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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchTo install Windows monthly quality updates during supported Windows 11 Autopilot provisioning, enable Install Windows quality updates in the device-targeted Intune Enrollment Status Page (ESP) profile and set Block device use until all apps and profiles are installed to Yes. Configure Microsoft Defender Antivirus real-time protection and its security intelligence update schedule separately: the ESP option does not update every Defender component.
Know which updates and protections you are configuring
Windows monthly quality updates, Defender security intelligence, Defender platform updates, real-time protection, and cloud-delivered protection are related security measures, but they are not the same control.
- Windows quality updates: Monthly Windows releases, including security fixes. The ESP option applies to these releases; it does not install every category of Windows update. Microsoft documents the ESP behavior and its conditions.
- Defender security intelligence updates: Protection data that Microsoft Defender Antivirus periodically downloads. An Intune policy can set the scheduled check interval.
- Defender platform updates: A separate update layer. Microsoft identifies platform updates under KB4052623; security intelligence updates are released under KB2267602. Microsoft explains the update types and delivery.
- Real-time protection: The Defender Antivirus capability that monitors files and activity as they occur. Configure it through an Antivirus policy, not the ESP Windows quality-update switch.
- Cloud-delivered protection: Requires an active internet connection and complements, rather than replaces, regular security intelligence updates.
Microsoft describes Device ESP as “The portion of the ESP that runs during the OOBE process and applies device policies and installs device applications.” Windows Autopilot documentation
Configure monthly Windows quality updates in ESP
- Choose the deployment’s device-targeted ESP profile. The setting applies to devices enrolled through Windows Autopilot, or to devices not registered with Autopilot when targeted through All Devices. User-targeted ESP profiles are not supported for this setting.
- Set Install Windows quality updates to Yes. New ESP profiles default to Yes; existing profiles default to No until an administrator edits them. Check the current Microsoft ESP guidance for applicability.
- Set Block device use until all apps and profiles are installed to Yes. This keeps ESP active while policies and monthly quality updates are applied. If this is No, ESP can exit before those items apply, even if quality updates are enabled.
- Check the Windows and deployment flow. Use a currently supported Windows 11 version. Windows Autopilot device preparation does not use ESP, so the setting does not apply. In pre-provisioned Autopilot, monthly security updates are not installed during Technician Flow; the setting is honored during User Flow.
- Check update rings and network conditions. Update ring deferrals and pauses are honored, so review ring assignments and allow time for policy synchronization. Monthly security releases are not installed during OOBE on a metered network.
Allow an additional 20–40 minutes for provisioning when monthly quality updates install during OOBE, according to Microsoft Intune guidance current as of October 4, 2026. A restart may also be required; account for that in deployments that depend on uninterrupted autologon provisioning. Microsoft’s ESP documentation
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Configure Defender real-time protection and intelligence updates separately
In Intune, use an endpoint security Antivirus policy or the current Windows Settings Catalog to manage Defender Antivirus. The documented controls include turning on real-time protection and setting the security intelligence update check interval. Microsoft’s legacy-profile reference names these settings AllowRealtimeMonitoring and SignatureUpdateInterval; the interval accepts 0–24 hours, and 0 means no check for new signatures. See Microsoft’s Intune endpoint protection reference.
That reference covers legacy profile formats. For profiles created using the newer format, use the Settings Catalog and verify the exact setting available in your tenant’s admin center. Check that the intended Antivirus policy is assigned to the device and that another policy is not overriding it. Keep internet access in view as well: cloud-delivered protection requires an active connection, while the intelligence-update interval controls scheduled checks.
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Troubleshoot when updates or protection do not apply during setup
- ESP finishes without waiting for Windows updates: Verify the assigned device-targeted profile, confirm Install Windows quality updates is Yes, and confirm Block device use until all apps and profiles are installed is Yes.
- The device or flow is outside the supported scenario: Confirm the device runs a supported Windows 11 version and uses an eligible Autopilot or All Devices assignment. ESP quality updates do not apply to Autopilot device preparation; in pre-provisioned deployment, check whether setup is in Technician Flow or User Flow.
- Updates are deferred or unavailable: Check whether the network is metered and whether update rings pause or defer releases. Confirm the device can reach the services required by your deployment and policy.
- Defender behavior differs from the ESP setting: Review the separate Antivirus policy or Settings Catalog assignments for real-time protection and intelligence-update cadence. Do not infer Defender platform or intelligence updates from the Windows quality-update setting.
- The tenant still behaves differently: Examine assignment precedence, conflicting policies, network filtering, and device logs. The general configuration guidance cannot identify a tenant-specific cause without its policy configuration and logs.
Microsoft notes that delaying monthly security releases can give internal teams time to test them before allowing installation on new devices during provisioning. Autopilot change log
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