One restart a month for Windows updates

Original publish date: August 14, 2026
KB ID: 5121772

Introduction

Windows helps keep your device secure and reliable by downloading and installing updates automatically. Some of these updates need your device to restart before installation can finish. In the past, different types of updates could each ask you to restart at different times during the month — which meant more interruptions than necessary.

Starting with the Windows updates released on and after July 28, 2026, Windows brings these updates together, so you restart just once a month. Instead of restarting for each update as it arrives and installs, Windows holds updates that need a restart and installs them together with the monthly security update. The result is a more predictable update experience with fewer interruptions.

What to expect

• Updates that need a restart wait quietly in the background until your next monthly security update is ready.
• When the monthly update is ready, Windows installs everything together and prepares a single restart.
• You will see these updates listed in Settings > Windows Update > Available updates.
• Your device restarts outside of your active hours whenever possible, so it is less likely to interrupt you.

Which updates are combined

Windows aligns the following updates to your monthly security update, so they share one restart:

• Driver updates delivered through Windows Update
• .NET updates
• Firmware updates

Your monthly security update, typically released on the second Tuesday of each month, is the update that everything else lines up with. Because security updates are still installed on their normal monthly schedule, staying combined does not delay your security protection.

When the restart happens

• Windows waits until your monthly security update is ready, then installs the combined updates.
• After the updates are ready, Windows schedules the restart outside your active hours. To restart sooner, do one of the following:
• Go to Settings > Windows Update and then select Restart now.
• Go to Start > Power and then select Update and restart or Update and shut down.
• Select the Windows Update tray icon and then select Restart now.
• To choose the hours when Windows should not restart your device, go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Active hours.

Updates that still install right away

To keep your device protected, some updates are not held for the monthly restart and are installed as soon as they are available. These include:

• Microsoft Defender security intelligence updates
• AI component updates
• Critical or expedited driver updates
• Emergency and out-of-band updates, including fixes released outside the normal monthly schedule

Many updates also install without any restart at all, so you will not notice them.

If you need more time

If you are not ready to update, you can pause updates for up to 35 days. Go to Settings > Windows Update and select Pick a date under Pause updates. When the pause ends, Windows checks for updates and installs the latest ones. For more information, see Pause updates in Windows.