How To Stop Windows 7, Windows 8.1 From Nagging You To Upgrade To Windows 10

Windows 10 is no doubt one of the most successful operating system launch in the history of Microsoft. Thanks to the big PR campaigns, Windows Insider Program, the free Windows 10 upgrade offer, and letting users upgrade their existing Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 directly through Windows Update. But not everyone wants to upgrade to Windows 10. To let users upgrade to Windows 10 through Windows Update, Microsoft installed few updates on existing Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 computers. Mostly these updates were delivered without asking the users. After the updates are installed a user is asked to register for Windows 10 free upgrade.

In reality, users can get the free upgrade without registering for it. Now, if you are one who is constantly getting nagged to update to Windows 10, here is something that you may like. No, I will not ask you to mess with the registry or do tasks that may be hard for you to understand. Here is a portable freeware app known as GWX Control Panel (formerly known as GWX Stopper) to do the task for you.

Free Windows 10 Upgrade

GWX Control Panel: Stop Upgrade to Windows 10 nagging on Windows 7/8.1

Using GWX Control Panel is very simple. It is small application that doesn’t need you to install it. To start using it, you first need to download GWX Control Panel from the developer’s website. After download is complete, run it as an administrator. Click Yes if you receive the UAC prompt.

The first time you run GWX Control Panel, it will show you the End User License Agreement (EULA). Accept the EULA by selecting I accept the terms of this agreement and then click on Continue.

GWX Control Panel

As you can see in the screenshot above, if the Get Windows 10 app is running on your system tray, you can temporarily remove the icon from your system tray by clicking on Close ‘Get Windows 10’ App. When you do this, the Windows flag icon will disappear for the time being. Please note this will be temporary and the icon will re-appear after you restart Windows. To fix the issue permanently, click on the second button that says, “Disable ‘Get Windows 10’ App”. After you click on this icon, it will prevent the annoying Windows flag icon from appearing again.

If you open Windows Update from Control Panel and notice it saying “Upgrade to Windows 10” and it automatically selects the optional “Upgrade to Windows 10” update for installation, you can stop it by clicking on the third button “Disable Operating System Upgrades in Windows Update”.

If you ever want to upgrade to Windows 10, you can run GWX Control Panel again, and click on the “Enable ‘Get Windows 10’ App” button. The icon will appear in your system tray immediately. You can now follow this tutorial and get Windows 10 delivered to your computer.

Free Windows 10 Upgrade

Let us know what you think about the way Microsoft is nagging users into upgrading to Windows 10. Are you ready yet to update to Windows 10 yet? Share with us your thoughts on this through comments below.

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