diff --git a/src/common/user-store/preferences-helpers.ts b/src/common/user-store/preferences-helpers.ts
index d981049d01..2320d8ed7b 100644
--- a/src/common/user-store/preferences-helpers.ts
+++ b/src/common/user-store/preferences-helpers.ts
@@ -260,6 +260,32 @@ const editorConfiguration: PreferenceDescription<EditorConfiguration, EditorConf
   },
 };
 
+const defaultUpdateChannel = "latest";
+const updateChannels = new Map([
+  [defaultUpdateChannel, {
+    label: "Stable"
+  }],
+  ["beta", {
+    label: "Beta"
+  }],
+  ["alpha", {
+    label: "Alpha"
+  }],
+]);
+
+const updateChannel: PreferenceDescription<string> = {
+  fromStore(val) {
+    return updateChannels.has(val) ? val : defaultUpdateChannel;
+  },
+  toStore(val) {
+    if (!updateChannels.has(val) || val === defaultUpdateChannel) {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+
+    return val;
+  }
+};
+
 type PreferencesModelType<field extends keyof typeof DESCRIPTORS> = typeof DESCRIPTORS[field] extends PreferenceDescription<infer T, any> ? T : never;
 type UserStoreModelType<field extends keyof typeof DESCRIPTORS> = typeof DESCRIPTORS[field] extends PreferenceDescription<any, infer T> ? T : never;
 
@@ -288,4 +314,10 @@ export const DESCRIPTORS = {
   syncKubeconfigEntries,
   editorConfiguration,
   terminalCopyOnSelect,
+  updateChannel,
+};
+
+export const CONSTANTS = {
+  defaultUpdateChannel,
+  updateChannels,
 };
diff --git a/src/common/user-store/user-store.ts b/src/common/user-store/user-store.ts
index 1bd18e06e8..68e7ece0d6 100644
--- a/src/common/user-store/user-store.ts
+++ b/src/common/user-store/user-store.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ import { appEventBus } from "../event-bus";
 import path from "path";
 import { fileNameMigration } from "../../migrations/user-store";
 import { ObservableToggleSet, toJS } from "../../renderer/utils";
-import { DESCRIPTORS, KubeconfigSyncValue, UserPreferencesModel, EditorConfiguration } from "./preferences-helpers";
+import { DESCRIPTORS, KubeconfigSyncValue, UserPreferencesModel, EditorConfiguration, CONSTANTS } from "./preferences-helpers";
 import logger from "../../main/logger";
 import type { monaco } from "react-monaco-editor";
 import { getPath } from "../utils/getPath";
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ export class UserStore extends BaseStore<UserStoreModel> /* implements UserStore
   @observable downloadBinariesPath?: string;
   @observable kubectlBinariesPath?: string;
   @observable terminalCopyOnSelect: boolean;
+  @observable updateChannel?: string;
 
   /**
    * Download kubectl binaries matching cluster version
@@ -106,6 +107,10 @@ export class UserStore extends BaseStore<UserStoreModel> /* implements UserStore
     return this.shell || process.env.SHELL || process.env.PTYSHELL;
   }
 
+  @computed get isAllowedToDowngrade(): boolean {
+    return this.updateChannel !== CONSTANTS.defaultUpdateChannel;
+  }
+
   startMainReactions() {
     // track telemetry availability
     reaction(() => this.allowTelemetry, allowed => {
@@ -218,6 +223,7 @@ export class UserStore extends BaseStore<UserStoreModel> /* implements UserStore
     this.syncKubeconfigEntries.replace(DESCRIPTORS.syncKubeconfigEntries.fromStore(preferences?.syncKubeconfigEntries));
     this.editorConfiguration = DESCRIPTORS.editorConfiguration.fromStore(preferences?.editorConfiguration);
     this.terminalCopyOnSelect = DESCRIPTORS.terminalCopyOnSelect.fromStore(preferences?.terminalCopyOnSelect);
+    this.updateChannel = DESCRIPTORS.updateChannel.fromStore(preferences?.updateChannel);
   }
 
   toJSON(): UserStoreModel {
@@ -240,6 +246,7 @@ export class UserStore extends BaseStore<UserStoreModel> /* implements UserStore
         syncKubeconfigEntries: DESCRIPTORS.syncKubeconfigEntries.toStore(this.syncKubeconfigEntries),
         editorConfiguration: DESCRIPTORS.editorConfiguration.toStore(this.editorConfiguration),
         terminalCopyOnSelect: DESCRIPTORS.terminalCopyOnSelect.toStore(this.terminalCopyOnSelect),
+        updateChannel: DESCRIPTORS.updateChannel.toStore(this.updateChannel),
       },
     };
 
diff --git a/src/main/app-updater.ts b/src/main/app-updater.ts
index ab8a4c509b..d22f96d65d 100644
--- a/src/main/app-updater.ts
+++ b/src/main/app-updater.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import { areArgsUpdateAvailableToBackchannel, AutoUpdateLogPrefix, broadcastMess
 import { once } from "lodash";
 import { ipcMain } from "electron";
 import { nextUpdateChannel } from "./utils/update-channel";
+import { UserStore } from "../common/user-store";
 
 const updateChannel = autoUpdater.channel;
 let installVersion: null | string = null;
@@ -58,9 +59,13 @@ export const startUpdateChecking = once(function (interval = 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24
     return;
   }
 
+  const us = UserStore.getInstance();
+
   autoUpdater.logger = logger;
   autoUpdater.autoDownload = false;
   autoUpdater.autoInstallOnAppQuit = false;
+  autoUpdater.channel = us.updateChannel;
+  autoUpdater.allowDowngrade = us.isAllowedToDowngrade;
 
   autoUpdater
     .on("update-available", (info: UpdateInfo) => {
diff --git a/src/renderer/components/+preferences/application.tsx b/src/renderer/components/+preferences/application.tsx
index ba86dc2ea8..f99b65f306 100644
--- a/src/renderer/components/+preferences/application.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/components/+preferences/application.tsx
@@ -29,11 +29,16 @@ import { Input } from "../input";
 import { isWindows } from "../../../common/vars";
 import { FormSwitch, Switcher } from "../switch";
 import moment from "moment-timezone";
+import { CONSTANTS } from "../../../common/user-store/preferences-helpers";
 
 const timezoneOptions: SelectOption<string>[] = moment.tz.names().map(zone => ({
   label: zone,
   value: zone,
 }));
+const updateChannelOptions: SelectOption<string>[] = Array.from(
+  CONSTANTS.updateChannels.entries(),
+  ([value, { label }]) => ({ value, label }),
+);
 
 export const Application = observer(() => {
   const defaultShell = process.env.SHELL
@@ -104,6 +109,18 @@ export const Application = observer(() => {
 
       <hr />
 
+      <section id="update-channel">
+        <SubTitle title="Update Channel"/>
+        <Select
+          options={updateChannelOptions}
+          value={UserStore.getInstance().updateChannel}
+          onChange={({ value }: SelectOption) => UserStore.getInstance().updateChannel = value}
+          themeName="lens"
+        />
+      </section>
+
+      <hr />
+
       <section id="locale">
         <SubTitle title="Locale Timezone" />
         <Select