How to Install Pending Windows & Program Updates (Easy)

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The easiest way to get your Windows 10 or 11 PC up to date

Co-authored by Hannah Dillon Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: June 16, 2026 Fact Checked

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Updating Windows Easily

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Enabling Auto-Updates

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Updating All Programs

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Fix Updates Stuck on Pending

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FAQ

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Video

In this wikiHow guide, we'll teach you the easiest ways to install pending Windows updates. You may have pending Windows updates if you've had them paused, or if your computer hasn't been used in a while. You also may have pending software updates if you aren't checking your applications often (though apps from the Microsoft Store will usually auto-update). Thankfully, you don't need to install all of your missed updates one by one—you can just install the latest update, and you're set. We'll also cover how to enable auto-update, how to update all of your Windows programs at once, and we'll answer some FAQs on Windows updates, and show you what to do if your update is stuck on "pending."

Easily Installing Pending Windows Updates

To enable auto-updates, go to your Windows Update settings and go to Advanced options > Get me up to date.
If your PC is very outdated, installing the most recent update is all you'll need to do.
To quickly update all programs, open CMD as an admin, then type the command winget upgrade --all.

Section 1 of 5:

Updating Windows in Settings

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Open the Windows Update menu. Windows updates are cumulative, which means that if you missed a few pending updates, it's okay—if you install whichever update is the latest one, you'll still get all the updates you missed.
- To open this menu, type update into the taskbar search bar, then click Check for updates in the Start menu that pops up.
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Click Check for Windows updates. If you don't see this button and instead see one that says Download & install, you can skip to the next step.
- If you click this button and no updates are found, your computer is up-to-date, and you don't need to take any further action.
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Your computer will begin downloading the current update, and install it once it's fully downloaded. Your computer will restart during this process. Make sure to follow any on-screen instructions if prompted.^{[1]
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Section 2 of 5:

Enabling Auto-Updates

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Open the Windows Update menu. Normally, Windows will force you to auto-update eventually, but both security and feature updates won't be pushed right away. However, if you want to make it so that either security and/or feature updates are downloaded and installed right away, you can tweak your settings in the Windows Update menu.
- To open this menu, type update into the taskbar search bar, then click Check for updates in the Start menu that pops up.
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Toggle on "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" (optional). If you want to get all non-security feature updates as soon as they are available, toggle this option on. This is optional, as feature updates are not required like security updates.
- Feature updates can be buggy, so only enable them if you're prepared to deal with some bugs, or if you're okay rolling back updates if they don't work properly.
It's got an icon of a gear. Clicking this option will open a new menu with additional options.
It's the second option on the list, and it has an icon of two triangles (similar to a fast-forward button). This option will make it so Windows will always immediately install updates, and will notify you 15 minutes before the update occurs. This can even occur during your "active hours," which are set in this menu as well.

Section 3 of 5:

Using a Command to Update All Programs

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Open Command Prompt as an administrator. To do this, type cmd into the taskbar search bar, then right-click "Cmd" in the Start menu and click Run as administrator.
- If you want to update all of your programs at once, you can use this method. This method won't update Windows for you, however.
If your Command Prompt asks you to agree to the Microsoft Store's terms of transaction before continuing, type y and press ↵ Enter to accept.
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Update all of your programs. To do so, type winget upgrade --all. Depending on the number of updates you have, this could take some time. A new window will open for each program that needs to be updated.^{[2]
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- If you want to just update one program, type winget update [id] where [id] is the ID of the program from the Command Prompt window. For example, if you want to update 7-Zip, which has an ID of 7zip.7zip, you'd type winget update 7zip.7zip.
- If the program you're trying to update doesn't use an EXE, ZIP, INNO, NSI, MSI, WIXPROJ, APPX, or MSIX update installer, you'll have to do some manual actions.

Section 4 of 5:

Fixing Windows Update Stuck On Pending

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Enable "Download updates over metered connections." If your Windows updates are stuck pending, try toggling the metered connection setting in your Windows Update settings. To do so:
- Go to Start menu > Settings > Windows Update > Advanced Options. From there, toggle on "Download updates over metered connections."
- Some users have found that turning this option on fixed their issue. Other users learned that simply toggling the option to whatever it wasn't set to fixed the issue for them. If you're experiencing issues, try toggling this option a few times to see if it fixes the problem.^{[3]
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Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter. The Windows Update Troubleshooter should be able to fix most problems with Windows Update, including updates that are stuck pending. To run the troubleshooter:^{[4]
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- Go to Start menu > Settings > System > Troubleshoot.
- Click Other troubleshooters to see all the Windows troubleshooters available.
- Click Run next to "Windows Update."
- Follow all on-screen instructions to complete the troubleshooter.

Section 5 of 5:

Frequently Asked Questions

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Does Windows automatically update? Yes, Windows will automatically apply security updates if you don't install the update quickly enough. Feature updates are optional, and Windows won't force you to install these.
- You can get around this by continuously pausing updates in your Windows Update menu.
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Does Windows do cumulative updates? Yes. If you don't update Windows for a year and decide to finally install an update, that update will include all of the other updates that you previously missed out on. You don't have to individually install each update to fully update your PC.
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Should I install Windows updates? Yes, you should install Windows security updates. These updates help keep your system secure, and Windows requires you to install them. Feature (non-security) updates are optional, however, and some users don't recommend installing them as they can be buggy.
- Note that security updates also include non-security updates that were previously released.^{[5]
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Should I call someone for help with updating Windows? No. There are a number of websites that claim they'll help you update Windows, but this isn't necessary, and they're usually scams. If you call someone to ask for help with updating Windows and they ask to control your computer remotely, ask for private information (like your name, address, username, or password), or ask for financial information or payment, immediately hang up.
- Windows is very easy to update and usually does it on its own if you don't manually install an update right when it's first available. With the tips in this guide, you'll be able to update Windows easily, even if you haven't updated in a while.