Microsoft's Patch Tuesday is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, your organization will have fewer vulnerabilities. On the other, updates carry the risk of introducing other unintended bug.

On older Windows versions, users take full command over Windows Update; they can review descriptions for each update and choose which updates to install.

Nosotros'll show you how to find out about updates in Windows 7 through ten, with Windows Update setup tips along the way.

How to Access and Command Windows Update in Windows 10

With Windows 10, Microsoft force-fed Home users all updates immediately. Initially, users didn't even have admission to detailed data nearly updates. Eventually, Microsoft started offering release notes for all Windows 10 updates.

Between Windows XP and Windows 8.1, Windows Update didn't evolve much. Windows 10, however, brought significant changes. Not just did Windows Update movement from the Control Panel to the Settings app, simply it also received a complete makeover.

  1. Press Windows key + I to launch the Settings app, and then navigate to Update & Security > Windows Update. Per default, Windows will automatically download and install any available updates, whether they're security patches or feature upgrades.
  2. You lot can press the Check for updates button to manually bank check whether annihilation new is available.
Windows 10 Windows Update Settings menu overview.

Active Hours

Windows Update always seems to strike at the worst possible moment. With agile hours, you accept some control over when Windows will restart to install an update.

Get to Alter active hours and either enable the automatic selection or click Change to set your own preferred hours.

Active Hours in Windows 10 Windows Update Settings menu.

Unfortunately, this won't stop Windows from downloading updates or installing them in the groundwork, which tin also ho-hum your calculator down. Let's have a await at some more options to control the download.

Advanced Options

Nether Advanced options, y'all tin can tweak how updates are installed and View your update history. If y'all're using Windows 10 Professional, yous can Defer upgrades relating to new features for a limited fourth dimension; security updates will however install automatically.

Advanced options in Windows 10 Windows Update Settings menu.

Delivery Optimization

Under Delivery Optimization, you can decide whether your figurer can download  updates from sources other than Microsoft, such asPCs on your local network, which could salve you bandwidth.

Delivery Optimization in Windows 10 Windows Update Settings menu.

Y'all can further refine Windows Update download and upload settings under Avant-garde optionsby limiting the absolute bandwidth for downloads or setting a monthly upload limit.

Advanced options for Delivery Optimization in Windows 10 Windows Update Settings menu.

If you ever run into problems, head to View update history to uninstall updates or admission recovery options.

We take previously shown you how to manage Windows Update in Windows 10. Please refer to this article for advanced instructions on how to defer or uninstall updates. If you're struggling with drivers, read our guide on how you can control driver updates in Windows 10.

How Does Windows Update Work in Windows 7 and eight.1?

To open up Windows Update in Windows 7, 8, or 8.i, press the Windows key, blazon Windows Update, and select the matching result. Depending on your current Windows Update settings, your system is either up-to-date, or updates are in the queue to download or install.

Windows 7 Windows Update

Under Alter settings, you can choose how you wish updates to be downloaded and installed. These are your options:

  • Install updates automatically
  • Download updates, but choose when to install them
  • Cheque for updates, only choose whether to download and install
  • Never check for updates.

Generally, we recommend the showtime selection because information technology means your arrangement will always exist up-to-date and safe. If you've been having bug with updates in the past, yous can go with the second or third choice.

Remember that this puts the responsibility of checking for updates and installing them on you lot! Yous should aim to install security patches immediately after they become available.

Disable Recommended Updates

For advanced data on Windows Update in Windows vii, please refer to our dedicated commodity.

How to Learn More than Most Updates in Windows 10

Now that you know how Windows Update is set up on your car, allow's run into how you lot can review detailed information about specific updates.

In recent years, Microsoft has added back more than options to assemble information about individual updates. Here are the ones nosotros recommend.

1. Local Windows 10 Update History

Head to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View update history to see the concluding few updates installed on your system. From this menu, you lot can likewise Uninstall updates, which will open the Command Console.

Update History in Windows 10 Windows Update Settings menu.

The updates are sorted by type. Clicking an individual update will bring yous to the Microsoft support page detailing the contents of that update.

2. External Windows 10 Update History

The local update history merely goes dorsum a few months.

  1. If you lot'd like to wait up details on older updates, y'all can find a shortcut underSettings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
  2. Coil down toLooking for info on the latest updates and click theLearn more link to open the Windows ten update history folio.
Windows 10 Update History Version 21H1 Microsoft support page.

The sidebar is sorted by Windows 10 versions (aka branches). Under each version, yous'll observe noesis base (KB) articles for each OS build. The KB pages contain lists of known bug with workarounds and other helpful notes. Get-go here when yous encounter Windows issues after an update.

3. Windows 10 Release Information

A similar but more than compact overview is available within Microsoft'southward Documentation: Windows 10 release information. The folio lists current Windows 10 versions past servicing option and links to knowledge base of operations articles for all cumulative (Patch Tuesday) updates since Windows 10'due south initial release.

Windows 10 release history overview.

For details about the contents of a Windows ten update, you can refer to the respective KB article.

3. ChangeWindows Logs

A third-political party resource for tracking Windows x builds is ChangeWindows. Scroll through a visually pleasing interface for an overview of the different Windows 10 builds.

Click on each build to run across a visual representation of where it is in the support timeline.

Overview of support stages and timelines of an individual Windows 10 version.

At this time, the site focuses on listing all builds and hence does not provide links to individual Windows Update KB articles.

Windows 7 & viii.one

On older Windows versions, it'southward much easier to get information nigh installed updates.

one. Windows Update History

After you lot launched Windows Update, either through the Control Panel or through a Windows search, you can click on View update history to see a listing of recently installed updates.

Windows 7 Update History

Right-click on an update and select View details to access a summary of the respective update. For more than information, click through to the KB article linked to at the bottom.

Windows 7 Update History Details

2. Installed Updates

Under Installed Updates, you tin review the consummate history of updates installed on your reckoner and sort updates by name, plan, engagement installed, and more than. Select an update, and you'll observe a link to the corresponding KB article at the lesser.

Windows 7 Installed Updates

Here, you tin too uninstall Windows Updates; the choice comes up when you right-click an update.

3. Available Updates

The big advantage of older Windows versions is that you can preview and exclude updates earlier proceeding with the installation. From the principal Windows Update window, click on the of import or optional updates available for download and installation.

You can become through the listing and view a summary on the correct-mitt side in the side by side window. At the bottom of the summary, you can follow a link to the in-depth KB commodity for each update.

Windows 7 Available Updates

If you don't want to download and install a specific update, remove the checkmark. You tin can also correct-click and select Hide update, so it won't exist shown again or accidentally installed in the future. You can, of grade, view and restore hidden updates any fourth dimension you want.

Up-to-Engagement on Windows Update

Whatever Windows version you're running, you should now understand how yous can inform yourself about current updates. We've also shown you how to manipulate the most bones Windows Update settings. Please review the articles linked above for advanced information.

How to Resolve Windows Update Problems in 5 Like shooting fish in a barrel Steps

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