How to Turn off Windows 11 Preview Builds Before the Official Version Arrives

With Windows 11 coming soon, you may have signed up one of your PCs for the Windows Insider Program in order to get an early look at the new operating system. (If you're anything like me, you might have gone against your own advice and done it on your main machine!)

Of course, with Windows 11 coming on October 5, you may want to consider leaving the Insider Program for the pastures of releases issued to the general public. If you're in the Beta or Release Preview channels , you can follow these steps: 

 1. Open Settings and select Windows Update 

2. Click on Windows Insider Program

3. Click on "Stop getting preview builds," which will open up a dropdown menu. 

4. Next to "Unenroll this device when the next version of Windows releases," turn the toggle to On.

Windows 11 will roll out through mid-2022, so you'll keep getting Insider preview builds until your device updates. Once you get a more final version of Windows 11, you'll still have all of your software and settings right where you expected it. If you want to start getting more preview builds, you will have to re-enroll your computer in the Insider program.

Don't want to wait? You can stop getting preview builds now, but you'll have to do a clean install of Windows 10.

If you're in the Dev channel of the Windows Insider program, you may have a tough choice to make. Unlike those in the Beta channel, you can't simply get off the ride when it slows down. It's not always possible to leave the Dev channel. Typically, to get out, you'll have to wipe your PC and clean install Windows. Occasionally, however, there are chances to switch to Beta or Release preview, but those tend to be few and far between.

But for everyone else, with Windows 11 coming out soon, now might be a good chance to head for the land of more stable updates.