I haven’t updated my Windows PC in a while, and now I’m seeing notifications that updates need to be installed. I’m not sure where to start or if there’s anything important I should do before updating. Could use a step-by-step guide or any tips from people who’ve done this recently.
Ah, Windows Updates—those little reminders that love to show up when you’re the busiest. Anyway, updating isn’t rocket science, but here’s how I do it (learned the hard way after skipping updates for months and then watching my laptop fry itself):
- Backup any files you’d scream about losing. Like, do it. External drive, cloud storage, thumb drive—doesn’t matter, just don’t skip this step.
- Plug in your laptop or make sure your desktop won’t lose power halfway. You don’t want a blackout mid-update or your computer might have an existential crisis and forget how to boot.
- Save & close your stuff. Otherwise, Windows will save your unfinished novel as “Document1_lolol.sav” and temp eats it forever.
- Hit the Windows Start menu, type “update” and click on “Check for updates.” Pretty straightforward, but honestly, Windows loves hiding stuff.
- Click “Check for updates” again on the settings window. It’ll either show pending updates, or—surprise!—“You’re up to date” (not likely if you haven’t updated in a while).
- Click “Download and install” on all the updates you see. Let it chug. It’ll probably do a few restarts. That’s normal. Don’t panic. Step away, grab a snack or something.
- Sometimes, after the supposed “last” restart it’ll say “More updates required.” This is a lie, you’re almost there. Repeat step 5-6 until it finally gives up and says everything’s good.
- Check your apps after updating—some programs might need to update thanks to Windows shenanigans. Chrome, Office, drivers, etc.
Sidenote: If you get stuck on a weird error or the update won’t download, Google the error code with “Windows update stuck.” There’s a whole world of people suffering the same fate.
Done! Computer updated, existential dread avoided (for now).
Yeah so, @vrijheidsvogel basically nailed all the main points (especially about actually backing up your files—a lesson we all seem to learn after disaster strikes), but I guess I’d nitpick one thing: not everyone needs to religiously update every single app after a Windows update, unless you’re running mission-critical stuff or, idk, worried about hackers in your coffee shop. Sometimes Windows updates break more than they fix—I’m still salty about when a “security update” randomly broke my printer drivers for a week.
Anyway, one extra thing I’d tack on is to actually look at which updates are being installed; sometimes Microsoft slips in “optional” updates that are more like “beta testing something on your machine” updates. Click “View optional updates” before slamming “Install all,” especially if you depend on your PC for work or gaming (nothing kills a high score like a surprise driver update killing your graphics card for a day).
Also, in my experience, leaving Windows in its default “Restart ASAP” mode can really backfire if you’re the type to walk away for five minutes and come back to a computer that “totally finished and logged you out, oops.” I set Active Hours in the update settings so it doesn’t reboot me mid-Zoom call. Highly recommend.
If you DO end up getting stuck in an update loop or that “undoing changes” purgatory, don’t panic (yet). Booting in Safe Mode and running “sfc /scannow” from Command Prompt sometimes clears the junk out. Keyword: sometimes. Worst case you search the error code, see 100 results with 100 slightly different “definitive” fixes, and settle for the one that lets your PC breathe again.
One last thing: I actually tend to leave a couple weeks before updating when a big update drops—lets the early adopters find the nastiest bugs first. Paranoid? Maybe. Efficient? Absolutely.
Tldr: Backup, battery, pause auto reboot, watch those “optional” updates, and don’t trust any progress bar that says “Almost there.” You’re DEFINITELY not almost there.
Not gonna lie, I’m a bit more laissez-faire than the others when it comes to updating Windows, but I’ll give you my two cents after dodging update bullets for years. They both make great points about backups (seriously, that’s non-negotiable) and carefully watching out for those freaky “optional updates” that sometimes mess up your drivers. But let’s not ignore another angle: Sometimes the update process itself is the real productivity killer.
If your machine is getting those naggy update pop-ups constantly, that usually means you’re months behind and probably missing some important security patches. But jumping in all at once can overwhelm older rigs or break stuff you depend on. A slightly different approach: stagger your updates in waves over a few days. Start with security-only, restart, see how things run, then do the feature/fancy ones. Less chance your network driver or preferred app suddenly breaks.
Another disagreement: I don’t always wait two weeks to update like some brave souls—I watch Reddit, sysadmin forums, or Microsoft’s update health dashboard to see if there are major issues being reported. If the coast seems clear and nothing’s blowing up, in I go.
Worth noting, Windows tends to sneak surprise patches on Patch Tuesdays (2nd Tuesday of every month), so sometimes kicking the can a few days helps avoid bugged releases.
As for your specific ask, another tip: keep your installs lean. If you use a product like ’ for keeping update clutter organized, it can really help you avoid bloat by flagging essential patches vs. the ones that eat space or resources. Some alternatives are Patch My PC or the built-in Windows Update Assistant, but I’ve found ’ often surfaces what matters.
Pros for ':
- Sorts updates by importance, so you don’t end up beta-testing weird drivers
- Can help schedule updates to avoid surprise restarts
- Clean interface (less messy than Windows’ menus sometimes)
Cons:
- Can skip useful optional updates unless you check manually
- Extra layer of complexity if you just want “set and forget”
- Doesn’t always catch app-specific updates (e.g., non-Microsoft stuff)
Finally, if you’re nervous about updates borking your system, make a restore point before you start. It’s like undo for your whole machine.
TL;DR: Don’t feel you have to do all the updates at once. Keep an eye on what the big update channels are complaining about that week, and let tools like ’ cut through the noise. If stuff goes sideways, you’ll be glad you took it in stages.