If while trying to change Windows Update preferences or manually update, you have received the following message – Windows Update cannot currently check for updates because updates on this computer are controlled, then know that this error is usually encountered in managed systems where an Administrator controls permissions on the system. The reason is that the user is unable to modify the Windows Update preferences or manually update the operating system, because a group policy prevents him from doing so, and the only person who could change the same is the administrator of the system.
The troubleshooting for this is the same as that, when you receive a message Some settings are managed by your organization – and you need to take a look at the Windows Update Group Policy & Registry settings.
Windows Update cannot currently check for updates because updates on this computer are controlled
If you are a Standard user, you need to contact your administrator about this. In case you are the administrator, you can make changes to system settings using:
- Group Policy Editor
- Registry Editor.
Let us see how to do it.
1] Using Group Policy Editor
Press Win + R to open the Run window and type the command gpedit.msc. Press Enter to open the Group Policy Editor. Navigate to the following folder:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update
On the right-pane, locate the policy Configure Automatic Updates and double-click on it to open its Properties.
Shift the Radio button to Enabled.
From the drop-down menu for Configure automatic updating, select 5 – Allow local admin to choose setting.
Click on Apply and then on OK to save the settings. Restart the system, and it should fix the problem for non-admin users.
2] Using the Registry Editor
In case you are using the Home edition of Windows and wish to change the policy for non-admin users on your local computer, the Registry Editor method could be used. Here’s the procedure for the same.
Press Win + R to open the Run window and type the command regedit. Press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
Navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
Search for the key WindowsUpdate in the Windows folder.
In case the key WindowsUpdate does not exist, right-click on the Windows folder and select New > Key. 
Name the new key WindowsUpdate.
Now create a new sub-key under WindowsUpdate and name it AU.
While keeping the AU key selected, right-click anywhere in the right-pane and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the Value AUOptions.
Right-click on AUOptions and select Modify.
Change the value of the Value data to 5 and click on OK to save the settings.
The Value Data of 5 refers to the policy To allow local admin to choose setting.
Restart the system once done and non-admin users would be able to update Windows and modify Windows Update settings.
Trust this helps!
