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.

Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session FAQ

This article answers frequently asked questions and explains best practices for Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session.

What is Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session?

Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session, formerly known as Windows 10 Enterprise for Virtual Desktops (EVD), is a new Remote Desktop Session Host that allows multiple concurrent interactive sessions. Previously, only Windows Server could do this. This capability gives users a familiar Windows 10 experience while IT can benefit from the cost advantages of multi-session and use existing per-user Windows licensing instead of RDS Client Access Licenses (CALs). For more information about licenses and pricing, see Windows Virtual Desktop pricing.

How many users can simultaneously have an interactive session on Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session?

How many interactive sessions that can be active at the same time relies on your system’s hardware resources (vCPU, memory, disk, and vGPU), how your users use their apps while signed in to a session, and how heavy your system’s workload is. We suggest you validate your system’s performance to understand how many users you can have on Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session. To learn more, see Windows Virtual Desktop pricing.

Why does my application report Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session as a Server operating system?

Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session is a virtual edition of Windows 10 Enterprise. One of the differences is that this operating system (OS) reports the ProductType as having a value of 3, the same value as Windows Server. This property keeps the OS compatible with existing RDSH management tooling, RDSH multi-session-aware applications, and mostly low-level system performance optimizations for RDSH environments. Some application installers can block installation on Windows 10 multi-session depending on whether they detect the ProductType is set to Client. If your app won’t install, contact your application vendor for an updated version.

Can I run Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session on-premises?

Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session can’t run in on-premises production environments because it’s optimized for the Windows Virtual Desktop service for Azure. It’s against the licensing agreement to run Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session outside of Azure for production purposes. Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session won’t activate against on-premises Key Management Services (KMS).

Can I upgrade a Windows 10 VM to Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session?

No. It’s not currently possible to upgrade an existing virtual machine (VM) that’s running Windows 10 Professional or Enterprise to Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session. Also, if you deploy a Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session VM and then update the product key to another edition, you won’t be able to switch the VM back to Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session and will need to redeploy the VM.

How do I customize the Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session image for my organization?

You can start a VM in Azure with Windows 10 Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session and customize it by installing LOB applications, sysprep/generalize, and then create an image using the Azure portal.

To get started, create a VM in Azure with Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session. Instead of starting the VM in Azure, you can download the VHD directly. After that, you’ll be able to use the VHD you downloaded to create a new Generation 1 VM on a Windows 10 PC with Hyper-V enabled.

Customize the image to your needs by installing LOB applications and sysprep the image. When you’re done customizing, upload the image to Azure with the VHD inside. After that, get Windows Virtual Desktop from the Azure Marketplace and use it to deploy a new host pool with the customized image.

How do I manage Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session after deployment?

You can use any supported configuration tool, but we recommend Configuration Manager version 1906 because it supports Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session. We’re currently working on Microsoft Intune support.

Can Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session be Azure Active Directory (AD)-joined?

Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session is currently supported to be hybrid Azure AD-joined. After Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session is domain-joined, use the existing Group Policy Object to enable Azure AD registration. For more information, see Plan your hybrid Azure Active Directory join implementation.

Where can I find the Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session image?

Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session is in the Azure gallery. To find it, navigate to the Azure portal and search for the Windows 10 Enterprise for Virtual Desktops release. For an image integrated with Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, go to the Azure portal and search for Microsoft Windows 10 + Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise.

Which Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session image should I use?

The Azure gallery has several releases, including Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session, version 1809, and Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session, version 1903. We recommend using the latest version for improved performance and reliability.

Which Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session versions are supported?

Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session, versions 1809 and later are supported and are available in the Azure gallery. These releases follow the same support lifecycle policy as Windows 10 Enterprise, which means the March release is supported for 18 months and the September release for 30 months.

Which profile management solution should I use for Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session?

We recommend you use FSLogix profile containers when you configure Windows 10 Enterprise in non-persistent environments or other scenarios that need a centrally stored profile. FSLogix ensures the user profile is available and up-to-date for every user session. We also recommend you use your FSLogix profile container to store a user profile in any SMB share with appropriate permissions, but you can store user profiles in Azure page blob storage if necessary. Windows Virtual Desktop users can use FSLogix at no additional cost. FSLogix comes pre-installed on all Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session images, but the IT admin is still responsible for configuring the FSLogix profile container.

For more information about how to configure an FSLogix profile container, see Configure the FSLogix profile container.

Which license do I need to access Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session?

For a full list of applicable licenses, see Windows Virtual Desktop pricing.

Why do my apps disappear after I sign out?

This happens because you’re using Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session with a profile management solution like FSLogix. Your admin or profile solution configured your system to delete user profiles when users sign out. This configuration means that when your system deletes your user profile after you sign out, it also removes any apps you installed during your session. If you want to keep the apps you installed, you’ll need to ask your admin to provision these apps for all users in your Windows Virtual Desktop environment.

How do I make sure apps don’t disappear when users sign out?

Most virtualized environments are configured by default to prevent users from installing additional apps to their profiles. If you want to make sure an app doesn’t disappear when your user signs out of Windows Virtual Desktop, you have to provision that app for all user profiles in your environment. For more information about provisioning apps, check out these resources:

How do I make sure users don’t download and install apps from the Microsoft Store?

You can disable the Microsoft Store app to make sure users don’t download extra apps beyond the apps you’ve already provisioned for them.

To disable the Store app:

1. Create a new Group Policy.
2. Select Computer Configuration >Administrative Templates >Windows Components.
3. Select Store.
4. Select Store Application.
5. Select Disabled, then select OK.
6. Select Apply.

Next steps

To learn more about Windows Virtual Desktop and Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session: