Short answer: Windows updates on a cloud desktop behave exactly as they do on any PC — including needing a restart. Set active hours so it never restarts during your working day, save your work before restarting, and never power the machine off while an update is installing.
Applies to: Infosaic cloud desktops and VPS · Windows
A cloud desktop is a real Windows machine, so it gets real Windows updates. That is a good thing — security fixes matter more on a machine reachable from the internet, not less — but it does mean the familiar restart prompt turns up here too.
Two settings and one habit keep it entirely undramatic.
Stop it restarting in the middle of your day
- On the cloud desktop, open Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update.
- Open Change active hours.
- Set them to cover your whole working day. Windows will not restart automatically inside that window.
- Check the time zone is right first — active hours are meaningless if the clock is three hours out. See setting the time zone.
- If a restart is already pending, use Schedule the restart to pick a time that suits you.
If several people share the desktop, agree the active hours between you. They are a machine setting, not a personal one, and they need to cover everybody’s day.
When an update wants a restart
- Save everything first. Windows tries to preserve open work, but it is not a promise worth relying on.
- Tell anyone else on the desktop before you restart a machine you share.
- Let it finish. Installing updates on shutdown and startup can take a while. Do not use Restart Virtual Machine from the control panel to hurry it along — interrupting an update part-way is one of the few reliable ways to break a Windows installation.
- Expect a longer wait than usual. A monthly cumulative update takes noticeably longer than an ordinary restart.
- Wait a minute after it looks ready. Windows accepts remote connections slightly after it appears to have finished starting.
Updates need disk space. An update that downloads and then fails to install, repeatedly, is very often a full disk rather than a broken update. Check free space before investigating anything more exotic — see how to check disk space.
Should I pause or turn updates off?
Pausing briefly is reasonable. Turning updates off is not.
- Pause for a few days if you are mid-way through something that cannot be interrupted. Windows Update has a built-in pause for exactly this.
- Do not disable updates permanently. A cloud desktop is reachable from the internet, and unpatched Windows machines are found by automated scanning within hours, not months.
- If an update breaks an application, tell us. Do not respond by switching updates off — open a support request and describe what stopped working.
Questions and answers
Does my cloud desktop install Windows updates?
Yes. It is a full Windows machine and receives updates in the normal way, including ones that require a restart.
How do I stop it restarting during work?
Set active hours in Settings, Update and Security, Windows Update to cover your whole working day. Check the time zone is correct first.
Can I choose when it restarts?
Yes. When a restart is pending, use Schedule the restart to pick a time.
Why do updates keep failing to install?
Most often a full disk. Free up space and try again before assuming the update itself is at fault.
Can I force a restart from the control panel to speed it up?
No. Interrupting an update part-way is one of the most reliable ways to damage a Windows installation. Let it finish.
Should I turn updates off?
No. A cloud desktop is reachable from the internet and unpatched machines are found quickly by automated scanning. Pause briefly if you must.
An update broke one of my programs. What now?
Open a support request describing exactly what stopped working and when. Do not disable updates as a workaround.
How long does an update restart take?
Longer than an ordinary restart, and a monthly cumulative update longer still. Wait an extra minute after it looks ready before reconnecting.
Related articles
- How to restart your cloud desktop (and when you should)
- How to check disk space and free it up safely
- Set the time zone on your cloud desktop
- How to open a support request (and get it solved faster)
Still stuck?
Open a support request from your control panel — that is the fastest route, because it reaches the team who can already see your account and your desktop. You can also email [email protected].