Content complexity Simple This rating relates to the complexity of the advice and information provided on the page. What are automatic updates? New, improved or fixed versions of software installed on your computers or mobile devices. Automatic updates allow you to keep your software updated without having to check for and install them manually. Why is it important to turn it on? Saving you time and worry, automatic updates are an important part of keeping your data secure. Automatic updates protect your software from viruses and hacking attempts. Without user intervention, they also keep your machine up to date and efficient. Where do I turn it on? How to turn on automatic updates can differ depending on your operating system and your programs. This guide steps you through turning on automatic updates on a desktop computer for the Windows 10 operating system. To turn on automatic updates for Mac, please refer to the Step-by-Step Guide - Turning On Automatic Updates (For iMac & MacBook, and iPhone & iPad). Step 1 for Windows 10 Check what operating system you are currently using An operating system is the most important piece of software on your computer. It manages your computer’s hardware and all its programs. Select the Windows icon in the bottom left of your screen. If this screen looks different to yours, turn to page 10 as you as you may have an older version of Windows . Click on the Settings Cog icon. Once in Settings, click on the System icon. Once in System, scroll down and click on About. . In the About window, scroll down to Windows Specifications. Look for Edition information to determine your operating system. Below that you can find which version you have. The panel to the left shows a Windows 10 Home device with a version 1903 Step 2 for Windows 10 Turn on automatic updates for Windows 10 By default, Windows 10 updates your operating system automatically. However, it is safest to manually check that you are up to date and it is turned on. Select the Windows icon in the bottom left of your screen. . Click on the Settings Cog icon. Once in Settings, scroll down and click on Update & Security. In the Update & Security window click Check for Updates if necessary. To check if your updates are paused, click Advanced Options. Step 3 Windows 10 Turn on automatic updates for your programs In addition to turning on automatic updates for your operating system, it is recommended you also turn on automatic updates for your programs. There are generally three ways to turn on automatic updates for programs. Programs automatically update with operating system updates. Automatic updates is the default setting upon program installation. Manually turning on automatic updates. Every program is different. For steps to manually turn on automatic updates for your programs, follow the product developer’s instructions.
