How to update Windows 10 without internet

There are situations when you need to update Windows 10 without the Internet. In this case, the user does not have the option to automatically update via Windows Update.

Indeed, in a situation where there is no physical access to the Internet, problems arise with obtaining updates in the usual way. Even if you have a slow or limited Internet connection, updating Windows 10 will not be easy.

Many users who receive Internet as part of a limited connection change the Wi-Fi settings in the Windows 10 settings. In the properties of the Wi-Fi connection settings, they include the “Set as metered connection” setting. After the settings are applied, the delivery and installation of updates for the operating system is limited. Only the most important updates are installed in the OS.

You need to update Windows without internet. What to do in such a situation? You can solve the problem by using workarounds.

To solve the problem, you will need the “help of a friend”, a person (friend, acquaintance, neighbor, colleague, etc.) who has access to the Internet. You will also need a USB flash drive (flash drive) to transfer system update files from one computer to another. Perhaps the user has the opportunity to use Internet access at work, in the absence of access at home.

According to this scheme, the user receives and installs a Windows update without access to the Internet in several consecutive steps:

1. First you need to download the update for Windows 10 on someone else’s computer with Internet access.
2. Next, you need to move the received update to a USB flash drive.
3. Connect the flash drive to your computer.
4. Then, install the Windows update on your computer.

Updates are often simply necessary, as they solve many system security problems. Periodically, “big” Windows updates are released that have their own names (Creators Update, Fall Creators Update, etc.). These major updates are essentially a new version of Windows 10.

Therefore, the user needs to install updates to maintain the security of the computer, as well as to install the latest version of the operating system on the computer.

In this article, we will consider two options for installing updates on a computer: obtaining and installing current updates, updating Windows 10 to a new version, without access to the Internet. Similar methods can be used in operating systems Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1.

Get and install Windows 10 updates without internet access

In order to install a separate Windows update without the Internet, you need to determine the version of the operating system.

In Windows 10, go to “Settings” → “System” → “About” (before version 1709, the section was called “About”). The “Windows Specifications” section contains information about the version of Windows installed by the OS, in this case, Windows 10 Pro 1703.

On a computer with Internet access, go to the official website: https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Home.aspx to the Microsoft Update catalog, in the search field enter the name of the system installed on the PC, something like: “windows 10 x64 1703” (indicate the full version of the OS, its bit depth), select the updates you need.

Updates have numbers consisting of a series of numbers: “KBXXXXXXX”. They are categorized as “Critical Updates” and simply “Updates”. Critical updates fix hardware problems or fix system vulnerabilities that should be applied immediately. Just updates include security updates, various system and component fixes that you want to install on your computer.

In the table, you can navigate by the release date of the update and the update number. Next to the required update, click on the “Download” button.

In the next window, click on the link to start downloading the update to your computer.

Save the update to your computer, and then move the update file to a removable USB drive.

Next, deliver the Windows 10 update files to their destination, and then connect the flash drive to your computer. Run the offline Windows Update Installer on your computer, install the updates, restart your computer.

Before searching for updates, you can find out which updates are installed on your computer:

1. Run command prompt as administrator.
2. In the command line interpreter window, enter the command:

wmic qfe list

3. Press the “Enter” key.

Examine the list of installed updates, navigate by the column “HotFixID” (hotfix ID) with the update number (KBXXXXXXX) and installation date.

The latest offline security updates for Windows Defender (Windows Defender) of different versions and bitness can be downloaded from the official website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi/definitions#manual .

Updating Windows to a new version without internet

In the event that the user wants to upgrade to the new, latest released version of Windows 10, and he does not have the opportunity to use the Internet to automatically update the system, there are two ways to solve the problem:

• installing a new version of Windows 10 using a bootable USB flash drive or from a DVD;
• Upgrading to a new version of Windows 10 directly from a computer using an ISO image of the operating system.

In this case, you also need the ability to get Windows to create bootable media or save an ISO image of the system on another computer with Internet access.

Create a bootable USB flash drive according to this article, and then install the operating system on your computer.

Now let’s take a closer look at the option of installing Windows 10, by updating, directly from the operating system.

1. Save the ISO image of Windows 10 on another computer according to this article. Transfer it to your computer.
2. Right-click on the Windows ISO image, select “Mount” from the context menu to mount the system image in a virtual drive.
3. In the window that opens, double-click on the “setup” file with the left mouse button.

After preparation, a window will open in which it is recommended to download and install important updates. There is no Internet on this computer, updates will still not be found, so select “Not now”, and then click on the “Next” button.

4. The next step is to prepare the computer and the system. A window will open to accept the applicable notices and license terms. Click on the “Accept” button.
5. Next, Windows Setup checks that the computer is ready and has enough space.
6. In the “Ready to install” window, the user must select a configuration for installing the system. By default, you are prompted to choose to install Windows 10, keeping personal files and applications. This is the most common option when performing a system upgrade to the latest OS version.

After clicking on “Change the components selected for saving”, additional settings items will open. The user can choose to save only personal files (applications will be removed), or not to save anything (personal files and applications will be removed).

Click on the “Install” button.

7. After that, the process of installing Windows 10 on the computer will begin. During installation, the computer will restart several times.
8. At the next stage, work with updates will begin, which takes some time (on different computers in different ways). At this time, the computer will restart.
9. After the installation is complete, the computer will start an updated version of Windows 10, which was updated without access to the Internet.

Unmount the Windows 10 ISO, you don’t need it anymore. In the Explorer window, right-click on the virtual drive, select “Eject” from the context menu.

Article Conclusions

In the absence of Internet access, the user has some options to install updates or upgrade to a new version of Windows 10. This is possible if you can download updates or an ISO image of the system on another computer with Internet access.