How to check Windows Update history on Windows 10

On Windows 10, you can use “update history” to see a list of updates installed on the device when you want to check if a new update was installed successfully or failed to apply. The Windows 10 update history can also come in handy when you know more about a recently installed quality update. Or one of them is causing issues, and you need to uninstall it.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to view the update history of Windows 10 using the Settings app, Command Prompt, and PowerShell.

• Check Windows 10 update history from Settings
• Check Windows 10 update history from Command Prompt
• Check Windows 10 update history from PowerShell

Check Windows 10 update history from Settings

To view the Windows 10 update history, use these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 10.

2. Click on Update & Security.

3. Click on Windows Update.

4. Click the “View update history” button.

   

5. Check the recent history of updates installed on your computer, including quality updates, drivers, definition updates (Microsoft Defender Antivirus), and optional updates.

   

Once you complete the steps, you’ll better understand the successfully installed updates and those that failed to install.

If an update fails to install, you will notice an error code message, which you can use to research online to determine the reason and the steps to fix the problem.

If you click the link for each update, it will open on the Microsoft support website, which will offer more insights about the changes, improvements, and known issues (if any) about that particular update.

Microsoft hasn’t completely moved all the update settings to this app, which means that if an update is causing problems, you’ll need to click the “Uninstall updates” link to open Control Panel to remove it.

Check Windows 10 update history from Command Prompt

To view the history list of Windows 10 updates using Command Prompt: 

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Command Prompt and click the top result to open the app.

3. Type the following command to view the update history and press Enter:

   wmic qfe list

   If you want to find a specific update, you can use the KB number, typing the following command and pressing Enter:

   wmic qfe | find "5020872"

4. Check the “Windows Update history” of your computer.

   

After you complete the steps, you will get a list with links to the Microsoft support website to know the contents of the updates. You’ll also see the installation date, description, hotfixid (KB number), and more.

Additionally, if you want to uninstall a specific Windows 10 update using Command Prompt, you can use its KB number and run this command: wusa /uninstall /kb:5015807 /quiet. Remember to change “5015807” with the KB number for the update you want to uninstall.

Check Windows 10 update history from PowerShell

Alternatively, you can use the Microsoft PSWindowsUpdate module to manage updates through PowerShell.

To see the history list of updates installed on the computer, use these steps: 

1. Open Start.

2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

3. Type the following command to install the PowerShell module to update Windows 10 and press Enter:

   Install-Module PSWindowsUpdate

   

4. Type A to accept and install the module and press Enter.

5. Type the following command to view a list of the 20 most recent updates and press Enter:

   Get-WUHistory | Select-Object -First 20

   

Once you complete the steps, the device may need to restart to complete the process. You can always change 20 for the number of updates you want to see in the command.

The PSWindowsUpdate module also allows you to install updates and uninstall patches causing problems after a Patch Tuesday rollout.