How to Update the Windows Update Agent to the Latest Version

To download and install major Windows updates (the upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, for example), you need to not only have all other Windows updates available for your computer installed but also need to have the latest version of the Windows Update Agent. The Windows Update Agent is the Windows utility that handles every operation about Windows Updates – from checking for them to downloading and installing them. If you don’t have the latest available version of the Windows Update Agent, for some reason, you are going to have to get it, one way or another.

There used to be two different ways you could update the Windows Update Agent to its latest version – you could either do it manually or automatically. Automatically updating the Windows Update Agent simply refers to turning automatic updates on – when you do so, all-important updates available for your computer and automatically downloaded and installed, and since updates for the Windows Update Agent count as important updates, they are too. On the flip side, you could, in the past, get the latest version of the Windows Update Agent by manually downloading a signed installer for it from Microsoft and then installing it. However, Microsoft no longer offers downloadable stand-alone packages containing installers for the latest versions of the Windows Update Agent.

That being the case, here’s how you can automatically update the Windows Update Agent to the latest available version. First and foremost, you need to make sure that automatic updating is enabled on your computer. To do so:

On Windows 7

1. Open the Start Menu.
2. Search for “turn automatic updating on or off“.
3. Click on the search result titled Turn automatic updating on or off. Search for turn automatic updating on or off
4. Open the dropdown menu under the Important updates section and click on Install updates automatically (recommended) to select it. Select Install updates automatically (recommended)
5. Enable the Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates option by checking the checkbox located directly beside it.
6. Click on OK to save the changes you’ve made. Check the Option of Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates

On Windows 8/8.1

1. Open the Charms bar by pressing the Windows logo key + C or simply hovering your mouse in the bottom-right corner of your Desktop.
2. Click on Settings.
3. Click on Control Panel.
4. Click on Windows Update.
5. Click on Change settings.
6. Open the dropdown menu under the Important updates section and click on Install updates automatically (recommended) to select it.
7. Enable the Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates option by checking the checkbox located directly beside it.
8. Click on OK to save the changes you’ve made.

Once you have made sure that your computer is configured to download and install Windows updates automatically, you need to:

Пакеты обновления и Центр обновления

Получение последнего обновления Windows 10

Windows 10 автоматически загружает и устанавливает обновления, чтобы обеспечить безопасность вашего устройства и доступ к актуальным возможностям. Это означает, что вы получаете последние исправления и обновления системы безопасности, а это обеспечивает безопасность вашего устройства и помогает ему работать эффективно.

Несмотря на то что обновления загружаются и устанавливаются автоматически, они могут быть доступны не на всех устройствах одновременно; мы следим за тем, чтобы обновления были готовы и совместимы.

Чтобы проверить наличие обновлений вручную, нажмите кнопку Пуск , а затем выберите Параметры > обновить & безопасность > центра обновления Windows >и выберите пункт проверить наличие обновлений.

Пакет обновления (SP) для Windows часто включает ранее выпущенные обновления и помогает повысить надежность Windows. Пакеты обновления могут содержать улучшения для компонентов безопасности и производительности, а также предоставлять поддержку для новых типов оборудования. Установите последнюю версию пакета, чтобы Windows оставалась в актуальном состоянии. Установка пакетов обновления занимает приблизительно 30 минут. Во время установки потребуется перезагрузить компьютер.

Рекомендуемый (и самый простой) способ получать обновления — включить Центр обновления Windows для Windows 8.1. После этого Windows будет уведомлять, когда обновления будут готовы к установке.

Пакет обновления (SP) для Windows часто включает ранее выпущенные обновления и помогает повысить надежность Windows. Бесплатные пакеты обновления на этой странице могут содержать улучшения для компонентов безопасности и производительности, а также предоставлять поддержку для новых типов оборудования. Установите последнюю версию пакета, чтобы Windows оставалась в актуальном состоянии. Установка пакетов обновления занимает приблизительно 30 минут. Во время установки потребуется перезагрузить компьютер.

Поддержка Windows 7 закончилась 14 января 2020 г.

Чтобы продолжить получать обновления системы безопасности от Майкрософт, мы рекомендуем перейти на Windows 10.

Последний пакет обновления для Windows 7 — это пакет обновления 1 (SP1). Узнайте, как получить пакет обновления 1 (SP1).

Поддержка Windows 7 RTM (без пакета обновления 1 (SP1)) завершилась 9 апреля 2013 года.

Update the Windows Update Agent to the latest version

This article describes how to update the Windows Update Agent to the latest version.

Original product version: В Windows 10 — all editions, Windows Server 2012
Original KB number: В 949104

Summary

If you have automatic updating turned on, the latest version of the Windows Update Agent is downloaded and installed automatically on your computer. Or, you can manually download and install the Windows Update Agent.

Automatically download Windows Update Agent

To download the Windows Update Agent automatically, follow these steps:

Turn on automatic updating. Follow these steps, for the version of Windows that you are running.

Windows 8.1 or Windows 8

1. 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 up the mouse pointer), tapping or clicking Settings, tapping or clicking Control Panel, and then tapping or clicking Windows Update.
2. Tap or click Change settings.
3. Under Important updates, choose Install updates automatically.
4. Under Recommended updates, select the Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates check box, and then select OK.

Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP

To turn on automatic updating automatically, select the Fix it button or link, and then select Run in the View Download dialog box. Then, follow the steps in the Fix it wizard.

Restart the Windows Update service. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows logo Key+R to open the Run box.
2. Type services.msc in the Run box, and then press Enter.
3. Right-click Windows Update in the Services management console, and then select Stop. If you are running Windows XP, right-click Automatic Updates, and then select Stop.
4. After Windows Update stops, right-click Windows Update, and then select Start. If you are running Windows XP, right-click Automatic Updates, and then select Start.

Wait for Windows Update to start, and then verify that the Windows Update Agent is updated.

Manually download Windows Update Agent from Microsoft Download Center

Click the download link for your version of Windows to obtain the latest Windows Update Agent.

Stand-alone packages for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download Center.

Operating system	Update
All supported x86-based versions of Windows 8 (KB2937636)	Download the package now.
All supported x64-based versions of Windows 8 (KB2937636)	Download the package now.
All supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2012 (KB2937636)	Download the package now.

Stand-alone packages for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1

The following files are available for download from Windows Update.

Operating system	Update
All supported x86-based versions of Windows 7 SP1	Download the package now.
All supported x64-based versions of Windows 7 SP1	Download the package now.
All supported x86-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1	Download the package now.
All supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1	Download the package now.
All supported Itanium-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1	Download the package now.

Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2 with update 2919355 already include the latest version of the Windows Update Agent.

More information

If you receive a Windows Update error, try Solutions for common Windows Update errors.

For more information about how to check which version of the Windows Update Agent is installed, follow these steps:

1. Open the %systemroot%\system32 folder. %systemroot% is the folder in which Windows is installed. For example, the %systemroot% folder is C:\Windows .
2. Right-click Wuaueng.dll, and then select Properties.
3. Select the Details tab, and then locate the file version number.

The latest version of the Windows Update Agent for Windows 8.1 is 7.9.9600.16422. The latest version of the Windows Update Agent for Windows 8 is 7.8.9200.16693. The latest version of the Windows Update Agent for Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP is 7.6.7600.256.

Improvements in version 7.6.7600.256 of Windows Update Agent

A hardened infrastructure so that the Windows Update client will trust only those files that are signed by a new certificate. The certificate is used solely to protect updates to the Windows Update client.

A more secure communication channel for the Windows Update client

Improvements in version 7.4.7600.226 of Windows Update Agent

• Improved scan times for Windows updates.
• Improved Windows Update UI for computers that are running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008.
• More visible and detailed descriptions of updates.
• Improvements in how users are notified about service packs.

Issues that are fixed in version 7.2.6001.788 of Windows Update Agent

Version 7.2.6001.788 of the Windows Update Agent fixes the following issue. This issue was not previously documented in a Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

• When you try to install 80 or more updates at the same time from Windows Update or Microsoft Update, you receive a «0x80070057» error code.

Improvements in version 7.2.6001.784 of Windows Update Agent

• Improved scan times for Windows Update
• Improved speed at which signature updates are delivered
• Support for Windows Installer reinstallation
• Improved error messaging

Issues that are fixed by version 7.0.6000.381 of Windows Update Agent

Version 7.0.6000.381 of the Windows Update Agent fixes the following issues. These issues were not previously documented in a Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

• The Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) crashes on a Windows Vista-based computer. For more information, see An update is available to fix a Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) crash on a Windows Vista-based computer.
• A fix is included that reduces the number of restarts that are required for the stand-alone installer when Multilingual User Interface Pack (MUI) files are being used.
• User interface elements in the Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese languages are fixed.
• The Windows Vista installation experience is improved.

Windows Update helps keep your computer up-to-date and secure by downloading and installing the latest security and other updates from Microsoft. Windows Update determines which updates apply to your computer.

Microsoft periodically makes software updates available to users of Windows and other Microsoft software. These include updates that improve reliability and performance, updates that provide new protections against malware and other potentially unwanted software, and upgrades to Windows features. To improve the performance or the reliability of hardware components on the computer, Microsoft may also provide updates to device drivers that are supplied by the computer manufacturer.

If you turn on Windows Update, software components that are directly related to Windows Update will have to be updated occasionally on your computer. These updates must be performed before Windows Update can check for required updates or before it can install other updates. These required updates fix errors, provide ongoing improvements, and maintain compatibility with the Microsoft servers that support Windows Update. If you disable Windows Update, you will not receive these updates.

Windows Update is configured to install updates automatically when you select the recommended option during Windows Out Of Box Experience (OOBE) Setup. You can also turn on Windows Update by selecting one of following settings in the Automatic Updates item in Control Panel:

• Automatic (recommended).
• Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them.
• Notify me, but don’t automatically download or install them.

After you turn on Windows Update, the required updates to components of Windows Update will be downloaded and installed automatically without notifying you. This behavior occurs regardless of which setting you use to turn on Windows Update. If you do not want to receive required updates, you can disable automatic updates in Control Panel.

The updates to Windows Update itself typically do the following: Address feedback from customers, improve compatibility, service performance and reliability, and enable new service capabilities. When the Windows Update server is updated, a corresponding client update is typically required. During an agent self-update operation, Windows Update Agent files may be added, modified, or replaced. For example, Windows Update Agent files that help display the user experience or that determine whether updates apply to a particular system may be added. This behavior occurs when a system is set to automatically check for available updates. This does not occur when automatic updates are turned off. For example, this behavior does not occur if you select Never check for updates in Windows Vista and Windows 7 or if you select Turn off Automatic Updates in Windows XP.

Administrators will receive the latest version of the Windows Update Agent for deployment through Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).