Windows Update can help you download updates. But if you want to manually download a certain program in the Windows Update list, such as a Service Pack or a specific security update, follow these steps.
Resolution
All downloaders are located in the Microsoft Download Center. You can complete the download process through these steps.
Select Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Update.
Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Update.»>
In the Windows Update window, select either important updates are available or optional updates are available. The system will automatically check if there’s any update that need to be installed, and display the updates that can be installed onto your computer. Please note the update number that you can download.
Select the Download Center link, type the update number in the [Search] box (e.g. 2286198) and then click on the search icon or press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Microsoft Download Center will automatically search for all contents related to the update number you provided. Based on you operating system, select the Security Update for Windows 7.
Select Download in the download page for KB2286198. A window showing File Download appears, select Open to install the file automatically after downloading.
Select Start > Control Panel > Security > Security Center > Windows Update in Windows Security Center.
Control Panel > Security > Security Center > Windows Update in Windows Security Center.»>
Select View Available Updates in the Windows Update window. The system will automatically check if there’s any update that need to be installed, and display the updates that can be installed onto your computer. Please note the update number that you can download.
Select the Download Center link, type the update number in the Search box (e.g. 960714) and then click on the search icon or press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Microsoft Download Center will automatically search for all contents related to the update number you provided. Based on you operating system, select the Security Update for Windows Vista.
Select Download in the download page for KB960714. A window showing File Download appears, select Open to install the file automatically after downloading.
Select Start > Control Panel > Security Center > Check for the latest updates from Windows Update in Windows Security Center.
Control Panel > Security Center > Check for the latest updates from Windows Update in Windows Security Center.»>
This will launch Internet Explorer, and open Microsoft Update – Windows Internet Explorer window. Select Custom under the Welcome to Microsoft Update section. The system will automatically check if there’s any update that need to be installed, and display the updates that can be installed onto your computer. Please note the update file number that you need.
Select the Download Center link, type the update number in the Search box (e.g. 960714) and then click on the search icon or press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Microsoft Download Center will automatically search for all contents related to the update number you provided. Based on you operating system select the Security Update for Windows XP.
Select Download in the download page for KB960714. A window showing File Download — Security Warning appears; select Run to install the file automatically after downloading.
If you wish to download a specific Hotfix, you may simply open the IE browser and input the number of the hotfix you wish to download into the Address bar, then click the View and request hotfix downloads link. Check the hotfix you wish to download; type your e-mail address and other details for verification, and then click on the Request hotfix button. The system will reply you with an e-mail, which contains the link to download this hotfix.
Please let us know
Are you satisfied with our contents? Whether you think: «Great! Problems solved.» or «Problems are not solved. I have a better idea», we would like you to provide us with your precious opinions using the survey form located at the bottom of this article. We welcome any encouragements you may have, and will be creating more useful technical articles for you.
Automatically get recommended drivers and updates for your hardware
Support for Windows 7 ended on January 14, 2020
We recommend you move to a Windows 10 PC to continue to receive security updates from Microsoft.
You can have Windows automatically download recommended drivers and detailed information for your hardware and devices. This is a good way to make sure all your hardware and devices work properly.
Drivers and information
Windows can find and download two kinds of updates for devices connected to your computer:
Drivers. A driver is software that allows your computer to communicate with hardware devices. Without drivers, the devices you connect to your computer—for example, a mouse or external hard drive—won’t work properly. Windows can automatically check if there are drivers available for new devices that you connect to your computer.
For hardware that you’ve connected to your computer in the past, updated drivers might become available at a later date; but those drivers aren’t installed automatically. To install these optional updates, go to Windows Update in Control Panel, check for updates, and then view and install driver updates that are available for your computer.
Information. Windows can download high-resolution icons for many hardware devices that you connect to your computer, along with detailed information about them, such as product name, manufacturer, and model number—even detailed information about the sync capabilities of a device. These details can make it easier for you to distinguish between similar devices that are connected to your computer, such as different mobile phones.
You can check Windows Update at any time to see if it found new drivers and icons for your hardware, especially if you recently installed a new device. If you want to have Windows Update automatically check for the latest drivers and icons, here’s how:
Open Devices and Printers by clicking the Start button , and then, on the Start menu, clicking Devices and Printers.
Right-click the name of your computer, and then click Device installation settings.
Click Yes, do this automatically (recommended), and then click Save changes. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
If Yes is already selected, click Cancel to close the dialog box.
To get all important and recommended updates for your computer and your devices, make sure that Windows Update is turned on and configured properly.
Even if you have Windows Update set to automatically download and install all important and recommended updates, you still might not be getting all of the updated drivers available for your devices. For instance, optional updates might include updated drivers that become available for hardware or devices you’ve already installed. Windows doesn’t automatically download and install optional updates, but you will be notified when optional updates are available.
To get all the available updates for your devices, periodically check Windows Update for all available updates, including optional updates. You can review the available updates and then select them from the list of updates that Windows finds for your computer. Here’s how to do this:
Open Windows Update by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Update, and then, in the list of results, click Windows Update.
In the left pane, click Check for updates, and then wait while Windows looks for the latest updates for your computer.
If there are any available updates, click the link in the box under Windows Update to see more information about each update. Each type of update might include drivers.
On the Select the updates you want to install page, look for updates for your hardware devices, select the check box for each driver that you want to install, and then click OK. There might not be any driver updates available.
On the Windows Update page, click Install updates. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Windows Update tells you if an update is important, recommended, or optional.
Some updates require you to restart your computer.
Windows Update will tell you if the updates were successfully installed.
Windows Update automatically downloads and installs updates when you connect to the Internet for the first time
This article describes that if you select the default Windows Update option when you install Windows Vista, important updates are automatically downloaded and installed.
Original product version: В Windows Vista Original KB number: В 931275
Summary
In Windows Vista, when you connect to the Internet for the first time, you’re prompted to install driver updates, critical software updates, and recommended software updates. Or, if you select the default Windows Update option when you install Windows Vista, these updates are automatically downloaded and installed. So you don’t have to wait until the scheduled time to download the updates. By default, updates are downloaded and installed at 3:00 A.M. every morning.
This process occurs regardless of how you connect to the Internet. For example, this process occurs whether you connect to the Internet by using a cable connection, a DSL connection, or a dial-up modem.
More information
We recommend that you use Windows Update to check for the updated hardware drivers.
To manually update Windows Vista by using Windows Update, follow these steps:
Select Start, type update in the Start Search box, and then select Windows Update in the Programs list.
In the upper-left corner of the Windows Update window, select Check for updates.
Select View available updates when you’re presented with a summary of available updates.
In the View available updates window, click to select the updates that you want to install, and then select Install.
—>
Windows Update: FAQ
Note: If you’re looking for Microsoft Office update info, see Install Office updates.
In Windows 10, you decide when and how to get the latest updates to keep your device running smoothly and securely. When you update, you’ll get the latest fixes and security improvements, helping your device run efficiently and stay protected. In most cases, restarting your device completes the update. Make sure your device is plugged in when you know updates will be installed.
If other questions come up when you update Windows 10, here are some other areas that might interest you:
When you only want info about updating Windows 10, you’ll find answers to many of your questions here:
When the Windows 10 May 2020 Update is ready for your device, it will be available to download and install from the Windows Update page in Settings. Choose a time that works best for you to download the update. You’ll then need to restart your device and complete the installation. After that, your device will be running Windows 10, version 2004.
To manually check for the latest recommended updates, select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Windows Update .
To get help updating to the latest version of Windows 10, go to the Microsoft software download page and download the Update Assistant.
Some updates may not be available on all devices at the same time—we’re making sure updates are ready and compatible.
To stay up to date, select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Windows Update , and then select Check for updates.
If a feature update is available for your device, it will appear separately on the Windows Update page. To install it, select Download and install now.
Here are a few things you can try if you’re having trouble installing updates:
Make sure that your device is connected to the internet. Downloading updates requires an internet connection.
If you’re connected the internet, try to install the updates manually. Select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Windows Update , and then view available updates. Check for updates
Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter. Select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot . Under Get up and running, select Windows Update.
The time required to download updates primarily depends on internet connection speed, network settings, and update size. Make sure your device is plugged in and connected to the internet to download updates faster.
You can’t stop updates entirely—because they help keep your device safe and secure, updates will eventually need to be installed and downloaded, regardless of your update settings. Here’s how to temporarily pause updates from being downloaded and installed. Note that after the pause limit is reached, you’ll need to install the latest updates before you can pause updates again.
In the Windows 10 November 2019 Update (version 1909) or later, or in Windows version 1809 for Pro or Enterprise, select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update . Then choose one of the following options:
Select Pause updates for 7 days.
Select Advanced options. Then, in the Pause updates section, select the drop-down menu and specify a date for updates to resume.
To finish installing an update, your device will need to restart. Windows will try to restart your device when you’re not using it. If it can’t, you’ll be asked to schedule the restart for a more convenient time. Or, you can schedule anytime by following these steps:
Select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Windows Update .
Select Schedule the restart and choose a time that’s convenient for you.
You can set active hours to make sure automatic restarts for updates only happen when you’re not using your device. Learn about active hours for Windows 10.
Try deleting files you don’t need, uninstalling apps you don’t use, or moving files to another drive like an external USB drive or OneDrive. For more tips on freeing up disk space, see Free up drive space in Windows 10.
We recommend keeping devices like laptops and tablets plugged in when you’re not using them. This way, if updates are installed outside active hours, your device will have enough power to complete the installation. Windows updates don’t consume more battery than other typical system processes.
An update history is available so you can see which updates were installed, and when. You can also use this list to remove specific updates, although we don’t recommend this unless it’s necessary.
Select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Windows Update > View update history .
For more info about what’s included in updates for Windows 10, see Windows 10 update history.
We don’t recommend that you remove any installed updates. However, if you must remove an update, you can do so in update history.
Select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View update history > Uninstall updates.
Select the update you want to remove, then select Uninstall.
Feature updates are typically released twice per year and include new functionality and capabilities as well as potential fixes and security updates. Quality updates are more frequent and mainly include small fixes and security updates. Windows is designed to deliver both kinds of updates to devices through Windows Update.
To double check that your device is up to date, open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and see your update status and available updates.
To find which version of Windows you’re running, see Which version of Windows operating system am I running?
Reserved storage is not automatically turned on by Windows in any update scenarios. It is only turned on for new devices with the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903) or later preinstalled, or devices on which a clean install was performed.
Note: If you’re looking for Microsoft Office update info, see Install Office updates.
The best way to keep Windows 8.1 up to date is to turn on automatic updates. With automatic updates, you don’t have to search for updates online or worry about missing critical fixes or device drivers for your PC. Instead, Windows Update automatically installs important updates as they become available.
To turn on automatic updates:
Open Windows Update by swiping in from the right edge of the screen (or, if you’re using a mouse, pointing to the lower-right corner of the screen and moving the mouse pointer up), select Settings > Change PC settings > Update and recovery > Windows Update. If you want to check for updates manually, select Check now.
Select Choose how updates get installed, and then, under Important updates, select Install updates automatically (recommended).
Under Recommended updates, select Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates.
Under Microsoft Update, select Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows, and then select Apply.
Click the questions below to see answers about how Windows Update keeps your device up to date.
Note: If your PC is connected to a network where updates are managed by Group Policy, you might not be able to change settings related to Windows Update. For more info, contact your organization’s technical support.
Open Windows Update by swiping in from the right edge of the screen (or, if you’re using a mouse, pointing to the lower-right corner of the screen and moving the mouse pointer up), select Settings > Change PC settings > Update and recovery > Windows Update. To check for updates manually, select Check now.
An update history is available so you can see which updates were installed, and when. You can also use this list to remove specific updates, although we don’t recommend this unless it’s necessary.
To see your PC’s update history, open Windows Update by swiping in from the right edge of the screen (or, if you’re using a mouse, pointing to the lower-right corner of the screen and moving the mouse pointer up), select Settings > Change PC settings > Update and recovery > Windows Update > View your update history.
We don’t recommend that you remove any installed updates. However, if you must remove an update, you can do so in update history.
Open Windows Update by swiping in from the right edge of the screen (or, if you’re using a mouse, pointing to the lower-right corner of the screen and moving the mouse pointer up), select Settings > Change PC settings > Update and recovery > Windows Update > View your update history.
Select the update you want to remove, then select Uninstall.
Here are a few things to try if you’re having problems installing updates:
Make sure that your PC is connected to the internet. Some updates can’t be installed if you’re using a metered internet connection.
If you’re connected the internet and updates aren’t installed automatically, wait a few minutes and then try to install the updates manually.
See the Fix Windows Update errors guided walkthrough to try to fix the problem.
Support for Windows 7 ended on January 14, 2020
We recommend you move to a Windows 10 PC to continue to receive security updates from Microsoft.
Click the questions below to see answers about how Windows Update keeps your device up to date.
Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Update.»>
Control Panel > Security > Security Center > Windows Update in Windows Security Center.»>
Control Panel > Security Center > Check for the latest updates from Windows Update in Windows Security Center.»>
, and then, on the Start menu, clicking Devices and Printers.
If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
