Advertisement

How to force Windows 8.1 to check for updates

Windows Update allows you to keep the OS up-to-date by installing the latest patches which include new features and security fixes. From Control Panel, you can set Windows Update to download and install updates automatically or only download them but notify you before installation. You can also check for updates manually and disable automatic updates fully. If you wish to directly start checking for updates, there is a secret hidden switch you can use to launch this.

Press Win + R keys on the keyboard simultaneously. The Run dialog will appear on the screen. Type the following command in the Run box:

wuauclt.exe /showcheckforupdates

showcheckforupdates
Press Enter, and Windows will directly start checking for updates regardless of your automatic update settings.
Windows Updates
You may want to pin a shortcut to this command to your Start Menu or Start screen so you can directly start checking for updates manually.

Support us

Winaero greatly relies on your support. You can help the site keep bringing you interesting and useful content and software by using these options:

If you like this article, please share it using the buttons below. It won't take a lot from you, but it will help us grow. Thanks for your support!

Advertisеment

Author: Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

2 thoughts on “How to force Windows 8.1 to check for updates”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

css.php
Using Telegram? Subscribe to the blog channel!
Hello. Add your message here.