Stops Windows 11 from rebooting without your consent. Security updates still flow.
Your PC already has an update arbiter. It works for Microsoft, not for you. This one works for you.
Free tool from Arcus Foundry. No warranty. Use at your own risk.
- Applies the Windows policy that says "never restart while someone is logged in" (the
NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsersGroup Policy setting that Microsoft already ships). - Disables three specific
UpdateOrchestratorscheduled tasks that trigger reboots:Reboot,Reboot_AC, andReboot_Battery. - Sets Active Hours to their widest allowed window (18 hours).
- Installs a scheduled task that re-applies the lockdown at boot, at logon, and every time Windows Update signals it finished installing something, so feature updates cannot quietly revert the policy.
It leaves intact: update scanning, downloading, installing, notifications, and the Windows Update Medic Service. Security patches keep flowing. The only thing that changes is who decides when the machine actually restarts. You do.
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Download
update-arbiter-1.0.0.ps1from the latest release. -
Open PowerShell as Administrator.
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Unblock the file and run the installer:
Unblock-File .\update-arbiter-1.0.0.ps1 powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\update-arbiter-1.0.0.ps1 -Install
That is it. The lockdown is applied and a self-heal scheduled task is registered. You do not need to run it again. Reboots now wait for you.
If you just want to apply the policies once and skip the scheduled task:
powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\update-arbiter-1.0.0.ps1powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\update-arbiter-1.0.0.ps1 -UninstallRemoves the scheduled task and the installed script copy. Registry policies and the disabled reboot tasks remain in place until you revert them manually. See the script source for the exact keys.
The full source is right there in update-arbiter-1.0.0.ps1. Read it before you run it.
Registry keys:
HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU\NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers = 1HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\SetActiveHours = 1HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\ActiveHoursStart = 0HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\ActiveHoursEnd = 18HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\ActiveHoursMaxRange = 18- Plus matching
UX\Settingsentries for the UI.
Scheduled tasks disabled:
\Microsoft\Windows\UpdateOrchestrator\Reboot\Microsoft\Windows\UpdateOrchestrator\Reboot_AC\Microsoft\Windows\UpdateOrchestrator\Reboot_Battery
Scheduled task created:
Arcus Foundry Update Arbiterat\(runs as SYSTEM, triggered at boot, at logon, and onWindowsUpdateClientevent IDs 19 and 43)
Files installed:
C:\ProgramData\ArcusFoundry\update-arbiter-1.0.0.ps1C:\ProgramData\ArcusFoundry\update-arbiter.log
Will I still get security updates? Yes. Updates download and install normally. Only the automatic reboot is blocked.
Does it work on Windows 11 Home? Yes, both Home and Pro.
Is this safe? It uses Microsoft's own published Group Policy settings and disables three specific scheduled tasks in UpdateOrchestrator. Nothing exotic, nothing hidden. The source is readable. That said, this is a free tool with no warranty. Use at your own risk.
What happens after a Windows feature update? The scheduled task self-heals. It re-runs at boot, at logon, and whenever Windows Update signals it finished installing something. If anything slips through, re-running the installer fixes it.
Windows 10? Not supported in v1. We only test on Windows 11.
Update Arbiter is a free community tool from Arcus Foundry. It ships as-is with no warranty, express or implied. You are running it on your own machine, on your own judgment. We use it ourselves. We think it is safe. That is not the same as a guarantee. If something breaks on your machine, or a policy conflicts with something else on your network, we cannot be responsible.
MIT. Free to use, modify, and distribute.
Arcus Foundry. Included free with Sparkforge Pro. Feedback welcome in the issues.