I unenrolled from the Program, but I still am registered as an Insider. How do I turn this off?

Question

I began the disenrollment process by going to the Microsoft site to disenroll from the program. After refreshing turning the switch off in my Settings app, I refreshed my system to the OOBE. However, this did not unenroll me as the OS continued to indicate that my OS was enrolled as an Insider. Then, in order to upgrade to the Windows 11 Pro operating system, I had to once again refresh me Surface Pro 12" hybrid laptop/tablet. This also did not work BUT, I continued to upgrade my system. Obviously, this too did not unenroll me from the program. Nonetheless, I moved the switch in the newly downloaded Windows 11 Pro-OS to the setting to not receive Insider builds. HOW DO I DEFINITIVELY UNENROLL FROM THE PROGRAM? Please help.

Answer 1

Hi Bill,

Delete this Registry Key and reboot:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsSelfHost

This should remove you from the Insider Channel.

Answer 2

To completely stop receiving Insider Preview builds and also stop being treated as an active Insider, two things must be done: unenroll the device and leave the program account‑wide.

1. Unenroll the device from Insider builds
   On each Windows device that is still receiving Insider builds:
   1. Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program (or Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program on newer builds).
   2. Go to Stop Insider Preview Builds / Stop getting preview builds.
   3. If the device is on the Beta Channel or Release Preview Channel and currently on a public (production) build, turn the switch on to stop getting preview builds. Restart the device to complete the process.
   4. If the device is on the Dev Channel or if preview builds must stop immediately, perform a clean installation of a production build of Windows using the official reinstall/clean‑install instructions and then do not re‑enroll the device.
2. Confirm the device is on a production build
   After restart or clean install:
   1. Check Settings > System > About or run winver to verify the installed build is a normal production build (not labeled Insider Preview).
   2. In Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program, ensure the toggle to receive preview builds is off.
3. Leave the Windows Insider Program (account level)
   Even after devices are unenrolled, the Microsoft account can remain registered as an Insider and continue to receive Insider communications. To stop that:
   1. Use the Leave the program option described in the Insider troubleshooting guidance to unregister the account so it no longer participates in Windows 10/11 Insider Preview builds or receives Insider emails.
   2. After leaving, the account is no longer an active Insider; devices can remain on production builds without Insider status.
4. If still shown as Insider after these steps
   1. Verify that no work or school account managed by an organization is configured under Settings > Accounts > Access work or school that might be enrolling the device into Insider builds via policy.
   2. If the device is managed by an organization, the organization must adjust its Insider settings; otherwise the device will continue to receive preview builds.
   3. If problems persist, submit feedback via Feedback Hub with full details so the Windows Insider team can investigate.

Once every device is unenrolled and the account has been removed from the program, the OS will no longer be enrolled as an Insider and Insider builds will stop.

---

References:

• Troubleshooting
• Join the Windows Insider Program and manage Insider settings