In Microsoft Windows 10, Windows Update can be found in Settings –> Update & Security –> Windows Update. Normally Windows Update keeps on running in the background and will install new updates automatically.
Windows Update checks for new updates randomly every 22 hours. The reason behind the random check is that if all the systems in the world start checking for updates at the exact same time, this would put extreme load on Microsoft servers. That’s why Microsoft came up with the idea of checking for updates randomly every day.
You can also run Windows Update manually to check for new updates at any time. Here are three ways to check for new Windows updates.
Force Windows Update check using Run command dialog
I found out that the easiest way to force Windows update check is to use a command in the Run dialog. There are other commands from CMD and PowerShell as well, but let’s start with the easiest way to do it.
Open the Run dialog (Windows key + R) or open Windows Search and run the following command:
control update
This will trigger the Windows Update graphical user interface which will start checking for new updates. This method works on all versions of Windows including Windows 10 and Windows 11.
There is another command that will trigger the same effect but only works in Windows 10 and Windows 11:
ms-settings:windowsupdate
Run Windows Update from PowerShell (Command-line)
There is no official Windows PowerShell module for Windows Update. PSWindowsUpdate is a third-party module that can be used to configure Windows updates in Windows. This module is not installed in Windows by default but you can download it from PowerShell gallery, install and run the module to check for new updates.
There are three steps to running Windows Update through PowerShell. Run the following commands step by step:
Install-Module PSWindowsUpdate
This will install the Windows Update module in PowerShell.
Get-WindowsUpdate
This command will check for updates.
Install-WindowsUpdate
This command will install the available updates (which were listed in step 2)
The above mentioned command will only install Windows updates. If you want to update other Microsoft products as well, you’ll need to enable the Microsoft Update Service as well. It’s pretty easy to enable it using PowerShell:
Add-WUServiceManager -MicrosoftUpdate
If you want to automatically restart your computer after installing all the updates, you can run the following command:
Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -AutoReboot
Deploy updates on remote computers
The PowerShell module can also be used to deploy Windows updates on remote computers. There are two commands involved in this process:
1- Create a list of computers and pass the list as a variable string:
$computer = "comp1, comp2, comp3"
2- Now run the following command to start checking for Windows updates on remote computers:
Invoke-WUJob -ComputerName $computer -Script {ipmo PSWindowsUpdate; Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -AutoReboot} -RunNow -Confirm:$false | Out-File "\server\share\logs\$computer-$(Get-Date -f yyyy-MM-dd)-MSUpdates.log" -Force
Install specific updates only
If you already know the Article kb no. of the specific update you want to install, you can run the following command:
Get-WindowsUpdate - KBArticleID "KB5002324", "KB5002325" - Install
Replace the KB number with the one you want to install.
Prevent specific updates from installing
You can prevent specific updates from installing on your computer using the following PowerShell command:
Install-WindowsUpdate -NotKBArticle "KB5002324, KB5002325" -AcceptAll
Run Windows Update from Command Prompt (Command-line)
Windows Update can also be run through legacy CMD to get the latest updates. The only limitation running Windows Update through the command prompt is that it won’t show any progress. Only results are shown when the process is complete. Let’s see how to run it:
RestartDevice – Restart Windows after updates are installed
ScanInstallWait – Check for updates, download available updates and install them
- Press the Windows key + R to open Run dialog.
- Type cmd and then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the command prompt in administrative mode.
- Run the following command to check for new updates:
wuauclt /detectnow - Run the following command to install new updates
wuauclt /updatenow
Since the command prompt does not show any progress, a better approach would be to check and install updates at the same time. Here’s the command for this:
wuauclt /detectnow /updatenow
The above-mentioned command will work in all versions of Windows, including Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. But if you are using Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016, you can use UsoClient command which has more options than wuauclt. You can run UsoClient with the following switches:
StartScan – Start checking for updates
StartDownload – Start downloading updates
StartInstall – Start installing downloaded updates
Check for Windows updates using Windows Settings
To check for new updates and configure your Windows Update settings, follow the steps below:
- Open Windows Settings (Windows key + i).
- Choose Update & Security.
- Choose Windows Update from the left hand menu.
- Press the Check for updates button on the right hand pane.
How to force Windows Update to download already downloaded updates
If you want to force Windows Update to re-download all the updates again, you can do this using the steps below. There will be times when the updates become corrupted or for other reasons, you just don’t want to install the downloaded updates. In that situation, you can easily delete the already downloaded updates which will for Windows Update to run again and check for and download the updates again.
The only caveat in this situation is that the update must not have been installed on your computer. If the update is already installed, Windows will detect it as installed and will not download it again. In that case, you will need to uninstall the update first and then force Windows Update to run again.
Step 1: Open File Explorer and go to This PC.
Step 2: Open C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
This folder contains all the update files that Windows Operating System is currently downloading or recently downloaded and installed.
Step 3: Delete all the files from the above mentioned folder.
Step 4: Run Windows Update again using the above mentioned methods. This will force Windows Update to check for the same updates and download them again. The download and install process for new updates is completely automated. You don’t need to do anything during the download and installation process.
Manage Windows updates using Wuinstall command line tool
Using WuInstall, IT Administrators can automate Windows updates. Wuinstall can be used to enforce Windows Updates inquiries, downloads, and installations at times when they deem them appropriate, enabling them to make the entire update process more controlled and user friendly.
WuInstall is a strong and flexible system management tool that can be used in a WSUS based or standalone environment. To download the latest updates using Wuinstall, you will need to download and install Wuinstall first. Follow the steps below:
Go to http://www.wuinstall.com/ and install the latest free version of Wuinstall on your computer. Open Command Prompt in administrative mode
To search for the latest updates, run the following command:
wuinstall /search
This will not only look for new updates but will also list them in the command window.
To download the updates, run the following command:
wuinstall /download
This will download all the available updates from Microsoft servers.
To install the updates, run the following command:
wuinstall /install
There are a few more switches that you can use with the install command
/quiet – will install updates without showing anything.
/disableprompt – Disable any input from Windows
/autoaccepteula – Auto-accept any agreement during update installation
/rebootcycle – Install updates on the next computer reboot.
How to fix corrupted Windows Update
Sometimes Windows Update files get corrupted and the user is not able to download the files again or install the corrupted update files. In that case, we need to run a dism command to fix corrupted Windows Update. Here are the steps:
Open the Command Prompt (Run –> cmd) and run the following command:
dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
After successfully running this command, try force downloading the updates again and the Windows Update should start working again.
Other things you can do with Windows Update:
Disable or bypass pending updates on Windows 10 (and Windows 11)
How to prevent a specific update from installing while allowing all others
How to view and save a list of installed updates in Windows 10 (and Windows 11)
View updates sizes in Windows 10 (and Windows 11)
Download any Windows 10 cumulative update
How to disable automatic restart after installing the updates
How to add update packages to Windows 10 ISO image
How to disable automatic updates
How to limit Windows Update bandwidth usage
How to install updates offline using CAB and MSU files
Hopefully this will be useful in situations where you want to automate certain Windows functions. What other purposes do you want to use command line options to run Windows Update?
Also see:
- How To Stop A Specific Update From Installing In Windows 10
- How To Download Any Windows 10 Cumulative Update
- 4 Ways To View And Save List Of Updates Installed On Windows 10
- How To Download And Install RSAT Tools On Windows 11
- How To Disable Automatic Updates In Windows 11
Thank you Usman! Wow Microsoft has a new cli USOClient.exe awesome!
Thank you. Refurbished machine – needed to update in order to move from other machine to “new to me” machine after just getting ti to cooperate with the network. I have never run across a machine that would not update before. The cmd options did not work, but the PS option was exactly what I needed. Added to my bag of tricks. Thank you so much!!
usoclient.exe /StartScan does not update the shown ‘Last checked date’ shown in the GUI on a Windows Server 2016 or 2019.
PS C:\> Start-Service wuauserv -Verbose
PS C:\> $updateSession = new-object -com “Microsoft.Update.Session”;$updates=$updateSession.CreateupdateSearcher().Search($criteria).Updates
PS C:\> (New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.AutoUpdate).DetectNow()
This is work on a Windows 10 – the Last checked time is updated in the GUI
BUT it’s not workting om Windows 2016 or 2019
Any know of a way to make this work on a Server 2016 ??
I don’t get any of these from article to work. Not even: Start-Service wuauserv -Verbose
PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Start-Service wuauserv -Verbose
VERBOSE: Performing the operation “Start-Service” on target “wuauserv (wuauserv)”.
Start-Service : Failed to start service ‘wuauserv (wuauserv)’.
At line:1 char:1
+ Start-Service wuauserv -Verbose
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : OpenError: (System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController:ServiceController) [Start-Service],
ServiceCommandException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : StartServiceFailed,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.StartServiceCommand
Halp?
Please run PowerShell with administrative privileges.
usoclient StartScan does NOT make any changes to the Last checked date shown in the GUI
Neither does the Powershell command Get-WindowsUpdate
In previous Windows I had to updating the Last checked value in registry after performing a scan using the API (as they dont). But MS has moved the location to an unknown place i 2016 and 2019.
Anyone who knows how to update the “Last checked date” from CMD or API ???
Function Force-WSUSCheckin($Computer)
{
Invoke-Command -computername $Computer -scriptblock { Start-Service wuauserv -Verbose }
# Have to use psexec with the -s parameter as otherwise we receive an “Access denied” message loading the comobject
$Cmd = ‘$updateSession = new-object -com “Microsoft.Update.Session”;$updates=$updateSession.CreateupdateSearcher().Search($criteria).Updates’
& c:\bin\psexec.exe -s \\$Computer powershell.exe -command $Cmd
Write-host “Waiting 10 seconds for SyncUpdates webservice to complete to add to the wuauserv queue so that it can be reported on”
Start-sleep -seconds 10
Invoke-Command -computername $Computer -scriptblock
{
# Now that the system is told it CAN report in, run every permutation of commands to actually trigger the report in operation
wuauclt /detectnow
(New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.AutoUpdate).DetectNow()
wuauclt /reportnow
c:\windows\system32\UsoClient.exe startscan
}
}
Hi Glenn, thank you for such a detailed explanation.
It doesn’t work.
Get-WindowsUpdate: The ‘Get-WindowsUpdate’ command was found in the module ‘PSWindowsUpdate’, but the module could
not be loaded. For more information, run ‘Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate’.
At line:1 char:1
+ Get-WindowsUpdate
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (Get-WindowsUpdate:String) [], CommandNotFoundException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : CouldNotAutoloadMatchingModule
To remedy that, please try the following:
1. Run Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
2. Run Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate
3. Try running Get-WindowsUpdate again.
This worked for me.
wuauclt is no longer available with Windows 10.
You can use usoclient.exe instead.
Parameters are /StartScan, /StartDownload, /StartInstall
Works just fine.
Thank you!