How to remove configured Windows 10 update policies

Question

I have run into a very frustrating issue where my computer updates and restarts without notice. I have tried to disable this setting, but have encountered the message "Some settings are managed by your organization", but I am not part of an organization, own my windows 10 licence, and am not enrolled in the insider program. Many google searches have suggested that I enter the group policy editor to disable these policies in the "Windows Update" settings but it appears that no policies are configured here so I do not think that this is the issue. I have also seen suggestions to look in the registry editor but the suggested settings to modify do not appear in my editor. I am truly at a loss here! I have attached a list of all the installed policies, any advice as to how I would go about removing all of these would be immensely appreciated!

1)Auto install and restart at an IT specified time with no notifications

2)Schedule Update Install Day

3)Schedule Update Install Time

4)Get Updates for Other microsoft products

5)Disable Pause updates by User

6)Quality Update Deferral Period

7)Feature update deferral period

8)Exclude Drivers from Windows Quality Updates

9)Enable Automatic Updates

10)Enable skipping battery checks for EDU devices

all of these have the source Administrator and type: Mobile Device Management

I am the sole administrator account so I do not understand why these are here.

Solution

What you're running into is relatively new for Windows and can be very confusing, so don't feel bad that you haven't found a solution.

There are two ways that system settings can be configured by system administrators on a Windows 10 PC:

• Group Policy. This is the traditional way of configuring Windows, and is what all the documentation you're describing is telling you about.
• Mobile Device Management . This is a relatively new approach that lets administrators configure all sorts of devices connecting to their networks -- computers, phones, tablets, etc. You can see the documentation for MDM on Microsoft's website, but be forewarned that it's pretty technically dense.

Since Windows Update is telling you that all of these restrictions are coming from Mobile Device Management, that means that someone is using that approach.

If your computer is configured through MDM, you should be able to find it in the Settings app.

• In the Settings app, go to "Accounts", then "Access work or school".
• There's a very good chance that you'll see the MDM source listed there, above or below the "Connect" button.
• If you don't see anything there, click the "Add or remove a provisioning package" link in "Related settings" on the right side of the "Access work or school" page. This will list all the MDM provisioning packages on your machine.

Comments

[Moab]

W10 Home or Professional?

[Moab]

Possible Duplicate...superuser.com/questions/1340271/…

[babranov]

This is a windows 10 education licence I obtained through the university I work at. I tried the fix in the link you suggested but the privacy settings also appear to be "managed by my organization" so that setting does not appear. I contacted IT at my university and they say the policies aren't from them

[Moab]

It must be part of the education distribution of W10, If you can clean install w10 using this link....microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

[babranov]

I am assuming that i will need to restore my machine from a backup when I do this correct? I apologize for my ignorance, I am a mac user so my windows knowledge is poor!

[babranov]

Thank you so much, you solved it! I would have absolutely never gotten to this on my own. My university account was listed in there so I disconnected it and it removed everything, despite university IT insisting they had nothing to do with it!

[Alexander Gelbukh]

To get rid of the MDM resource, click on it on that Settings page; then a button "Disconnect" appears.