Avoid legacy policy configurations

Each new Windows version evolves and simplifies the controls needed to support improved Windows update experiences. As a result, the Windows update policy set contains policies that you should avoid. These policies might be ones that:

  • No longer have any impact.
  • Don't work as described on devices running the latest versions of Windows.
  • Work but don't perform as well as newer policies that accomplish a similar goal in a much better way.

To reduce that complexity, Windows 11 introduces the Windows Update folder with a subfolder Legacy Policies. While these subfolders are only available in the Windows 11 ADMX templates, the same recommendations apply for all other supported versions of Windows. Therefore, review your policy settings and use only the recommended policy set.

The list in this article helps you understand which policies to stop setting and which policies to use instead. For all policies that aren't recommended, learn why you should avoid them and how to get the same or similar behavior by using default settings or recommended policies.

Policies not to set

Tip

Find all policies in this article at the following Group Policy path:

[…]/Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Windows Updates/Legacy Policies

Do not display ‘Install Updates and Shut Down’ option in Shut Down Windows dialog box

Control category Control name
GP Do not display ‘Install Updates and Shut Down’ option in Shut Down Windows dialog box
GP Setting N/A
CSP No equivalent

Description: Enable this policy to hide the install updates and shut down option.

Recommendation: This policy was never implemented on Windows 10. It has no effect on the more recent versions of Windows.

Do not adjust default option to ‘Install Updates and Shut Down’ in Shut Down Windows dialog box

Control category Control name
GP Do not adjust default option to ‘Install Updates and Shut Down’ in Shut Down Windows dialog box
GP Setting N/A
CSP No equivalent

Description: When you enable this policy, the user's last shut down choice is the default. Otherwise, the install updates and shut down option becomes the default.

Recommendation: This policy was never implemented on Windows 10. It has no effect on more recent versions of Windows.

Specify deadline before auto-restart for update installation

Control category Control name
GP Specify deadline before auto-restart for update installation
GP Setting Quality Updates, Feature Updates
CSP Update/AutoRestartDeadlinePeriodInDays
Update/AutoRestartDeadlinePeriodInDaysForFeatureUpdates

Description: Specify the deadline in days before a pending restart automatically occurs outside of active hours.

GP recommendation: Use the compliance deadline policies instead of this policy. Go to Specify deadlines for automatic updates and restarts policy > Configure deadlines. Then select Don’t auto-restart until end of grace period. This recommended policy prevents automatic restarts outside of active hours until after the deadline is reached.

CSP recommendation: Use the compliance deadline policies instead of this policy. If you configure NoAutoReboot, your devices don't automatically restart outside of active hours until after the deadline is reached. Use the following policies instead:

Note

If the user selects restart tonight, the device attempts to restart automatically at the next opportunity outside of active hours.

Delay restart for scheduled installations

Control category Control name
GP Delay Restart for scheduled installations
GP Setting N/A
CSP No equivalent

Description: If you set the status to Enabled, a scheduled restart occurs after the number of minutes you specify following the installation. If you set the status to Disabled or Not Configured, the default wait time is 15 minutes.

Note

This policy applies only when you configure Automatic Updates to perform scheduled installations of updates. If you disable the Configure automatic updates policy, this policy has no effect.

Recommendation: This policy was never implemented on Windows 10. It has no effect on more recent versions of Windows.

Configure auto-restart reminder notifications for updates

Control category Control name
GP Configure auto-restart reminder notifications for updates
GP Setting N/A
CSP Update/AutoRestartNotificationSchedule
Update/AutoRestartRequiredNotificationDismissal

Update/AutoRestartNotificationSchedule

Description: Enable this policy to specify when devices should display auto-restart reminders. You can specify when to notify the user prior to a scheduled restart.

Note

This policy only works in the following two scenarios:

  • If the automatic updates schedule includes installation time, day, week.
  • If auto-restart deadline is configured, and compliance deadline isn’t configured.

These notifications appear until the deadline is reached.

Recommendation: Instead of configuring this GP or CSP, configure the compliance deadline and the default notification flow. That approach more effectively notifies users prior to a restart.

Update/AutoRestartRequiredNotificationDismissal

Description: Enable this policy to specify how a notification is dismissed. Options include automatic dismissal after 25 seconds by default or user-initiated dismissal.

Recommendation: This policy isn't supported in code for Windows 10 or Windows 11. Don't configure this policy because it has no effect. When using a GP or CSP configuration, also use the compliance deadline policy. That way, the notification flow involves both automatically dismissed notifications as well as notifications that require the user to interact.

Turn off auto-restart notifications for update installations

Control category Control name
GP Turn off auto-restart notifications for update installations
GP Setting N/A
CSP Update/SetAutoRestartNotificationDisable

Description: This policy disables auto-restart notifications for update installations. The values are:

  • 0: Enabled (default)
  • 1: Disable notifications

Recommendation: The default notification experience balances the impact of updates while giving users a good experience. Disabled notifications can lead to user dissatisfaction. Turn off notifications only for kiosk or user-less scenarios. In such scenarios, you can disable notifications by using CSP with the Update/UpdateNotificationLevel policy. You can also disable notifications by using GP with the Display options for update notifications policy instead.

Allow non-administrators to receive update notifications

Control category Control name
GP Allow non-administrators to receive update notifications
GP Setting N/A
CSP No equivalent

Description: Control whether non-admins receive notifications based on Configure Automatic Updates setting.

Recommendation: CSP never supported this policy. It also wasn't implemented on Windows 10 or Windows 11 for Group Policy. If you set it on these or more recent versions of Windows, it has no effect. By default, with Group Policies, users receive update notifications.

Specify Engaged restart transition and notification schedule for updates

Control category Control name
GP Specify Engaged restart transition and notification schedule for updates
GP Setting For quality updates: Transition (days), Snooze (days), Deadline (days)
For feature updates: Transition (days), Snooze (days), Deadline (days)
CSP For quality updates:
Update/EngagedRestartDeadline
Update/EngagedRestartSnoozeSchedule
Update/EngagedRestartTransitionSchedule
For feature updates:
Update/EngagedRestartDeadlineForFeatureUpdates
Update/EngagedRestartSnoozeScheduleForFeatureUpdates
Update/EngagedRestartTransitionScheduleForFeatureUpdates

Description: Enable this policy to configure three restart behaviors for quality and feature updates. Transition is the amount of time between auto-restart and engaged restart. Snooze is the number of engaged notifications that the user can snooze. Deadline is the time to automatically execute a pending restart outside of active hours.

CSP recommendation: Use the following compliance deadline policies instead:

These policies better allow for updates to be completed within your compliance window while providing a much better experience for your users. You can also prevent automatic restarts outside of active hours when the device is plugged in and the user is away until after the deadline has been reached. For this, configure Update/ConfigureDeadlineNoAutoReboot.

GP recommendation: Instead of this GP configuration, use the policy Specify deadlines for automatic updates and restarts. Compliance deadline policies like this help ensure that updates are completed within your compliance window while providing a much better experience for your users. If needed, you can configure Turn off auto-restart for updates during active hours within the above policy. This way, you can prevent automatic restarts outside of active hours when the device is plugged in and the user is away until after the deadline has been reached.

Turn on Software Notifications

Control category Control name
GP Turn on Software Notifications
GP Setting N/A
CSP No equivalent

Description: Control whether users see detailed enhanced notification messages.

Recommendation: CSP never supported this policy. It also wasn't implemented on Windows 10 or Windows 11 for Group Policy. If you set this policy on these and more recent versions of Windows, it has no effect.

Allow Automatic Updates immediate installation

Control category Control name
GP Allow Automatic Updates immediate installation
GP Setting N/A
CSP No equivalent

Description: Choose to automatically install updates that don't cause a restart.

Recommendation: CSP never supported this policy. It also wasn't implemented on Windows 10 or Windows 11 for Group Policy. If you set it on these and more recent versions of Windows, it has no effect. For GP or CSP configurations, updates are automatically installed by default.

Re-prompt for restart with scheduled installations

Control category Control name
GP Re-prompt for restart with scheduled installations
GP Setting N/A
CSP No equivalent

Description: Enable and specify the number of minutes to wait for a scheduled restart to occur after the user postpones the previous prompt for restart.

Recommendation: CSP never supported this policy. It also wasn't implemented on Windows 10 or Windows 11 for Group Policy. If you set it on these and more recent versions of Windows, it has no effect.

Reschedule Automatic Updates scheduled installations

Control category Control name
GP Reschedule Automatic Updates scheduled installations
GP Setting Wait after system startup (minutes): [1, 60]
CSP No equivalent

Description: If a system misses a scheduled installation, reschedule it. Indicate the amount of wait time for installation to occur after a system startup.

Recommendation: CSP never supported this policy. It also wasn't implemented on Windows 10 or Windows 11 for Group Policy. If you set it on these and more recent versions of Windows, it has no effect.

Configure auto-restart warning notifications schedule for updates

Control category Control name
GP Configure auto-restart warning notifications schedule for updates
GP Setting N/A
CSP Update/ScheduleImminentRestartWarning
Update/ScheduleRestartWarning

Description: Specify the number of hours before a restart to notify the user.

Recommendation: This policy only works on Windows 11 if you configure any the following settings:

For GP and CSP configurations, use the default notification flow that comes with compliance deadlines.

No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installation

Control category Control name
GP No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installation
GP Setting N/A
CSP No equivalent

Description: Don't automatically restart while the user is logged on.

Recommendation: This policy never existed as a CSP. In Group Policy, it doesn't work exactly as described. Further, this policy can result in a long period without restarts for quality updates, given that many users today don't sign out. When setting GPs, use compliance deadlines and then configure no auto restarts. This way, there are no restarts that users are unaware of prior to reaching the deadline. For server devices, use Configure Automatic Updates option 7: notify to install and notify to restart.

Select when feature updates are received

Control category Control name
GP Select when feature updates are received
GP Setting N/A
CSP Update/PauseFeatureUpdates

Description: Pause updates for 60 days or until set back to 0.

Recommendation: This policy was replaced in Windows 10, version 1703. To pause updates, use one of these policies: Update/PauseFeatureUpdatesStartTime or Update/PauseQualityUpdatesStartTime.

Defer Upgrades and Updates

Update

Control category Control name
GP Defer Upgrades and Updates
GP Setting N/A
CSP Update/DeferUpdatePeriod

Description: Defer quality updates for up to four weeks (0-4 weeks).

Recommendation: This policy was replaced in Windows 10, version 1607. To defer quality updates, use Update/DeferQualityUpdatesPeriodInDays or GPS: Select when Quality Updates are received.

Upgrade

Control category Control name
GP Defer Upgrades and Updates
GP Setting N/A
CSP Update/DeferUpgradePeriod

Description: Defer feature updates for up to eight months (0-8 months).

Recommendation: This policy was replaced in Windows 10, version 1607. To defer feature updates, use Update/DeferFeatureUpdatesPeriodInDays or GPS: Select when Preview Builds and Feature Updates are received.

Select when feature updates are received

Control category Control name
GP Select when Feature Updates are received
GP Setting N/A
CSP Update/RequireDeferUpgrade

Description: Stay on the Semi-Annual Channel.

Recommendation: This policy was replaced in Windows 10, version 1607. To defer feature updates, use Update/DeferFeatureUpdatesPeriodInDays.

Control category Control name
GP Turn on recommended updates via Automatic Updates
GP Setting N/A
CSP No equivalent

Description: Specify whether Automatic Updates delivers both important and recommended updates from Windows Update.

Recommendation: CSP never supported this policy. It also wasn't implemented on Windows 10 or Windows 11 for Group Policy. If you set it on these and more recent versions of Windows, it has no effect.

Require update approval

Control category Control name
GP No equivalent
GP Setting N/A
CSP Update/RequireUpdateApproval

Description: Restrict to only install those updates on the approval list. The values are:

  • 0: Device installs all applicable updates (default).
  • 1: Device only installs updates that are on the approved update list.

Recommendation: Use this policy only for mobile devices. If you use this policy for other device types, it can result in a poor experience. It's not supported on Windows 10 or Windows 11.

Phone update restrictions

Control category Control name
GP No equivalent
GP Setting N/A
CSP Update/PhoneUpdateRestrictions

Recommendation: This policy is deprecated. Its replacement, Require Update Approval, is now also deprecated.

Do not allow update deferral policies to cause scans against Windows Update

Control category Control name
GP Do not allow update deferral policies to cause scans against Windows Update
GP Setting N/A
CSP Update/DisableDualScan

Description: If you enable this policy, update deferral policies don't cause scans against Windows Update.

CSP recommendation: This policy worked on Windows 10. It's not supported and has no effect on Windows 11 devices. Use the newer scan source policy instead. Configure whether updates come from Windows Update or Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) with the following policies for the more recent versions of Windows:

GP recommendation: For all policies more recent than Windows 10, version 2004, use the policy Specify source service for specific classes of Windows Updates. Specify whether specific update classes (feature updates, quality updates, driver and firmware updates, and other updates) individually come from WSUS or Windows Update.

Update Power Policy for Cart Restarts

Control category Control name
GP Update Power Policy for Cart Restarts
GP Setting N/A
CSP Update/SetEDURestart

Description: Introduced in Windows 10, version 1703. For devices in a cart, this policy skips all restart checks to help ensure that the restart happens at ScheduledInstallTime. When you set this policy along with Update/ActiveHoursStart, Update/ActiveHoursEnd, and ShareCartPC, it defers all the update processes (scan, download, install, and restart) to after active hours. After a buffer period following ActiveHoursEnd, the device wakes up several times to complete the processes. All processes are blocked before ActiveHoursStart.

Recommendation: This policy works on Windows 11. However, it dramatically reduces compliance and speed of updates on the device. Use the default settings with active hours available in GPs or CSPs instead.

Additional information

Given the limitations of the listed policies, it's best to use the default experience. Besides providing the best experience, the defaults also keep devices up to date most effectively.

Sometimes, security mandates at organizations require that devices be on a specific Windows version within a certain timeframe. In such cases, client devices used as personal computers only need offering policies (for example, Windows Autopatch controls or deferrals) and deadlines.

The rest of the policies help tailor the experience:

  • to the needs of your organization
  • to help you manage other device types
  • to support other device usage scenarios

Learn about the full list of legacy policies from Update Policy CSP | Microsoft Learn.

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