Windows Update Reboot Grace Period Registry Key

This article explains where to find and configure the Windows Update automatic reboot grace period settings within the Windows Registry. Windows administrators can control how long users are given before a mandatory restart occurs after updates are installed by configuring specific DWORD values under the central Windows Update policy keys.

The Registry Path

The configuration parameters for Windows Update reboot deadlines and grace periods are located in the following Registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate

(Note: Depending on the specific Windows version and deployment method, related automated update behavior can also be found in the subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU)

Key Registry Values for Reboot Grace Periods

To enforce and configure the grace period before an automatic reboot, the following DWORD (32-bit) Values are used inside the WindowsUpdate key:

• ConfigureDeadlineGracePeriod
  Specifies the number of days a user has as a grace period before Windows automatically restarts outside of active hours once the deadline has passed (typically applies to quality updates).
• ConfigureDeadlineGracePeriodForFeatureUpdates
  Specifies the grace period (in days) specifically for feature updates before an automatic reboot is enforced.
• SetComplianceDeadline
  A master switch value (1 for enabled, 0 for disabled) that activates the compliance deadline policies on the client machine.
• ConfigureDeadlineForQualityUpdates
  Defines the number of days before quality updates must be installed and restarted.
• ConfigureDeadlineForFeatureUpdates
  Defines the number of days before feature updates must be installed and restarted.
• ConfigureDeadlineNoAutoReboot
  Set to 1 to prevent automatic reboots until the specified grace period expires.

How to Configure the Grace Period via Regedit

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate
3. If the WindowsUpdate key does not exist, right-click the Windows folder, select New > Key, and name it WindowsUpdate.
4. Right-click in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it ConfigureDeadlineGracePeriod.
5. Double-click ConfigureDeadlineGracePeriod, set the Base to Decimal, and enter the desired number of days (e.g., 2 for a 2-day grace period).
6. Ensure SetComplianceDeadline is created and set to 1 (Hexadecimal/Decimal) to enforce these policies.
7. Restart the computer or run gpupdate /force in an elevated Command Prompt to apply the changes.