Windows Update Enable or Disable Include Drivers with Windows Updates in Windows 11


  • Staff
Windows_Update_banner.jpg

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable including drivers with Windows Updates in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Windows Update will include drivers when available in Windows 11 by default.

You can enable the Do not include drivers with Windows Updates policy to not include drivers with Windows quality updates.

Reference:

You must be signed in as an administrator to enable or disable including drivers with Windows Updates.


This will still not always prevent drivers for existing devices from getting updated via Windows Update.



Contents

  • Option One: Enable or Disable Include Drivers with Windows Updates in Local Group Policy Editor
  • Option Two: Enable or Disable Include Drivers with Windows Updates using REG file




Option One

Enable or Disable Include Drivers with Windows Updates in Local Group Policy Editor


The Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

All editions can use Option Two.


1 Open the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc).

2 Navigate to the policy location below in the left pane of the Local Group Policy Editor. (see screenshot below)

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

Drivers_with_Windows_Update_gpedit-1.png

3 In the right pane of Manage updates offered from Windows Updates in the Local Group Policy Editor, double click/tap on the Do not include drivers with Windows Updates policy to edit it. (see screenshot above)

4 Do step 5 (enable) or step 6 (disable) below for what you would like to do.

5 To Enable Include Drivers with Windows Updates

This is the default setting.


A) Select (dot) Not Configured, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below)​

Drivers_with_Windows_Update_gpedit-2.png

6 To Disable Include Drivers with Windows Updates

A) Select (dot) Enabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below)​

Drivers_with_Windows_Update_gpedit-3.png

7 You can now close the Local Group Policy Editor if you like.




Option Two

Enable or Disable Include Drivers with Windows Updates using REG file


1 Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you would like to do.

2 To Enable Include Drivers with Windows Updates

This is the default setting.


A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​

Enable_include_drivers_with_Windows_Updates.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate"=-

3 To Disable Include Drivers with Windows Updates

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​

Disable_include_drivers_with_Windows_Updates.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate"=dword:00000001

4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7 Restart the computer to apply.

8 You could now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.


That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

Attachments

  • Windows_Update.jpg
    Windows_Update.jpg
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  • Disable_include_drivers_with_Windows_Updates.reg
    692 bytes · Views: 303
  • Enable_include_drivers_with_Windows_Updates.reg
    666 bytes · Views: 392
Last edited:
Thanks Brink
I am using Windows Home, so I used your Option 2 and added the registry key. Will see what happens.

Your right, the driver updates, and other manufacturer updates that MS has been pushing wind up in 'Optional updates'. I check
those quite often as I don't like surprises. That is how I caught MS downgrading my video drivers as I keep those up to date
manually when I see a notice of Intel releasing another update.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Intel i5 10400 HD630 graphics chip
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    i5-10400
    Memory
    12 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD630 chipset
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 24inch
    Hard Drives
    SSD, external usb drive 1tb for files/backups
    Keyboard
    wireless Logi
    Mouse
    ms 4000 wireless mouse
    Internet Speed
    10meg
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Win11 Home 23H2 22631.3374 03/26/24
I love having both the gpedit.msc and reg file option. Is one of them more prone to being reverted back to the original state during a Windows update? In other words, is one better at preventing Windows from changing my settings?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
I love having both the gpedit.msc and reg file option. Is one of them more prone to being reverted back to the original state during a Windows update? In other words, is one better at preventing Windows from changing my settings?


No.
Microsoft can change either one, just as easily as the other.
Did you ever watch the movie "The Matrix"?
Well, these guys are like Microsoft.
They can do anything they want.

Image1.png


And this.... is the Registry...

Image1.png

Gpedit is just an easier way of editing the registry.



Any and everything you do on a Windows computer makes changes in the registry.
Moving the mouse makes changes.

The registry "is" Windows. Everything you see on your screen, is just the GUI (graphical user interface).
But it's in the registry that.... things actually happen.


Every breath you take, every move you make
Is in the reg-is-try. :D
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3374 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
Thanks Brink, Very useful for me to prevent Windows hardware updates from installing older drivers.(y)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Corsair
    CPU
    Intel Core i9 11900K
    Motherboard
    MSI Z490I
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA RTX390
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung Odyssey G9
    Screen Resolution
    5120x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD, 6TB Mech

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ACER
    CPU
    intel I7-8750h
    Motherboard
    CFL Cayman
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    nvidia GTX 1070
"foolproof method"

Not working at least for Intel GPU driver for Windows 11 Home.
As a result, the old Intel driver is replaced by the standard Windows driver.

Interesting for Intel GPUs.
If the driver is installed manually, then Windows Update installs the driver regardless of version.
After that install the new driver from Intel website.
Until we uninstall the driver that Windows installed, nothing will be updated.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI MS-7D98
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-13490F
    Motherboard
    MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI
    Memory
    2 x 16 Patriot Memory (PDP Systems) PSD516G560081
    Graphics Card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G (GV-N4070WF3OC-12GD)
    Sound Card
    Bluetooth Аудио
    Monitor(s) Displays
    INNOCN 15K1F
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD_BLACK SN770 250GB
    KINGSTON SNV2S1000G (ELFK0S.6)
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1000W
    Case
    CG560 - DeepCool
    Cooling
    ID-COOLING SE-224-XTS / 2 x 140Mm Fan - rear and top; 3 x 120Mm - front
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 RGB TKL
    Mouse
    Corsair KATAR PRO XT
    Internet Speed
    100 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender Antivirus
    Other Info
    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/66553205
I have used this reg file many times, but it really doesn't work, some drivers still update automatically
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
I tried following Option One but got an 'MMC cannot initial the snap-in' (error?) when I tried to access 'Administrative Templates'. A quick 'net search gave me a couple of things to try but nothing either works as stated (in the suggested solutions) or has no apparent effect on making Administrative Templates available. Yes, I am running with administrator rights. There a fix to this or info on what I'm doing wrong?

Working of my:
Windows 11 Pro v 10.0.22000 Build 22000
MSI GT76 Titan DT 10SGS x64 PC Laptop
Intel i9-10900K CPU @ 3.70GHz, 3696 Mhz, 10 Core(s), 20 Logical
Processor(s)
American Megatrends BIOS E17H3IMS.109, 3/5/2021
SMBIOS Version 3.2Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 128 GB
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    self-made
    CPU
    Intel i9-12900KF
    Motherboard
    Asus ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi
    Memory
    Trident Z5 DDR5-5600 16GBx4
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus RTX 3080
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 LG
    Hard Drives
    Sabrent NVMe M.2 Rocket 4.0 2TB drive (os)
    Corsair NVMe M.2 Gen3x4 8TB drive (user)
    PSU
    Be quiet Dark Power Pro 12 (1200w)
    Case
    Fractal Designs (pos)
    Cooling
    Asus Ryujin II AIO cooler
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium 4.5.26
    Other Info
    note: os and os-user files were orginally installed on two different drives for reasons related to the content creation purpose for this computer. There are multiple additional hdd drives on this computer but it seems unnecessary to mention them as they are likely to be germane to the current problem.
I tried following Option One but got an 'MMC cannot initial the snap-in' (error?) when I tried to access 'Administrative Templates'. A quick 'net search gave me a couple of things to try but nothing either works as stated (in the suggested solutions) or has no apparent effect on making Administrative Templates available. Yes, I am running with administrator rights. There a fix to this or info on what I'm doing wrong?

Working of my:
Windows 11 Pro v 10.0.22000 Build 22000
MSI GT76 Titan DT 10SGS x64 PC Laptop
Intel i9-10900K CPU @ 3.70GHz, 3696 Mhz, 10 Core(s), 20 Logical
Processor(s)
American Megatrends BIOS E17H3IMS.109, 3/5/2021
SMBIOS Version 3.2Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 128 GB

Hello, :alien:

If you like for now, you can use option two to configure the same group policy instead.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Hello, :alien:

If you like for now, you can use option two to configure the same group policy instead.
I apologize, I wasn't specific enough in my message: yes, I did do it the other way so the mission is accomplished (on this computer, at any rate).

I'm just not sure why I can't do it or what the MMC message means. I've never had a problem (in Win10pro or other machines) accessing the Administrative Templates so I am surprised and puzzled by it and thought the question relevant here. If you prefer I post it elsewhere, I'll delete this and move it to a more appropriate place.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    self-made
    CPU
    Intel i9-12900KF
    Motherboard
    Asus ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi
    Memory
    Trident Z5 DDR5-5600 16GBx4
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus RTX 3080
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 LG
    Hard Drives
    Sabrent NVMe M.2 Rocket 4.0 2TB drive (os)
    Corsair NVMe M.2 Gen3x4 8TB drive (user)
    PSU
    Be quiet Dark Power Pro 12 (1200w)
    Case
    Fractal Designs (pos)
    Cooling
    Asus Ryujin II AIO cooler
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium 4.5.26
    Other Info
    note: os and os-user files were orginally installed on two different drives for reasons related to the content creation purpose for this computer. There are multiple additional hdd drives on this computer but it seems unnecessary to mention them as they are likely to be germane to the current problem.
I apologize, I wasn't specific enough in my message: yes, I did do it the other way so the mission is accomplished (on this computer, at any rate).

I'm just not sure why I can't do it or what the MMC message means. I've never had a problem (in Win10pro or other machines) accessing the Administrative Templates so I am surprised and puzzled by it and thought the question relevant here. If you prefer I post it elsewhere, I'll delete this and move it to a more appropriate place.

Could be a bug. :(
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Thanks much and often, Shawn. :-)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3510
    CPU
    Intel® Celeron® N4020
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    15.6-in. display HD (1366X768)
    Hard Drives
    128 GB M.2, PCLe, NVMe, SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3552
    CPU
    Intel Celeron N3060
    Memory
    4 GB

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate"=dword:00000001

After almost two years and hundreds of restarts, freezing after win 11 loading screen, windows deactivating my AMD Radeon RX 6600, reinstalling graphics card drivers, searching online for solutions that did not help, checking the hardware etc... Without any recognizable cause sometimes the driver would last one day, sometimes a few days or only one boot - driving me crazy. Why on earth did I not find this solution earlier.

This simple change in the registry finally did the trick. Thank you a lot Mr. Brink!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate"=dword:00000001

After almost two years and hundreds of restarts, freezing after win 11 loading screen, windows deactivating my AMD Radeon RX 6600, reinstalling graphics card drivers, searching online for solutions that did not help, checking the hardware etc... Without any recognizable cause sometimes the driver would last one day, sometimes a few days or only one boot - driving me crazy. Why on earth did I not find this solution earlier.

This simple change in the registry finally did the trick. Thank you a lot Mr. Brink!
Welcome. I'm glad it could help. :shawn:
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
For me, ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate seemed to still have an effect of minimizing driver updates, but it did not completely stop them.

Code:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UpdatePolicy\PolicyState]
"ExcludeWUDrivers"=dword:00000001

This reg key above in addition to what @ichdp84 posted helped.

My current toggle files look like this:

Enable driver updates:

Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Created by: Shawn Brink
; Created on: October 24, 2021
; Tutorial: https://www.elevenforum.com/t/enable-or-disable-include-drivers-with-windows-updates-in-windows-11.2232/


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate"=-

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching]
"SearchOrderConfig"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UpdatePolicy\PolicyState]
"ExcludeWUDrivers"=dword:00000000

Disable driver updates:

Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Created by: Shawn Brink
; Created on: October 24, 2021
; Tutorial: https://www.elevenforum.com/t/enable-or-disable-include-drivers-with-windows-updates-in-windows-11.2232/


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching]
"SearchOrderConfig"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UpdatePolicy\PolicyState]
"ExcludeWUDrivers"=dword:00000001

I'm not sure if anything here is defunct or old. But it worked nicely on a fresh install of Win 11 22621.3007 22H2 (2024-01-11).

I had the same issue of bad drivers being installed on an AMD computer. And every time I uninstalled them, they were automatically reinstalled (immediately), and after a restart all the support software was also reinstalled.

After applying all the disable keys, I can now finally rest.

The key for ExcludeWUDrivers seems to be a new policy reg key location. I didn't actually set it like I usually do (via reg file). I did a manual gpedit to disable updates, and I happened to notice this key was actually set to "1" when I came across it. I stumbled across this key with another "how to disable win 11 driver updates" search:

Source: How to disable automatic driver install on Windows 11 - Pureinfotech
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Stealth 15M
    CPU
    Intel i7 1280P
    Motherboard
    Intel Alder Lake
    Memory
    64GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA RTX 3060 6GB
I have to edit my last statement.

In my current install of Win 11, I actually have to use the group policy editor in order to prevent Windows Update from including drivers. The reg entries don't seem to help anymore on the current version.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Stealth 15M
    CPU
    Intel i7 1280P
    Motherboard
    Intel Alder Lake
    Memory
    64GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA RTX 3060 6GB
For me, ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate seemed to still have an effect of minimizing driver updates, but it did not completely stop them.

Code:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UpdatePolicy\PolicyState]
"ExcludeWUDrivers"=dword:00000001

This reg key above in addition to what @ichdp84 posted helped.

My current toggle files look like this:

Enable driver updates:

Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Created by: Shawn Brink
; Created on: October 24, 2021
; Tutorial: https://www.elevenforum.com/t/enable-or-disable-include-drivers-with-windows-updates-in-windows-11.2232/


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate"=-

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching]
"SearchOrderConfig"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UpdatePolicy\PolicyState]
"ExcludeWUDrivers"=dword:00000000

Disable driver updates:

Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Created by: Shawn Brink
; Created on: October 24, 2021
; Tutorial: https://www.elevenforum.com/t/enable-or-disable-include-drivers-with-windows-updates-in-windows-11.2232/


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching]
"SearchOrderConfig"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UpdatePolicy\PolicyState]
"ExcludeWUDrivers"=dword:00000001

I'm not sure if anything here is defunct or old. But it worked nicely on a fresh install of Win 11 22621.3007 22H2 (2024-01-11).

I had the same issue of bad drivers being installed on an AMD computer. And every time I uninstalled them, they were automatically reinstalled (immediately), and after a restart all the support software was also reinstalled.

After applying all the disable keys, I can now finally rest.

The key for ExcludeWUDrivers seems to be a new policy reg key location. I didn't actually set it like I usually do (via reg file). I did a manual gpedit to disable updates, and I happened to notice this key was actually set to "1" when I came across it. I stumbled across this key with another "how to disable win 11 driver updates" search:

Source: How to disable automatic driver install on Windows 11 - Pureinfotech

A solution to completely block driver updates for Windows 10 and 11, very effective.
---
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching]
"DontSearchWindowsUpdate"=dword:00000001
"DriverUpdateWizardWuSearchEnabled"=dword:00000000
"SearchOrderConfig"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DriverSearching]
"DontSearchWindowsUpdate"=dword:00000001
"DriverUpdateWizardWuSearchEnabled"=dword:00000000
"SearchOrderConfig"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Device Metadata]
"PreventDeviceMetadataFromNetwork"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\current\device\Update]
"ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\Update]
"ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\Update\ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate]
"value"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings]
"ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate"=dword:00000001
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
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