Hide a Windows Update

How do I hide a Win 11 (24H2 26100.4202) Driver update I don't want?

I have update set to Policy #3 - "download, ask to install". It's working properly at the moment. WE've had our differences in the past.

This morning it presented me with three updates. Two of them I wanted (.net security and Defender update). I clicked Install next to each and installed them.

The third is an update for my Intel Graphics. But, I already did that, via Intel, yesterday, at their suggestion, to a newer driver than MS says they want to give. me (Go figure).



I then used the ol' reliable Windows Update Show-Hide program to hide that update. It went through the motions and all went well. But, it still shows in Windows Update as wanting to install.

I've run WinShowHide again and it has nothing to Hide now. I've rebooted a couple times. No matter what, the update sticks around per the graphic above.

I found this thread here Show or Hide Updates in Windows 11 that led to using PowerShell and the PSWindowsUpdate module via this page: Hide Windows Updates with Powershell. But that module wants me to key in a KB number and the driver update has no KB number.

I thought of just grabbing a fresh Restore point, trying to install it and hoping Windows says "You already have it", but I have a couple concerns. One is that it tells me that and still doesn't take it off the list. The other is that it actually tries to do the install and messes up my drivers... and even with the Restore, that seems to often lead to a long day of pain.

I could also disable Driver Updates via Group Policy but I'm guessing that won't work retroactively... and even if it does, I really don't mind a heads up on drivers. I usually get them from the source site, not MS, but I don't mind the notification.

Any suggestions?

Download the Microsoft Show/Hide Windows Update Tool from Major Geeks:


Then run it to find available updates. Hide (block) the ones you want by checking their boxes. That's it.

PS: Of course you must block the updates before they are installed.

spapakons said:

Download the Microsoft Show/Hide Windows Update Tool from Major Geeks:

Download Microsoft Show or Hide Updates Troubleshooter - MajorGeeks

Microsoft Show or Hide Updates Troubleshooter can assist you in uninstalling a problematic Windows Update and preventing that update from installing until the next Windows Update. Click on wushowhide.diagcab and then click on Next in the lower right corner. After scanning, you can Hide Updates...

www.majorgeeks.com

Then run it to find available updates. Hide (block) the ones you want by checking their boxes. That's it.

PS: Of course you must block the updates before they are installed.

Click to expand...

Already did that... the detail is in my post above. The Update is still showing in Windows Update.

You might want to try this PS script to hide that HWID from WU

I don't know if that will hide an update it's already identified or not.

garlin said:

You might want to try this PS script to hide that HWID from WU

Windows update keeps installing older Intel Arc graphics drivers

Hi, every time a new Intel ARC driver is released, I get an update from Intel Driver Assistant and I install it. As soon as I restart my laptop, Windows update then installs a much older version, which is the version that was last released by my laptop maker, Asus. If I then manually reinstall...

www.elevenforum.com

I don't know if that will hide an update it's already identified or not.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I ran it to hide the update... but it didn't affect what's already in the queue. Probably has me covered for the future on that one.

OK, I gave in and installed WAU Manager. After reading about others having similar issues with Driver updates and noting that it's likely Windows will keep torturing me with their bug-ridden, illogical, and convoluted Windows Update process, I gave in.

Ah, that feels better. Why MS can't give us a working interface like Win 7 had or WAU Manager... I'm sure I'll never figure it out.

As the prophecy foretold, WAU Manager Properly found only a new Defender update waiting when I ran it. It also showed the two updates I hid with Win Show/Hide updates as Hidden (One an old Office Update that doesn't actually apply and the other this new but dated Driver MS wants to install). It ignored both, as a properly working program should, and quickly installed the new Defender update.

Levitate11 said:

Intel Graphics

Click to expand...

When installing the driver from the Intel website, try disabling "Execute a clean installation".

abactuon said:

When installing the driver from the Intel website, try disabling "Execute a clean installation".

Click to expand...

Where is that setting?

Levitate11 said:

and quickly installed the new Defender update.

Click to expand...

You can ask WAU Manager to check for Defender Updates and auto install, leaving the rest for your inspection. I get a popup at 6:30pm each day saying I am up to date after it checks for & or installs Defender updates. I think that is configerable, interval wise. I haven’t yet tried.

It can also check for software updates.

Levitate11 said:

Where is that setting?

Click to expand...

I don't remember, but it must be in one of the windows of the driver installation program.

If you install using PowerShell

# -s, --silent Silently install.
# -f, --fresh Forces clean/fresh installation of the driver. Used with the silent installation.

Start-Process -FilePath $extractFolder\Installer.exe -NoNewWindow -ArgumentList "-s --noExtras --report $extractFolder\IntelGFX.log" -Wait

If you manually download and install latest Intel graphics drivers for your system, Windows update driver will become obsolete. All you have to do is clean Windows update cache and try searching for updates again. Since the driver is obsolete it should disappear from the list. No need to hide it.

spapakons said:

If you manually download and install latest Intel graphics drivers for your system, Windows update driver will become obsolete. All you have to do is clean Windows update cache and try searching for updates again. Since the driver is obsolete it should disappear from the list. No need to hide it.

Click to expand...

Well, I already had the latest driver (later than what Windows was offering), as installed by Intel. I'd assume that's the same as your suggested "manual install" as it's done outside the Windows Update process.

However, I grabbed the second part of your suggestion and ran the new Update Troubleshooter to clear the cache. That appears to have corrected the "Driver in Waiting" issue. Only catch is that I didn't start Windows Update and look before I did that. So, it was possible that it was already cleared through one of the other actions I took, listed above.

But, I'm all set now... and I think I'll just stick with WAU Manager. MS needs to do better design on this horrific Windows Update interface.

spapakons said:

Download the Microsoft Show/Hide Windows Update Tool from Major Geeks:

Download Microsoft Show or Hide Updates Troubleshooter - MajorGeeks

Microsoft Show or Hide Updates Troubleshooter can assist you in uninstalling a problematic Windows Update and preventing that update from installing until the next Windows Update. Click on wushowhide.diagcab and then click on Next in the lower right corner. After scanning, you can Hide Updates...

www.majorgeeks.com

Then run it to find available updates. Hide (block) the ones you want by checking their boxes. That's it.

PS: Of course you must block the updates before they are installed.

Click to expand...

Thankyou for Windows Update tool worked ok for me. Windows 11 Pro

Too late and not really any help either, but I do have questions.

Levitate11 said:

The third is an update for my Intel Graphics. But, I already did that, via Intel, yesterday, at their suggestion, to a newer driver than MS says they want to give. me (Go figure).

Click to expand...

That can also be the case if it is an OEM component and Windows Update, based on the hardware ID (specifically the SUBSYS part, e.g. SUBSYS_XXXX103C -> 103C = HP), pushes what it thinks is a more suitable driver to the machine.
This is particularly annoying with devices that are outside (or hardly receive any) of official support, as they therefore (mostly) do not receive the newer generic drivers.

I’ll have to test myself to see if anything has improved since Windows 10 (has it?), otherwise, rolling back to the newer version can help, or one can use the GPO as garlin already suggested - even though this has its own set of rules and pitfalls.
Garlin’s script looks interesting - I’ll have to take a look. Thanks!

Levitate11 said:

I found this thread here Show or Hide Updates in Windows 11 that led to using PowerShell and the PSWindowsUpdate module via this page: Hide Windows Updates with Powershell. But that module wants me to key in a KB number and the driver update has no KB number.

Click to expand...

Aside from that - even though the author in this case is probably very trustworthy - it’s simply shocking how many people apparently trust the PowerShell Gallery (or the winget repo as well) blindly.

Levitate11 said:

MS needs to do better design on this horrific Windows Update interface.

Click to expand...

Oh yes - it’s downright outrageous that one can’t achieve this with built-in tools.
Besides Windows Update, there’s also automatic driver installation in the PnP process. It’s just been a nightmare for years.
Microsoft could make it so easy for us - but they simply don’t want to.
In my dreams, there would simply be a registry hive where you could define the exclusions - updates like drivers - zap - and then I woke up.

spapakons said:

Download the Microsoft Show/Hide Windows Update Tool from Major Geeks:

Download Microsoft Show or Hide Updates Troubleshooter - MajorGeeks

Microsoft Show or Hide Updates Troubleshooter can assist you in uninstalling a problematic Windows Update and preventing that update from installing until the next Windows Update. Click on wushowhide.diagcab and then click on Next in the lower right corner. After scanning, you can Hide Updates...

www.majorgeeks.com

Click to expand...

What’s the current status of this anyway?
I thought it had been marked as deprecated for quite some time and didn’t really work properly anymore?
Has anyone ever figured out where or how wushowhide.diagcab actually store its exclusions?

abactuon said:

When installing the driver from the Intel website, try disabling "Execute a clean installation".

Click to expand...

That’s the reason for it - right?
The hope that Windows will leave the manually installed driver alone if one keeps the one pushed by WU in the driver store.

spapakons said:

If you manually download and install latest Intel graphics drivers for your system, Windows update driver will become obsolete. All you have to do is clean Windows update cache and try searching for updates again. Since the driver is obsolete it should disappear from the list. No need to hide it.

Click to expand...

Do you mean “clean Windows update cache” as in a full WU reset, or something less drastic?

Levitate11 said:

WAU Manager

Click to expand...

Since WUMgr (last version from 12/11/2019) and WUMT (04/22/2022) haven’t received updates for a while, it’s probably the best tool currently - right?

Thanks and cheers, Martin

In the original Microsoft link (now doesn't work), they stated that Microsoft Windows Update Show/Hide Tool works up to Windows 10 v1903 or something. BS! I have successfully used it in all Windows 10 versions, including the last v22H2 and all Windows 11 versions including 25H2. Yes, there might be a few computers that it throws an error for some reason, but in all others it works OK. There is a warning when running it that this Troubleshooting Tool will be replaced, but just ignore the warning and search for available updates. Than hide (block) the ones you don't want. That's it. WAU Manager works similarly.