[German]Quick question for blog readers who use Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2 and install preview updates. A blog reader contacted me this a couple of days ago, because various updates, which are normally optional, were installed automatically on his computer. Upon checking, he noticed that the value for the "Optional Updates" group policy had been changed.
The strange thing is that gpedit.msc indicates that no group policy has been configured. This suggests a bug. It could be related to the refresh of the Windows 11 25H2 installation media on February 12, 2026. I would be interested to know if any other readers have observed this.
Windows 11 Preview Update KB5077241 is optional
Microsoft released Preview Update KB5077241 for Windows 11 24H2 – 25H2 on February 24, 2026. This update includes various fixes, which I described in the German blog post Windows 11 24H2 – 25H2: Preview Update KB5077241 (24. Feb. 2026).
nstalled by default. Normally, users should manually initiate the download and installation of the relevant preview updates. However, starting with Windows 11 22H2, Microsoft has made it possible for users to have optional updates installed automatically.
The screenshot above shows the option Erhalten Sie die neuesten Updates, sobald sie verfügbar sind (English Get the latest updates as soon as they are available), which can be used to control this. In addition, since Windows 11 22H2, administrators can use group policies to control whether optional updates can be installed automatically. In 2023, I wrote about this in the Gernab blog post Windows 11 22H2 Neuerung: Optionale Update-Installation per Gruppenrichtlinie steuern.
In the past, I have repeatedly come across reader comments reporting that optional updates were being installed automatically. But I couldn't quite "get to the bottom of it." So much for the preliminary remarks on the following issue, which seems to be even more "curious."
Reader report on a curious observation
A blog reader sent a private message on Facebook saying: "Hi Günter. I've been following you for quite a while and read your blog very carefully. Today you reported on the preview update KB5077241 for Win 11."
Optional updates installed automatically
Then came a very interesting observation from the reader. He wrote that he was at his computer and noticed that this preview update KB5077241 had been automatically installed on his Windows 11 system. The .Net preview update was also automatically installed on his system "the day before yesterday."
Normally, I would have said, "Okay, these things happen, who knows what happened." But the user wrote to me, "I definitely did not install these manually."
Windows 11 25H2 reinstalled with the latest image in February 2025
The reader states that he only reinstalled Windows 11 Pro on February 21, 2026. He used the current version available on the Microsoft download page on February 21, 2026 as the installation image. On February 12, 2026, our colleagues at German site deskmodder.de mentioned in this article that Microsoft had provided an updated installation image for the MCT for Windows 11 25H2..
Crude group policy settings in Windows 11
The reader then investigated the matter. During his analysis, he discovered that the group policy "Optional Updates" was set to 1 in the Windows Update settings after reinstallation, according to the configured update policies.
Microsoft has published a support article on update policies and states under AllowOptionalContent that the default value for this policy is 0 (see table below). This policy applies from Windows 10, version 21H2 onwards. With the default value, no "Optional Updates" and no phased feature rollouts (CFRs) should be installed automatically.
Now, the value of the group policy on the reader's computer was set to 1, which meant that optional updates and incremental feature rollout updates could be received and installed automatically.
The reader did not set any policy
The reader wrote to me: "I definitely did not set this group policy to 1, nor did I use any tools that change anything in the Windows settings." The following German screenshot from the reader shows that the optional update settings cannot be configured for the user.
Configured update policies; Click to zoom
gpedit also cannot find a configured policy
Under gpedit, the blog reader also sees the relevant group policy as not configured. He sent me the following screenshot as confirmation.
Policy for optional updates; Click to zoom
The blog reader notes that he has nothing against preview updates. But he would like to decide for himself whether to install them or not. "Forced happiness is really not necessary."
My cross-check with Windows 11 25H2
I took a quick look in a VM with Windows 11 25H2 – the VM was repeatedly upgraded to the current version via feature updates in several steps. The above-mentioned group policy is also not configured there. However, I can also allow optional update installation as a user there.
Bug or silent change by Microsoft?
This led the reader to ask: "Has Microsoft secretly changed the default setting here? Do you or the community know anything about this?" I myself have not heard anything about this from readers. There are indeed indications that something has changed with the latest installation image of Windows 11 25H2. I'm just not sure yet whether this is a simple bug or a deliberate change.
I gave the blog reader advance access to the article here, and he then provided me with some additional information, which I will quote here verbatim:
I need to mention something important. I have since set the policy to "Disabled." Today, I wanted to take two more screenshots with a direct comparison, so I set the policy back to "Not configured." However, it now seems to be working as it should. Even after a restart, Windows Update shows that no update policies are configured.
A cross-check, in which I first activated the policy and then set it back to "Not configured," leads to the same result. It looks to me as if a small bug had crept in here, which was fixed by manually setting the policy.
At this point, I would like to thank the blog reader for the information – and ask the readership: "Has anyone else noticed this? Or is there an explanation (other than it being a bug) for it?"
Similar German articles:
Windows 11 22H2 Neuerung: Optionale Update-Installation per Gruppenrichtlinie steuern
Windows 10: Merkwürdigkeiten bei Update-Optionen – Teil 1
Windows 10 V1903: Ungereimtheiten bei der Update-Kontrolle – Teil 2
[Use the build-in translator to read the German blog posts]
Maybe, possibly related? A couple weeks ago, my main work machine, which is in the release preview ring, installed a beta build on its own. When I rolled back, I saw that it was in the beta ring and release preview was not an option listed. Only canary, dev and beta.
It took about 24 hours before release preview ring was an option again.
I could only find a couple reports of this happening to others.