Microsoft gives users control to snooze Windows 10 updates and avoid "disruptive" reboots

Microsoft will change the way it handles updates to Windows 10 when its Creators Update is released in the coming months.

The changes are intended to eliminate the hassle of Windows updates occurring at inopportune times by allowing users to schedule exactly when updates happen.

If users still want updates to happen automatically, the "Active Hours" feature has been expanded to allow users to choose the times they are the least active.

Users will also be able to pause Windows 10 updates for three days once they've started with a "snooze" button.

Microsoft program management director John Cable said in a blog post that the new system would hopefully remedy the disruption caused whenever Windows unexpectedly rebooted.

"Prior to the Creators Update, Windows 10 made most of the decisions for you regarding when updates would be installed and didn’t provide ways to tailor the timing to your specific needs," said Cable.

"What we heard back most explicitly was that you want more control over when Windows 10 installs updates. We also heard that unexpected reboots are disruptive if they happen at the wrong time."

Microsoft has also introduced an "at a glance" icon that will display whether the operating system is up-to-date in the Windows Update Settings page.

Windows 10 Creator Update is expected to release in April.