Check Update Size in Windows 10 [Tutorial]

Last Updated on July 28, 2017

In previous versions of Windows, you had the option to know how large the update size was before you started downloading them. In Windows 10, however, Microsoft has decided that we are too dumb to know that detail.

check-update-size-windows-10

Thus, they have made away with the Update app from the Control Panel and have put it into the Settings app with literally no user control options whatsoever. Now, hiding the update size isn’t a big deal. But, that’s for people with a nicer internet connection.

For people like me and millions of others, who have to bear the crappy <5Mbps download speeds, it is very annoying. Since there is no official way to pause updates or disable them, the PC downloading them takes up the whole network bandwidth. Consequently, the internet goes down for everyone else in the network.

I’ve got a few PCs in my home, and whenever Microsoft releases an update for Windows 10, all those devices start downloading them. Then there is a thing called FUP. Fair Usage Policy for those who don’t know. With FUP, I get a few GBs of data after which my downloading speed goes down considerably to the point of being unusable.

Check Update size in Windows 10

Thus knowing the Windows 10 update size is an essential way of knowing how fast I’m going to deplete my data cap. Here is a simple method to know how large an update is.

  • Head over to the Settings app > Update & security > Windows Update. Click on Update history. In the Update history screen, you will see all the previously installed or failed updates on your Windows 10 PC.
  • Click on any update of which you want to know the size of. You will see an ‘info’ box open up with details of the update. Click on ‘More info‘ to know more.
  • Clicking on ‘More info‘ will open the Knowledgebase page of the update. For the update KB3213986, you will go to https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4009938/january-10-2017-kb3213986-os-build-14393-693 page. This page lists all the changes that Microsoft has pushed to your PC via this update. You can skim over those if you like.
  • Scroll down on this page on the ‘How to get this update’ section. In the File information heading, you will see the update size. That’s it.
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Written by Utkarsh

Utkarsh Bhatt is a certified tech expert and software engineer for a Fortune 500 Company. He was born in 1995, making him one of the oldest members of the team at EFX. Utkarsh loves solving technical issues and is always the first to jump on any problem that needs solving. When he’s not coding or debugging, he enjoys playing video games (especially Super Smash Bros.) and watching cartoons.

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8 thoughts on “Check Update Size in Windows 10 [Tutorial]”

  1. Why would i want to check the size for an already downloaded and installed update…

    It’s beyond me that Microsoft has removed the possibility to check the size of an upcoming and/or already downloding updates.
    Also, we can’t see the download speed, or get an accurate download progress percentage.

    This was an useless article

    Reply
    • Because unlike you, some people still don’t have banging internet connections. Sometimes they would want to know how much of their internet bandwidth is used by the update.

      Perhaps they have removed the option to view update information now but it was there when this article was published.

      Reply
  2. Thanks for this. My home internet is having issues at the moment, and my windows updates kept failing because of this. I decided to tether my mobile to my computer to download the update, but needed to check the update’s size to ensure I had enough data available on my phone.
    Your article was indeed useful – because it allowed me to view the size of FAILED updates.

    Reply
  3. misleading title to lure gullible people to page.

    Whoever might want to know the size of installed or failed updates, more would like to know the size of updates are still to be or being downloaded.

    Reply
    • Anyone wanting to get the update size can check it while downloading too because the Update downloading screen also shows the Windows Update code. Am I missing something?

      Reply
  4. what “Windows Update code”. there is no code, no KB9999999, no size, no pending time to complete download, no nothing on w10, dear Sir.

    It just shows the % that has been downloaded till then.

    Thanks.

    Reply

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