Forced Windows 11 updates? More users report unwanted installations
Does Microsoft force users to upgrade to the latest version of Windows? This question is currently being asked after several reports of unauthorized Windows updates. IT expert Günther Born has collected these reports on his blog.
There are several known cases where PCs running Windows 11 24H2 were suddenly updated to version 25H2 without their respective users initiating the update. It also received a report of a case in which a system was updated from Windows 10 to Windows 11.
Sometimes these unwanted updates happen overnight, sometimes in the middle of the day. We also recently reported on the case of a Reddit user whose PC upgraded to Windows 11 while in the shower.
Born calls this “too many coincidences” and therefore assumes that there is an underlying reason for this pattern. It is suspected that Microsoft is forcing updates, but this could also be a bug.
If you want to upgrade to Windows 11, we recommend the Pro version, which we explain why in this article. The Windows 11 upgrade is available from the PCWorld Software Store for the low price of $59 (was $99).
Faulty Windows update packages?
One possible reason for these unwanted updates could be that Microsoft uses activation packages to make version changes faster and smoother. When switching from Windows 11 24H2 to 25H2 for example, the KB5054156 package is used.
Since both versions share a common code base, the new version essentially only needs to be activated by the package. This avoids long download and installation times for updates and will therefore also be used more often in the next version of Windows 11 26H2.
It is possible that affected users received the activation package for 25H2 due to an error that triggered the installation of the latest version of Windows on their PC. However, it is unclear how exactly this could happen. Most users reported that they have disabled the installation of the latest updates on their system.
User error or malicious intent
At this point, we can only speculate whether these are truly isolated cases in which a user may have clicked the wrong button, or whether Microsoft can be accused of some intent. Anyway, the sudden update to 25H2 is not a known bug.
Fortunately, updating to a newer version is not permanent. You can roll back individual Windows 11 updates and revert from Windows 11 to Windows 10 (the latter must be done within 10 days).
If you want to prevent updates from being installed without your knowledge, turn off automatic updates under Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Pause updates. Check this setting regularly, as the maximum duration is only 5 weeks.
