Why Cumulative Updates or Feature Upgrades May Be Blocked by Windows Update Deferrals

Issue

Windows devices managed with Windows Update for Business (WUfB) policies may fail to install Cumulative Updates (CUs) or Feature Upgrades. This issue often occurs when update deferral settings are applied.

Environment

• Windows 10 and Windows 11

• Devices managed with Windows Update for Business (WUfB) policies

• Automox patch management

Cause

Microsoft provides deferral settings in Windows Update for Business that control when updates are offered to devices. These policies can block CUs or Feature Upgrades:

• DeferUpdatePeriod: Postpones Quality Updates (such as Patch Tuesday CUs) for up to 4 weeks.

• DeferUpgradePeriod: Postpones Feature Updates (OS upgrades, such as Windows 10 → 11) for up to 8 months.

• DeferUpgrade: Controls Feature Update deferrals specifically (not CUs).

If these settings are configured, devices may not receive updates until the deferral period expires.

Resolution

1. Review WUfB policies applied to affected devices.

   • Key location: HKLM:\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\

   • Check the DeferUpdatePeriod setting if CUs are not being installed.

   • Check the DeferUpgrade and DeferUpgradePeriod settings if Feature Upgrades are not being installed.

2. Adjust deferral settings based on organizational requirements.

   • For CUs, reduce or remove the DeferUpdatePeriod value (0–4 weeks).

   • For Feature Upgrades, update or remove DeferUpgradePeriod (0–8 months).

3. Force a policy sync on the affected device to apply the updated settings.

Additional Resources

• Managing Windows Update for Business via OMA-DM (Peter van der Woude)

• Microsoft: Configure Windows Update for Business