing winver in the search box. If you are on 22H2, set the value to 22H2, not 21H2.
Group Policy overrides: If your PC is managed by an organization, a group policy may override your local registry settings. In that case, contact your IT admin.

If the prompt still appears after following the steps, restart your PC and check Windows Update again. It may take a few hours for the change to take effect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will blocking the upgrade screen stop security updates for Windows 10? No. The registry tweak only prevents the Windows 11 upgrade offer. You will still receive monthly security patches and quality updates for Windows 10 until its end-of-support date (October 14, 2025).

Can I just hide the notification without using the registry? Yes, you can right-click the notification and select “Dismiss,” but it will come back after a few days. The registry method is the only way to make it permanent.

What if my PC doesn’t meet Windows 11 requirements? Then you won’t see the upgrade offer at all. Instead, you might see a message saying your PC doesn’t meet the minimum requirements. That message is harmless and doesn’t require any action.

Will the registry tweak affect my ability to install Windows 11 manually later? No. You can always download the Windows 11 Installation Assistant or create a bootable USB and upgrade manually. The tweak only blocks the automatic offer in Windows Update.

Is it safe to delete the WindowsUpdate key entirely? No. Only delete the two specific values you created. Deleting the whole key could cause other Windows Update features to misbehave.

Does this work on Windows 11 too? Yes, the same registry tweak can be used to block a Windows 11 feature update (like 23H2 or 24H2) if you want to stay on your current version.

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