Windows 10 Update Methods: 5 Ways to Update Windows 10

About Windows 10 Update

Windows 10 is a major release of Microsoft’s Windows NT operating system, which was initially released to the public in July 2015. It is still in service now. Before Windows 10 end of service, Microsoft will continue releasing updates for it to bring new features and updated security protections.

Well then, how to update Windows 10 to the latest version on your device? The universal way is to check for updates via Windows Update in the Settings app. With this method, you can not only get the latest version of Windows 10 but also get the quality updates for different Microsoft products, driver updates, definition updates, and more.

However, this is not the only way to install the latest Windows 10 version on your device. You can also update Windows 10 using Windows 10 Update Assistant, Windows 10 media creation tool, or Windows 10 ISO disk image (direct download from Microsoft). Besides, to install Windows 10 optional updates, you can also download an offline installer from Microsoft Update Catalog for installation.

It is not bad to master these Windows 10 update methods. In this article, we will introduce these 5 Windows 10 update methods in detail.

Windows Update FAQ: How to Check for Updates & Fix Update Issues

In this article, we will introduce and solve some Windows Update FAQ you may encounter before, during, or after a Windows 10/11 update.

Read More

Windows 10 Update Methods

1. Download Windows 10 update via Windows Update.
2. Update to the latest version of Windows 10 using Windows 10 Update Assistant.
3. Install Windows 10 using Windows 10 media creation tool.
4. Download Windows 10 ISO disk image for installation.
5. Download Windows 10 optional update offline installer from Microsoft Update Catalog.

Preparations before Performing a Windows 10 Update

In theory, a Windows 10 update would simply install the latest Windows 10 version on your device, preserving your current files, apps, and settings. Only a very small number of users reported that Windows 10 updates accidentally deleted their files or crashed the system.

[SOLVED] Will Upgrading to Windows 10 Delete My Files?

Will upgrading to Windows 10 delete my files? Read this post to find answers and know how to recover lost files after upgrading to Windows 10.

Read More

To avoid these accidents, you’d better back up your files and system to keep them safe. You can use MiniTool ShadowMaker, a professional Windows backup software, to make a full backup of your computer.

With this software, you can back up your files, folders, partitions, disks, and systems on all versions of Windows like Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1/8, and Windows 7. You’d better back up your files and system to an external hard drive.

This software has a trial edition, which allows you to use it for free within 30 days.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

You need to prepare an external hard drive that has enough space to save the files and system you want to back up, then connect it to your PC.

After downloading and installing this software, you can open it, switch to the Backup section, select the source drive and destination location, and click the Back up now button to start the backup process.

Method 1: Via Windows Update

How to Update Windows 10 to the Latest Version?

Let’s start with the most common Windows 10 update method: using Windows Update in the Settings app.

Step 1: Press Windows + I to open the Settings app.

Step 2: Go to Update & security > Windows Update.

Step 3: Click the Check for updates button if the newest Windows 10 version is not showing up in Windows Update.

Step 4: When the Windows 10 update is available, you need to click Download & install next to it to start the downloading and installing process.

Step 5: When the progress ends, you will see a Restart now button in Windows Update. You need to click it to restart your device and complete the entire update installation process. Your device might restart several times.

>> Set active hours

If you don’t want to restart your device immediately, you can set active hours on your Windows 10 computer to prevent sudden update installation.

>> Go back to the previous version of Windows 10

Windows allows you to go back to the previous version of Windows 10 within 10 days after a Windows update. If you don’t like the new Windows 10 version or the update brings issues to your system, you can consider doing this.

Step 1: Go to Start > Settings > Update & security > Recovery.

Step 2: On the right panel, click the Get started button under the Go back to the previous version of Windows 10 section.

This will keep your files, but the apps and drivers installed after the upgrade will be removed. The settings you have changed will also be rolled back.

However, if you have installed the Windows 10 update for more than 10 days, this recovery option will not be available for you. You can use other methods to make your Windows 10 go back to an earlier version. For example, you can perform a system restore or restore Windows 10 from a previous backup. Here are 3 methods: 3 Fixes for Go Back to an Earlier Build Not Available in Windows 10.

>> Temporarily pause Windows 10 update

If you don’t want to install Windows 10 updates immediately, you can choose to temporarily pause Windows 10 updates. You can temporarily pause Windows 10 update for 7/35 days in the Settings app. You can also permanently pause Windows 10 updates using Registry Editor or the Local Group Policy Editor. This post covers these methods: How to Block Windows 10 November 2021 Update from Installing?

How to Install Optional Updates on Windows 10?

Microsoft also releases optional updates to bring more new features, security or non-security fixes, and improvements to Windows 10. Usually, it is not recommended to install optional updates on your device unless they contain the bug fixes you need.

Optional updates are not forced to be installed on your PC. You need to manually check for them and download & install them.

Step 1: Press Windows + I to open the Settings app.

Step 2: Go to Update & security > Windows Update.

Step 3: Click the View optional updates link under the Check for updates button.

Step 4: On the next page, you will see all the available optional updates for your system. You can select the updates you want to install and click the Download and install button to install them on your PC.

>> Uninstall updates on Windows 10

If a new Windows 10 update causes issues on your device, you can uninstall it to solve the problem.

Step 1: Go to Start > Settings > Update & security > Windows Update.

Step 2: Click View update history.

Step 3: On the next page, click Uninstall updates.

Step 4: A new interface will pop up, on which you can select the target update to uninstall.

Q+A: Should I Install Optional Updates on Windows 10/11?

This post shows what optional updates are on Windows 10/11 and why you should not install optional updates on your device.

Read More

Method 2: Use Windows 10 Update Assistant

The Windows 10 Update Assistant can help you update to the latest version of Windows 10. If the latest Windows 10 version is not showing up in Windows Update, you can use this tool to update Windows 10.

Here is how to install Windows 10 updates using this tool:

Step 1: Go to the Windows 10 software download page

Step 2: Click the Update now button to download Windows 10 Update Assistant on your device.

Step 3: Open the tool and follow the onscreen instructions to update your system to the latest version.

If Windows 10 Update Assistant gets stuck, the solutions mentioned in this article are helpful: [Best Fixes] Windows 10/11 Update Assistant Is Stuck at 99%.

Method 3: Use Windows 10 Media Creation Tool

Windows 10 Media Creation Tool is another tool that can help you upgrade to Windows 10 or create a Windows 10 installation media to install Windows 10 on a different PC.

Step 1: Go to the Windows 10 software download page

Step 2: Click the Download tool now button to download Windows 10 Media Creation Tool on your device.

Step 3: Open the tool. Then, accept the License terms.

Step 4: You will see the next page.

• If you want to upgrade to Windows 10, you need to select Upgrade this PC now and click Next to perform a Windows 10 upgrade.
• If you want to create a Windows 10 installation media for another PC, you need to prepare a USB drive with at least 8GB of space or a blank DVD (and DVD burner) and connect it to your computer. When you see the following interface, you need to select Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC and follow the onscreen guide to create an installation media or download an ISO file for burning the ISO file to a DVD later.

[FIXED] Windows 10 Media Creation Tool Stuck

If your Windows 10 Media Creation Tool stuck forever, do you know how to fix it? In this post, we will show you some easy and effective methods.

Read More

Method 4: Download Windows 10 ISO Images

Microsoft now allows you to directly download Windows 10 ISO disk images from its Windows 10 software download page. But the company only makes the download available when your device doesn’t support Windows 10 Media Creation Tool. Such devices include Android mobile, Android tablet, iPhone, etc.

This doesn’t mean that you are unable to directly download Windows 10 ISO disk images on your Windows 10 computer. You can change the user agent for your web browser using developer tools to enter the Windows 10 disc image (ISO file) download page, then download your needed Windows 10 ISO image.

>> See how to directly download Windows 10 ISO disk image from Microsoft.

After getting a Windows 10 ISO file, you can use it to create a Windows 10 installation USB drive and then install Windows 10 from USB. You can also directly install Windows 10 using the ISO file.

Method 5: Download Windows 10 Optional Update Offline Installers from Microsoft Update Catalog and Install

You can’t use Windows 10 Update Assistant or Windows 10 Media Creation Tool to download and install Windows 10 optional updates. If you want to get an offline installer for a Windows 10 optional update, you can search for it in Microsoft Update Catalog.

Step 1: Go to Microsoft Update Catalog.

Step 2: Type the update KB number into the search box and click Search to show up all available updates.

Step 3: Find your needed update as per the Windows 10 version you are using. Then, click the Download button next to it.

Step 4: A window will pop up with a download link. You can click it to download the offline installer on your computer.

Step 5: Open the downloaded installer to install the optional update on your device.

Recover Your Data after Updating Windows 10

If a Windows update accidentally deletes files on your PC, what can you do to get your data back?

If you have backed up your files before updating Windows 10, you can restore your files from the backup. However, if there is no available backup, is it possible to rescue your files? Of course, you can use MiniTool Power Data Recovery (a free file recovery tool) to get your data back.

This data recovery software is specially designed to recover lost and deleted files from different types of the data storage drive on Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7. As long as the lost files are not overwritten, this tool can work to get them back.

You can first try the trial edition of this software to scan the drive you want to recover data from and see if it can find your needed files. If yes, you can use a full edition to recover them to a suitable location.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1: Open the software to enter its main interface.

Step 2: Hover over the target drive and click the Scan button to start scanning that drive. If you don’t know the previous location of the lost files, you can switch to the Devices section and select the whole drive to scan.

Step 3: After the scanning, you will see the scan results. You can open each path to find your needed files. You can also switch to the Type section to find files by type.

Step 4: If you need to recover your files, you need to upgrade this software to an advanced edition. Then, you can select your needed files at a time and click the Save button to select a location to save them. The destination should not be the original location of the lost files. Otherwise, the lost files could be overwritten and become unrecoverable.

The End

Want to know all the reliable Windows 10 update methods? This article shows you 5 official ways, including how to install the features updates and how to install the optional updates on Windows 10. You can just choose your preferred method to perform a Windows 10 update.

In addition, you also know what you should prepare for before a Windows 10 update/upgrade, and what you could do to recover your data if files are lost after a Windows 10 update.

Should you have other related issues or good suggestions, you can let us know in the comments. You can also contact us via [email protected].