How to block a driver update on Windows 10

Driver updates are fairly common on any desktop operating system. Some driver updates are bundled with major and/or minor OS updates while others download individually whenever they’re available. Driver updates aren’t as critical as security updates so it’s okay if you skip them or don’t install them immediately. In some cases though, a driver might actually break your system. The only problem is, it’s rather difficult to block a driver update on Windows 10 since they tend to download and install in the background.

That said, Microsoft does know that not all drivers, or driver updates are going to work on a system. On some systems, a certain driver may not work very well which is why there’s an app that can block a driver update from installing.

Block a driver update

If the driver has already been installed, open Device manager, look for the device the driver is for, right-click it, and select the uninstall driver option. If you need to use an older version of the driver and not necessarily remove it, you can roll it back to an older version.

Next, you need to block the driver/update. Download the wushowhide app and run it. Click Next on the first screen you see and then when prompted to, select the Hide updates option.

The app will then search for available updates however, this includes all updates that are delivered via Windows Updates. Look through the list and select only the driver update that you want to block. Do not block anything else. Click Next and the app will hide the update effectively blocking it.

This will work for drivers installed, or driver updates that are delivered via Windows updates however you might have other apps/utilities on your system that install drivers and updates. If you do, you should either uninstall them or revoke their right to download and install updates.

Often on systems manufactured by Dell or hp, there is a utility installed that will help you find drivers and get support. While they can be helpful, they will also install driver updates often without asking you. In some cases, the app might even tell you a normal driver update is critical when it isn’t. You can uninstall most of these apps as they aren’t critical.

You should know that newer updates, or an overall update to Windows 10 might unblock the blocked drivers. In this case, you should run the app again and block them.