Downloading updates for Windows is a crucial step to maintaining your computer. Updates regularly contain patches for security vulnerabilities that could allow infections in your machine, bug fixes that resolve errors and features that could make your operating system more useful. Though you should have automatic updates configured, that isn’t always the case. To keep your computer safe you’ll need to know how to manually trigger updates and change your update settings.
New and Improved PC Settings
The procedure for downloading updates in Windows 8.1 is very similar to the process in Windows 8. However, since 8.1 overhauled the PC Settings app, you’ll find the process is no longer broken between the modern app and the legacy Control Panel. Everything you need is in one place.Open the Charms bar and click “Settings” to get started. Next, click “Change PC Settings” to launch the modern settings app. Choose “Update and Recovery” from the left pane of the window to get to the section you need. Click “Windows Update” from the left pane and you’re ready to go.
The Windows Update page gives you all the information you need to learn the state of your update settings including whether you are set up to download your updates automatically and whether or not there are updates currently ready for installation. We’ll cover that later though.
Manually Trigger Updates
To manually trigger an update, go ahead and click “Check now.” You’ll have to wait while Windows check for any available updates. It should only take a few seconds, but that will vary based on your Internet connection speed. Once done, you’ll see a message letting you know if there are any updates available.If there are critical updates available, you’ll be alerted. If not, you’ll see a message stating that there aren’t any updates to download but you can install other updates. Either way, click “View details” to see what’s available.
From this screen you can see all of the updates that are available for your computer. You can select each individually for installation, or click “Select all important updates” to save time. Optional updates are also included in this view, so select any you want. Click “Install” to finish the process.
Windows will download and install the updates you selected. Once done, you’ll have to restart your computer to complete the configuration procedure. Click “Restart now” when prompted or close the PC Settings app and restart when it’s convenient.
Change Automatic Update Settings
Though it’s certainly easy enough to manually trigger updates, this method is not the best way to go for most users. The average Joe or Sally will simply forget to ever check for updates and there system will go unprotected. To prevent this issue and to ensure that your computer always has the latest updates installed as fast as possible, you should enable automatic updates.As I mentioned above, all the update functions of Windows are baked into the new and improved PC settings. There’s no need to bounce between PC settings and the Control Panel. To change how updates are installed on your computer, return to the Windows Update section of the PC Settings as described above.
The Windows Update page will alert you to your current update settings. If you want to change them, you’ll find a link below the “Check now” button that says “Choose how updates get installed.” Click it to change your settings.
First, click the drop-down list to choose how Windows installs important updates. Your options are:
- Install updates automatically
- Download updates but let me choose whether to install them
- Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them
- Never check for updates
Next you can select two additional options below the drop-down list.
- Give me the recommended updates the same way I receive important updates
- Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows
If you have friends or family using Windows 8.1, share this with them via Facebook, Google+ or StumbleUpon to ensure they know how to keep their operating system up to date.
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