Windows Update

Windows Update is a free updating service by Microsoft. It can give updates to Windows and other Microsoft products, sometimes also for drivers. Windows Update is used to keep Microsoft apps and Windows operating systems secure and updated. These updates often protect these Microsoft products from malware and ransomware.

Location

 * In Windows 98 through to XP, it is located in Internet Explorer.
 * In Windows Vista through to 8.1, it is located in the Control Panel.
 * In Windows 10 through to 11, it is located in the Settings app.

Patch Tuesday
The Patch Tuesday is a day when Microsoft releases patches and security updates routinely, and it is the second Tuesday of every month. However, Microsoft still releases urgent updates on most other days.

Update History
You can also view the Windows Update history from Windows Update that shows the updates you have installed since you have used Windows on that computer.

Automatic Updates
Formerly known as the Windows Critical Update Notification Tool in Windows 98 and 2000, this tool runs in the background and notifies you when a critical update is avaliable. In Windows Me (9x) and Windows XP / 2000 SP3 (NT), this tool was replaced with Automatic Updates. Automatic Updates will not require a web browser, and checks updates less routinely than the Critical Update Notification Tool.

Filetypes
Windows Vista uses    and   file extensions on the updates.

Windows 10 and 11 Feature Updates

 * See Microsoft Windows and Windows 11 updates for the subsequent feature updates released for Windows 10.