Windows 10 was designed to always update automatically and Microsoft also tried to force updates on Windows Home versions so that they cannot be disabled. This forcing, which for many may be an invasion of the autonomy of computer management, was however a forced choice to make sure that all users, even the most careless and those who do not take care of the maintenance of their PC, can always have the latest security patches and operating system features installed. What to do if, eager to always receive the latest updates, we realize that the version in use on our PC is obsolete "> What is the latest version of Windows 10?
Windows 10 does not update
If our copy of Windows 10 shows no updates, we can force the search for updates by checking the following items or checking if the items are active or inactive in the reported menus.
Let's check Windows Update
Most of the time the problem is due to Windows Update that does not work and if, therefore, you do not receive any updates or updates, not even the weekly security patches or the latest definitions of the Windows Defender antivirus.To force Windows Update to start immediately, simply download the following script -> Force Windows Update script. We copy all the lines of the command, open Notepad and save the file with Save As, set the file type as All files and set the name Forza-Windows-Update.vbs .
Now we open a command prompt as an administrator (looking for it in the Start menu and right clicking on the program), and we type the following command
Force-Windows-Update.vbs cscript
The search for new updates will start automatically from the prompt, complete with warning messages in case of errors or problems during the procedure.
If we can't solve it with this script, we can try another way by reading our guide on how to fix Windows Update errors if the system doesn't update .
We have installed a new version recently
Windows 10 does not update to the new build if it has been updated to a new version recently. In fact, Microsoft will allow a period of 30 days to return to the previous build. So if a new version has been recently installed, the files of the old installation (in the Windows.old folder) will be kept, ready to use in case of afterthought or problems.
To check if it is still possible to go back to the previous version, just go to Settings -> Update and security -> Restore, and check if the option to go back to a previous build is active.
If you don't want to wait for the 30 day period you can delete the recovery files using the Disk Cleanup feature to delete the Windows 10 installation files . After doing this cleaning, you can check, in Windows Update, if you receive the availability of the anniversary update.
We have suspended updates
On Professional and Enterprise editions of Windows 10 it is possible to use an option to suspend updates for a certain period of time: this option can be reached from Settings -> Update and security -> Windows Update, by clicking on the Advanced options item.
With this item active, the search for updates is blocked for 35 days, after which it will be reactivated. If we want to activate it immediately, just turn off the specific button.
We recommend that you use this feature carefully: after activating and deactivating the button, we will not be able to use it for 35 days, even if we want to reactivate the voice after a few minutes.
We have set consumption mode for your network
On Windows 10 Home (but also on other versions of Windows) the search for updates can be blocked due to the consumption mode used on the currently active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet). It is used to prevent Windows from downloading too much data when we are connected to a network with time limits or limits on the data exchanged; obviously the updates are blocked. So let's check if the consumption mode is active, right click on the network icon at the bottom right, click on Settings Open connection and Internet, select the item Change connection properties and check if there is an active check under the item Set as a consumer connection .
By deactivating this item, the updates will be downloaded again and installed on our computer.
The update was not released for your PC
Microsoft does not update all PCs in one fell swoop! Most of the updates are gradual, for some it arrived immediately, while still others are waiting for it. This depends on the update program itself, which may have detected a hardware compatibility issue on that computer and is still waiting to fix it. In other cases it could be a problem of the development branch activated on our copy of Windows 10 Professional or Enterprise: we carry out a check by going to Settings -> Update and security -> Windows Update -> Advanced options and scrolling the page until you find the item Choose when to install updates .
If we set up the Semi- Annual Channel, the biggest updates (the new builds) will be distributed more slowly, only after passing all the checks and all the feedback from the first users who received it (it can also take 2-3 months from the release). If, on the other hand, we set up the semi-annual (targeted) channel, the updates will be available as soon as possible, so that we can test it before being distributed to large organizations. Obviously if our computer is part of the organizations, it is always advisable to wait for the "safe" release; if, on the other hand, we are home users, we can choose the faster update without a shadow of a doubt.
Force Windows 10 update with the latest version
To force the update of the latest update available for Windows 10 (let's talk about the so-called "Feature Updates"), you can open the Windows 10 Download page (at this link) and choose one of the two ways:- Press the Update Now button to download the system update assistant which can be run on the PC to install the update automatically.
- Click on Download now the tool to download the latest version of Windows 10 through Media Creation Tool . In this case you can download the right image by reading our guide on How to Download each version of Windows 10, Windows 7 and 8.1 and then upload it on a free USB stick as described in our guide on How to install Windows 10 from USB .
In one case or another we can rest assured of two things:
- No personal files will be deleted and no programs will be removed
- In case of problems with the updated version, after installing it, it will always be possible to return to the previous version of Windows 10.
Even if you try to force the update to Windows 10, it is possible that this is prevented by an initial check or by an error.
We talked about this in the guide on Windows 10 update problems, with a special mention for the error "An intervention is required" if an app blocks the installation of the Windows 10 update
