How to turn off Office software updates in Windows 10 & 11

Before we begin, it’s worth noting that disabling updates for Office apps in Windows 10 can have potential security implications, as updates often include important security fixes. As such, we recommend that you only disable updates if you have a specific reason for doing so, and that you keep your Office apps up to date whenever possible.

If you have a subscription to Microsoft 365, which gives you access to Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint, you’ve certainly noticed that new features and adjustments are being sent out rather frequently. This is due to the fact that Office makes use of automatic updates to guarantee that applications always have the most recent features, upgrades, and security patches available to them.

However, if updates are causing problems on Windows 11 (or 10), or if a new release became available with visual changes and features you don’t need, it is possible to disable automatic updates completely in both the standalone version of Office and the version that comes bundled with Microsoft 365. This is true for both the standalone version of Office and the version that comes bundled with Microsoft 365.

Whether you have a subscription to Microsoft 365 or the standalone version, including Office 2021, 2019, 2016, or an older version, this how-to guide will walk you through the simple steps to completely disable updates for the suite of apps. This is the case regardless of whether you are using Office 2021, 2019, 2016, or an older version.

How to disable automatic updates for Microsoft Office

• Step 1: Open the Microsoft Store app The first step in disabling updates for Office apps in Windows 10 is to open the Microsoft Store app. You can do this by searching for “Microsoft Store” in the Start menu, or by clicking on the Store icon in your taskbar.
• Step 2: Click on the three dots icon Once you’ve opened the Microsoft Store app, click on the three dots icon in the top-right corner of the window. This will open a drop-down menu.
• Step 3: Click on “Downloads and updates” From the drop-down menu, click on “Downloads and updates.” This will take you to the Downloads and updates screen, where you can manage your app updates.
• Step 4: Click on “Get updates” On the Downloads and updates screen, you’ll see a list of all the apps that have updates available. To disable updates for Office apps, click on the “Get updates” button.
• Step 5: Click on “Office” In the list of available updates, you should see “Office” listed. Click on this to expand the Office updates.
• Step 6: Disable automatic updates To disable automatic updates for Office apps, click on the toggle switch next to “Automatically update my apps” to turn it off. This will prevent Office apps from automatically updating in the future.
• Step 7: Confirm your selection After you’ve disabled automatic updates for Office apps, a confirmation message will appear. Click on “No thanks” to confirm your selection.

And that’s it! You’ve successfully disabled updates for Office apps in Windows 10. If you ever need to re-enable updates, simply follow the same steps and turn the “Automatically update my apps” toggle switch back on.

It’s worth noting that if you want to disable updates for individual Office apps, rather than all of them at once, you can do so by following these additional steps:

• Step 1: Open the app Open the Office app that you want to disable updates for.
• Step 2: Click on “File” Click on the “File” tab in the top-left corner of the window.
• Step 3: Click on “Account” In the left-hand menu, click on “Account.”
• Step 4: Disable automatic updates Under “Product Information,” you’ll see a “Update Options” dropdown. Click on this and select “Disable Updates.” This will prevent the individual Office app from automatically updating in the future.

So in short do the following steps in order to prevent Office on Windows 11 (or on Windows 10) from receiving updates and new features:

1. Launch one of the Office apps. Take Word as an example.
2. Create a new blank document.
3. Choose the “File” option.
4. Simply select the Account tab.
5. To the right, you’ll see a menu labeled “Update settings.” Click on it.
6. Choose the option that says “Disable Updates.”
7. To verify, click the option labeled “Yes.”

After you have completed the procedures, your Office applications will no longer download and install updates on their own without your intervention.

If you would like to enable updates once more, you can perform the same methods that are explained above; however, at step 6, you will need to pick the “Enable updates” option. You can also use this guide to understand all of the procedures that are required to activate and install updates, as well as check the version of Office that you are now using.

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Disabling updates for Office apps in Windows 10 is a straightforward process, but it’s important to remember the potential security implications of doing so. We recommend that you only disable updates if you have a specific reason for doing so, and that you keep your Office apps up to date whenever possible.

We hope that this article has provided you with a comprehensive guide on how to disable updates for Office apps in Windows 10. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.