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).

Feature Update through Windows 10, version 20H2 Enablement Package

Summary

Windows 10, versions 2004 and 20H2 share a common core operating system with an identical set of system files. Therefore, the new features in Windows 10, version 20H2 are included in the latest monthly quality update for Windows 10, version 2004 (released October 13, 2020), but are in an inactive and dormant state. These new features will remain dormant until they are turned on through the “enablement package,” a small, quick-to-install “master switch” that activates the Windows 10, version 20H2 features.

The enablement package is a great option for installing a scoped feature update like Windows 10, version 20H2 as it enables an update from version 2004 to version 20H2 with a single restart, reducing update downtime. This enables devices to take advantage of new features now. For version 2004 devices that receive updates directly from Windows Update, devices automatically get the enablement package by installing the feature update to Windows 10, version 20H2.

If a device is updating from Windows 10, version 1909 or an earlier version, this feature update enablement package cannot be manually installed. Instead, it is bundled and automatically included with the feature update to Windows 10, version 20H2. Note the installation time is not reduced in this scenario.

How to get this update

Windows Update and Microsoft Update

None. This update will be downloaded and installed automatically from Windows Update. The update is named Feature Update to Windows 10, version 20H2.

Microsoft Update Catalog

This update is only available through the other release channels.

Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)

This update will automatically synchronize with WSUS if you configure Products and Classifications as follows:

Product: Windows 10

Prerequisites

You must have the following prerequisites installed before applying this update:

Restart information

You must restart your device after you apply this update.

Update replacement information

This update does not replace any previously released update.

File information

The English (United States) version of this software update installs files that have the attributes that are listed in the following tables.

KB4023057: Update for Windows 10 Update Service components

IMPORTANT If your device is out of support, it is no longer receiving security updates from Microsoft and may become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. For this reason, we strongly recommend that you update to the latest version of Windows 10. Each version of Windows 10 is supported for 18 months. After support ends, you must update to a newer version of Windows 10 to continue receiving Windows updates and security fixes. To learn more about the Windows lifecycle, see Windows lifecycle fact sheet.

Summary

This update includes reliability improvements to Windows Update Service components in Windows 10, versions 1507, 1511, 1607, 1703, 1709, 1803, 1809, 1903, 1909, 2004, and 20H2. It may take steps to free up disk space on your device if you do not have enough disk space to install Windows updates.

This update includes files and resources that address issues that affect the update processes in Windows 10 that may prevent important Windows updates from being installed. These improvements help make sure that updates are installed seamlessly on your device, and they help improve the reliability and security of devices that are running Windows 10.

Notes about this update

This update may request your device to stay awake longer to enable installation of updates.

Note The installation will respect any user-configured sleep configurations and also your «active hours» when you use your device the most.

This update may try to reset network settings if problems are detected, and it will clean up registry keys that may be preventing updates from being installed successfully.

This update may repair disabled or corrupted Windows operating system components that determine the applicability of updates to your version of Windows 10.

This update may compress files in your user profile directory to help free up enough disk space to install important updates.

This update may reset the Windows Update database to repair the problems that could prevent updates from installing successfully. Therefore, you may see that your Windows Update history was cleared.

Important information about devices that have low disk space

When a Windows feature update is available for your device, you may see a message on the Windows Update settings page or elsewhere that asks you to free up disk space by removing files or applications that you do not use regularly. If you see this message, select Fix issues to free up disk space on your device.

After the Windows update has installed, some users may be prompted to restart their device. See Free up drive space in Windows 10 for more information about other ways that you can free up disk space on your device.

Compressing files

To help free up disk space, this update may compress files in your user profile directory so that Windows Update can install important updates. When files or folders are compressed, they appear as having two blue arrows overlaid on the icon. Depending on your File Explorer settings, you may see icons that look larger or smaller. The following screen shot shows an example of these icons.

After you install the update, your files are restored to their original state, and the blue arrows disappear from the file icons in File Explorer. At any point during the update process, you should be able to access your files.

Microsoft Support notification

This update may display a notification on devices that are running low on space. If selected, this notification will open a Microsoft Support URL in the default browser with contact options for Microsoft support so you can easily get help freeing up space on your device.

Disk Cleanup

When this update is installed, new options for cleaning up disk space will be available to make it easier for you to update your device when it is low on disk space. If a feature update fails due to a low disk space, you can help increase storage space by using the Disk Cleanup tool or selecting “Free up space now” in Settings / Storage. These will help you remove unused files and free up storage space before a major feature update.

How to get this update

Windows Update and Microsoft Update

None. This update will be downloaded and installed automatically from Windows Update.

It is also offered directly to Windows Update Client for some devices that have not installed the most recent updates.

Microsoft Update Catalog

To get the standalone package for this update, go to the Microsoft Update Catalog website.

Important This update that is available from the Microsoft Update Catalog applies only to the versions of Windows 10, versions 1507, 1511, 1607, 1703, 1709, and 1803.

Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)

See the other options.

Note: Only builds of Windows 10, versions 1507, 1511, 1607, 1703, 1709, 1803, 1809, 1903, 1909, 2004, and 20H2 require this update.

File information

The English (United States) version of this software update installs files that have the attributes that are listed in the following tables. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The dates and times for these files on your local computer are displayed in your local time together with your current daylight saving time (DST) bias. Additionally, the dates and times may change when you perform certain operations on the files.