Microsoft has quietly added a quality-of-life feature to Windows 11 that PC builders and laptop unboxers have wanted for years: the ability to skip mandatory updates during first-time setup.
First spotted by AriaUpdated on X, the new option appears during the out-of-box experience (OOBE) and asks whether you want to carry out pending updates immediately or defer them for later. Selecting the defer option takes you to a confirmation screen with two choices: Update Later or Complete Updates Now. That's it. No buried settings, no registry edits, just a straightforward prompt.
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The 30-minute problem that finally has a fix
Anyone who has set up a new Windows PC in the last few years knows the routine. You power on the machine, get through the initial setup wizard, and then hit a wall of updates that can take anywhere from 30 minutes to well over an hour depending on your internet connection and how long the device has been sitting in a box. Windows 11 has accumulated a significant number of updates since launch, so that wait has only grown longer over time.
The feature was confirmed in practice by PC Gamer's Jess Kinghorn, who factory reset a Gigabyte Aero X16 gaming laptop and saw the Update Later prompt appear during setup. The option is live on hardware from 2025, which suggests it's rolling out broadly rather than being limited to specific device configurations.
Part of a bigger Microsoft push on update friction
This change doesn't exist in isolation. Pavan Davuluri, Executive Vice President of Windows + Devices at Microsoft, outlined a strategy in March 2026 focused on reducing what he called "disruption from Windows Updates." Earlier in the year, Davuluri also committed to addressing consistent customer pain points around system performance and reliability throughout 2026.
Skipping updates during setup means your machine won't have the latest security patches until you manually run them. You'll want to circle back and complete those updates before doing anything sensitive online.
The setup skip option brings Windows 11 closer to the first-boot experience on ChromeOS and macOS, both of which have long offered faster paths to a usable desktop. The gap between Windows and its competitors on this front has been a recurring criticism, and Microsoft appears to be taking it seriously.
What this means for PC gamers specifically
For anyone building a new rig or reinstalling Windows after a hardware upgrade, this is a genuine time saver. The old flow forced you to either sit through the update process or walk away and come back, which was particularly frustrating when you just wanted to run a benchmark or jump into a game.
The installer does offer a small consolation for those who do sit through updates: Microsoft Edge's Surf game is accessible to pass the time. But a built-in browser game as compensation for a 30-minute wait was never a great trade.
Speedrunning a Windows install has actually been a niche hobby for years, with the Windows 10 era producing some genuinely impressive times. Windows 11 made that harder, so any movement toward a faster setup process is welcome news for that crowd too.
For more on PC gaming hardware and software, check out the latest gaming news on our site. Microsoft's update changes are worth watching as the company continues rolling out quality-of-life improvements across Windows 11 throughout the rest of the year, with performance and reliability fixes still reportedly in the pipeline.
