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.
Stop Windows Update service
This post explains how to stop Windows update service from command line(CMD). Make sure that you open elevated administrator command prompt to execute this command.
How to stop Windows update service
Do the following
- Open elevated command prompt
- Run the below command.
Update service restarts automatically
It’s observed that just stopping the service does not work in some cases and it restarts automatically. In such cases one can disable the service completely by running below command.
Note that these commands to stop or disable service should be run from elevated administrator command prompt. Other wise you will get the following error.
How to start windows update
Neat tip. However, it seems W7 is automatically restarting the Windows Update service every now and then. I’ve changed status to “Manual” under services.msc but the behavior remains. No fun at all.
Hi Carl
FYI everytime you go into windows update it will start the service even though it is set to manual so if you need to look in windows update then stop the service again afterwards.
Run CMD as Admin and “sc config wuauserv start= disabled” will work on Win7Ulti
Please help me to stop the windows update, it is a disaster every time after windows update, totally stupid program, may be next time I should go for apple.
you gott the error because you have’nt run cmd as administrator
Apple is more stupid than the windows.
I cannot get windows update to stop, finish, or go away! How do I get this to stop so I can get back on the computer? It’s a brand new computer, and useless at this point!
Set to disabled and reboot!
Wow thank you for putting this line up here. I needed to restart my windows update and this did the trick
Yes – agreed thanks much appreciated! On a very slow connection so bandwidth is at a premium. This made things much more pleasant.
#Persistent
interval = 600 ; execution interval in seconds
Menu, Tray, Add ; divider line
Menu, Tray, Add, Execute Now, StopService
Menu, Tray, Default, Execute Now
timer_param := -1000 * interval
StopService:
Run %comspec% /c “sc query wuauserv | find “1 STOPPED” & if errorlevel 1 sc stop wuauserv”, , Hide
time = %A_Now%
time += %interval%, seconds
FormatTime, time_string, %time%, Time
Menu, Tray, Tip, Stop Windows Update Service`nNext Execution at %time_string%
SetTimer, StopService, %timer_param%
return
Hi! even thou i star cmd as admin i still get the “error 5 access denied. can someone help me?
go to start menu —> type “cmd” in the search box, wait till cmd shows in the results list, right click on “cmd” and select “run as administrator”
You need to run it from elevated command prompt.
otherwise, check your UAC and if it’s off, turn it on in your account settings.
This information is for those who wish to completely disable Windows 10 automatic updates. It is very simple and requires no real expertise.
1. Bring up your task manager.
2. Select the “Services” tab.
3. Scroll down the lefthand side until you see “wuauserv”. (In the description column to the right, you’ll see “Windows Update”.)
4. Right click on “wuauserv”.
5. In the dropdown box that appears, click on “stop”.
This stops all automatic updates from taking over your computer. In order to get future updates, you will have to follow the same steps, but click on “start” to restart it. I prefer simply to go to Microsoft’s website to find the updates, if I want them at all, which I don’t. I’ve struggled with Microsoft’s updates for years, from Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and now Windows 10. All of them have rendered my computer(s) less functional than they were prior to the updates.
I use a separate security program in conjunction with Windows firewall and find that there is absolutely no need to upload their security updates.
hi, I am having endless problems with my surface pro3, running win10pro. the overwhelming majority of my time spent on this device is occupied by trying to update and keep in functioning without sending me endless notifications. I am an aspiring Linux user, which so far as I can tell, is superior in every way, however, I am concerned if the security is dependable…? I was wondering what the security program is that you referenced? and would be eager to hear any other suggestions/tips/opinions?
I tried this and got a message that access is denied.
Same problem on my PC. Svchost.exe takes continuously almost 100% processor time.
Stopped wuauserv in the way described above and the processor is free. However after a restart it is running again. Same after stopping it via the command: net stop wuauserv.
Anybody knows how I can stop this wuauserv forever.
You need to disable the service using sc command. Added these commands in the post.
Hi all, a tip for all of those having issues with Windows update, if you go to services.msc and stop the service in the second tab you can select a user to run the service with afterwards.
So you only need to put a valid user and then change the password of that user and voila! it wont ever be able to run again since it will be trying to run with an invalid user… 🙂
I wind up stopping and disabling this service every day or two, yet somehow Windows keeps turning it back to Automatic and running it! (on an older laptop which has to stay at XP)
Just want to say Thank YOU! I got nearly crazy (even more than normal) because my laptop was making so much noise while windows was checking updates for hours. Tried to close it through task manager to no avail but this tip worked as a charm.
I had no problems at all that was until windows installed updates and I could not get into windows anymore. Thanks no thanks. So now I am going to try to see if I can download the updates one by one or so. Thanks again. Love the sound of silence
Surely it would be much easier to use computer management services scroll down to windows update and apply the above directly with the advantage that you can see what you are actually doing.
Thanks for the tip. CPU had been running crazy trying to keep up with the update service. The CPU temp has dropped from 43 degrees Celcius to 35 degrees.
Omg! Thanks you! I was stuck in windows update hell!
Thanks for the info. I made a .bat file to stop, and one to start with this info. Just run as administrator and it works 🙂
I hope the above stop up dates work as my computer is all bet useless
from cmd run
sc queryex wuauserv
take pidnum from result and replace xxx in
taskkill /PID xxx/F and run
This is a good short term (few days) fix but on Windows 10 home edition, update restarts itself after a few days. There is a regedit out there but it doesn’t work for Home edition. The WUSH tool also only works for a few days.
Would be great if there were a way to program this “sc config wuauserv start= disabled” command to re-run itself every 2 days. Does anyone know how to do this?
Just put the command in a batch file, then schedule a task launching it with highest priviledge “when the computer starts”. (^v^)
i am running cmd as administrator but also the following cmd net stop wuauserv is saying invalid what to do then
Erm… I disabled the command using the command prompt (admin), but the file Windows10Upgrade keeps appearing. Help me please!
I can’t stop windows 10 update using service stopping, when I connect to wifi ,service is auto enable how can I stop permanently
Is there any command just to show the windows update is on or off ?
How can I disable windows updates for all the computers on the network?
Unfortunately, Windows 10 Home does not allow users to turn off automatic updates. To do that, you would have to upgrade to the Pro version. Otherwise, you’re looking at a lot of punishing hours spent rolling back updates you didn’t want… I had this issue with an error related to a registry conflict that prioritizes RuntimeBroker and found that this was the case during my research into the cause for the ongoing rollbacks.
I have no access to stop and disable the services. Can anyone tell me what to do in this case?
Hello, I am searching across the internet to find a solution to fix the svchost.exe disk usage, and almost every one of them suggests to disable or turn manual the Windows Update Service. I already did that, but the svchost.exe thing keeps consuming my disk.
If you know how to fix this, please tell me.
Can always services >Windows update
right click, properties, Revoery, and change to no action for all 3… see if that may help.
Thanks, had to get around an invasive group policy to repair bitlocker bde protectors, this was the trick I needed to disable updates so my bitlocker tables could be repaired.
Brent, New Zealand
