Can I Close My Laptop While Updating Windows 10? Essential Guide

Wondering if you can close your laptop while updating Windows 10? This guide will help you manage Windows updates safely without risking your system.

How to Shutdown or Pause Windows Updates Safely?​

1. Shutdown Windows Without Updating​

• Open Control Panel:
  • Click on the Start Menu.
  • Type "Control Panel" in the search bar and press Enter.
• Navigate to Power Options:
  • In the Control Panel, click on "Hardware and Sound."
  • Select "Power Options."
• Adjust Power Button Actions:
  • Click on "Choose what the power buttons do" on the left pane.
  • Change the settings for "On battery" and "Plugged in" to "Do nothing" next to "When I close the lid."
  • Click on "Save changes."
• Shutdown Without Updating:
  • Close out of the Control Panel. When prompted with "Update and Restart/Shutdown," simply click out of that prompt.
  • Press the power button to shutdown safely without installing updates.

This helps you avoid forced updates, ensuring that you can close your laptop lid without risking damage due to interrupted updates.

2. Create a Desktop Shortcut to Shutdown Windows Safely​

• Create a New Shortcut:
  • Right-click on an empty area of your desktop.
  • Click on "New" and then "Shortcut."
• Enter Shutdown Command:
  • Type C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe /s /hybrid in the location field.
  • Click "Next."
• Name the Shortcut:
  • Give your shortcut a name, such as "Quick Shutdown."
  • Click "Finish."
• Use the Shortcut:
  • Whenever you need to shutdown quickly, double-click the shortcut.
  • Confirm the shutdown in the confirmation dialog.

This shortcut allows you to shut down your computer quickly and safely, bypassing any updates.

3. Stop Windows Updates in Progress​

• Open Task Manager:
  • Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc or right-click on the taskbar and select "Task Manager."
• End Windows Update Processes:
  • Go to the "Processes" tab.
  • Locate any processes related to Windows Update (such as "Windows Update" or "Windows Module Installer").
  • Right-click on each and select "End Task."
• Use Services to Stop Updates:
  • Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog.
  • Type services.msc and press Enter.
  • In the Services window, scroll down to "Windows Update."
  • Right-click on it and select "Stop."

By stopping the Windows Update processes and service, you can safely halt updates in progress without risking damage to your system.

4. Pause Windows Updates​

• Open Settings:
  • Click on the Start Menu and select "Settings" (gear icon).
• Navigate to Update & Security:
  • Click on "Update & Security."
• Pause Updates:
  • Under "Windows Update," click "Advanced options."
  • Scroll down to "Pause updates" and select the dropdown menu to choose the duration for which you want to pause updates.

Pausing updates allows you to delay them until a more convenient time, preventing them from interrupting your work or travel plans.

5. Update Device Drivers Regularly​

• Open Device Manager:
  • Type "Device Manager" in the Windows search bar and press Enter.
• Locate the Device:
  • In the Device Manager window, double-click on the category of the device you want to update.
• Update the Driver:
  • Right-click on the device name and select "Update driver."
  • Choose "Search automatically for updated driver software."
• Restart Your Computer:
  • Once the driver is updated, restart your computer to apply the changes.

Keeping your device drivers up to date ensures that your computer runs smoothly and reduces the likelihood of issues during Windows updates.

What can I do to close the laptop lid when updating?​

You will need to access the Change what closing the lid does menu.

1. Press Windows + R
2. Type in control.exe
   • This will open the Control Panel
3. Go to Hardware and Sound
4. Select Power Options
5. Click on Choose what closing the lid does
6. Go to both the On battery and Plugged in options, and select either Do nothing or Turn off display

By following these steps, you should be able to close the lid of your laptop at any time without hindering the Windows update process in any way.

These methods provide multiple ways to manage Windows updates, allowing you to shutdown or pause updates safely and effectively.