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.

10 Best Free Software Updater For Windows

Here is a list of best free Software Updater for Windows. These software are used to keep all programs of a system up-to-date. Some software updater also update important drivers, patches, and Windows files. These software scan your whole PC and compare the installed software version with the latest available version to find outdated software. Some of them scan and update programs automatically, while in some you have to update programs manually. Scanning schedule, along with scanning frequency can also be set in almost all of these software update checker for PC.

Some free software updater also let you uninstall programs directly from their interface. Plus, various useful information like software version number, size of software, etc., are also provided by them. The only thing I didn’t like about these programs is that they always keep running in the background and also slow down the system startup process.

All mentioned software updater programs have one thing in common, that they all need active internet connection in order to check and update software.

My Favorite Software Updater for Windows:

Patch My PC Updater is my favorite, because it is portable, lightweight, and also scans system quickly. Plus, it can also update patches along with normal third party software. A list of outdated as well as up-to-date software is also provided by this software. All of these features make it really a good program updater.

You can also check out the best free Driver Updaters, Software Deployment Tools, and Driver Backup Software for Windows.

Patch My PC Updater

Patch My PC Updater is a free software updater for Windows. It comes in a portable package, so you can directly download and run it without installation. Using it, you can check and update all the outdated software installed on PC. This software automatically checks and shows the number of updated and outdated software of a system. In the Update Status tab, you can view all the up-to-date software in green color and outdated software in red color. You can update all of them at a time or uncheck the ones you don’t want to update.

This software also has a third party patch management system, which is used to detect the latest patches of various software. It notifies you about detected patches and you can download and install those patches to reduce system vulnerability.

To update software, you can either use Silent Mode or Visible Mode. Silent mode can update the software silently without any notification. In contrary to silent mode, visible mode notifies you before updating a software.

A software uninstaller is also available, using which you can uninstall any installed software easily. Another handy option to set scanning frequency is also available.

FileHippo App Manager

FileHippo App Manager is a popular software updater program for Windows. It can be used to keep programs in your system up to date. It scans the whole PC and identifies all the updated and outdated software. All the outdated software can be downloaded and installed directly through this software. By default, it only scans the default location of installed software, but you can add more custom locations that may contain installed software. Daily schedule for system scanning can also be set in the settings menu. This software updater keeps on running in background and whenever it detects any outdated software, it immediately displays a notification on the screen.

Ignore updates is another useful feature of this software. It can be used to prevent the future notifications of programs that you don’t want to update. But, at any time, you can manually update programs that are present in ignore updates list.

The scanning speed of FileHippo App manager is quite good and it also lets you update multiple software simultaneously.

OUTDATEfighter

OUTDATEfighter is yet another software updater program for Windows. As the name implies, it is used to update outdated software by replacing them with their latest version. Just scan your computer with this software updater. After the completion of scan, the list of outdated software will appear on the last scan menu. In this list, select the software which you want to update by selecting the respective check boxes. All the software updated by this updater are checked for virus before installation. The size and version of each updated software are also shown on interface.

This software updater is also capable of scanning and downloading Windows updates. Whenever a new Windows package or update is detected, it automatically notifies you about the update with the updated version. A dedicated software uninstaller is another useful feature to remove any installed software from the system in just one click. Information like file size and installation date of software are also available in uninstaller section.

Carambis Software Updater Pro

Carambis Software Updater Pro is another free and simple software to update programs of Windows. It automatically scans the entire system and provides a list of all installed software that need to be updated. Directly from its interface, you can update some or all the outdated software. Completely new software can also be downloaded through this software. It also shows many popular software in its popular tab from where you can download the suggested software. You can also search for any software from the search bar and download it in just a click.

Many handy settings are also provided by Carambis, like option to add additional directories which may contain installed programs, option to mark various software which you don’t want to update, and another option to set automatic scan time.

This software has all the essential features, nice looking interface, and comes in small size of just 920 KB, which makes it really a compelling software updater.

SUMo is another free software updater for PC. It is designed to keep all system software up to date. It automatically scans all the software of the system and provides a detailed list of all software which contains both outdated, as well as up-to-date software. Outdated programs are further divided into minor and major updates. Programs that come under minor updates are not too old as compared to the latest version. Programs which require major update are too old as compare to the latest version available. Software version of current as well as of outdated software can be viewed in the scanned list.

Individual software can also be added to it either by drag n drop method or by adding it using the add button. Using this feature, you can also check any individual software quickly that might need an update. If a software is installed at a directory other than its default directory, you can add it in the settings menu.

The best thing about SUMo is that it generates a detailed list after scanning. This list includes Software Name, Company Name, Version, and Available Updates. But, the scanning process may take some time. This depends on the number of installed programs. It also has one major let down that it does not provide the download link for available updates; instead, it searches the software name on google or some other software websites.

Secunia PSI

Secunia PSI is a free security tool for Windows. It is designed to reduce the system vulnerability by keeping various programs, drivers, etc., up-to-date. Necessary patches to improve system security are also provided by this software. After scan, all outdated software, drivers, and Windows services are displayed along with all the up-to-date software. One thing I noticed that some software are automatically updated by this software updater, while it left many others. Option to update software manually is also available and you can update any software which did not get updated during automatic update. If any software is not detected during system scan, then you can manually add that software to check for its update.

A detailed view option can also be enabled from the Settings menu. In detailed view, you can view version number of updated, as well as outdated software. List of all software along with date on which they are updated can be viewed from History option. It does not have many drawbacks, but the only thing it lacks is the scanning schedule option, which is provided by many other software updaters.

Update Notifier

Update Notifier is yet another software updater for Windows. It automatically scans computer and prepares a list of all new and outdated software. Before system scan, you can set filters based on various parameters, such as major versions, minor versions, updates, freeware software, etc. According to selected filter parameters, you will get a list which consists of the right set of software after the scan.

Software can also be updated through this software updater, but not directly. It takes you to its website, from where you can download the software. On its website, you can view version number, size, software summary, etc., about the software you are going to update. Various software can also be put on the ignore list if you don’t want update notifications in future for them.

A really handy option to delay the update checks immediately after the system startup is available. This doesn’t stress up the system during startup. You can also set the time after which automatic scanning of system will start. Option to schedule update checks in days and hours can also be set.

HEIMDAL SECURITY

HEIMDAL SECURITY is another good software updater for Windows. You can use it to eliminate system vulnerabilities by updating all outdated third party programs. To find outdated programs, it automatically scans the whole system and provides a list consisting both up-to-date and out-of-date software. Version number and status of each software are also displayed in the list.

By default, this software scans the system in every two hours to find outdated software. If you want to change the frequency of scan, then you can do that from Settings menu. It also has a silent update feature, which automatically updates all the outdated software without your permission. You can turn off this feature to manually update software.

It also keeps your system safe from various risky websites while downloading new software. In this free version of HEIMDAL SECURITY, various features like Traffic scanning, Malware Scanning, and Overview are locked. You have to download the paid version of this software to unlock these features.

Glarysoft Software Update Pro

Glarysoft Software Update Pro is a free and easy to use software updater for Windows. Its main function is to keep your system programs up-to-date. It automatically scans your system for outdated programs and when it finds outdated programs, it notifies you through notification. You can manually download any outdated software one at a time. Batch download and automatic updating features are locked in this free version.

All the installed software along with version number are also displayed on its interface. If any software is not updated by this software updater, then it provides you a download link of that software.

NOTE: Various features of this software are locked. In order to unlock all features, you have to buy the full version of this free software updater.

Software Informer

Software Informer is a completely free software updater program for Windows. This software is designed to keep all the software or programs of a system up-to-date. It provides a complete list of all installed software after an automatic system scan. Provided list has two sections, one section is for up to date programs and second section is for outdated programs. Outdated programs can easily be updated from the list. Along with updating, you can also uninstall any software through this software updater.

Discover section of Software Informer recommends you various trending software and apps, which you can directly download. Various important information and reviews about installed software can also be viewed through this software. All these info are not displayed on the software, instead, it redirects you to Software Informer website, where you can find all relevant information about any software.