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In Windows 10, you decide when and how to get the latest updates to keep your device running smoothly and securely. To manage your options and see available updates, select Check for Windows updates. Or select the Start button, and then go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
Here's some other info you might be looking for:
If you get an error when trying to update, see Fix Windows Update issues.
If you're trying to activate Windows 10, see Activation in Windows 10 for more info.
If you're having trouble installing updates, see Troubleshoot problems updating Windows 10.
For answers to frequently asked questions, see Windows Update: FAQ.
To get the latest major update of Windows 10, see Get the Windows 10 May 2020 Update.
This article describes how to update the Windows Update Agent to the latest version.
Original product version: Windows 10 - all editions, Windows Server 2012
Original KB number: 949104
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.
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
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:
Wait for Windows Update to start, and then verify that the Windows Update Agent is updated.
Click the download link for your version of Windows to obtain the latest Windows Update Agent.
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. |
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. |
Note
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.
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:
%systemroot%system32
folder. %systemroot%
is the folder in which Windows is installed. For example, the %systemroot%
folder is C:Windows
.Note
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.
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
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:
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:
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:
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).