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Guide · Fix & Manage Updates Manual install Windows & Server

How to install an update from the Microsoft Update Catalog

Download a KB update as an .msu or .cab file and install it by hand, when Windows Update does not offer it, the PC is offline or Windows Update itself fails.

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The Microsoft Update Catalog holds the standalone files of Microsoft updates. Windows Update remains the normal way to get updates, and Microsoft's own FAQ presents the Catalog as a source for updates distributed across a corporate network. Use it as a fallback.

When you need it

  • An out-of-band update that Windows Update does not offer. Microsoft says non-critical out-of-band updates are available through the Catalog only (see out-of-band updates).
  • A PC with no internet access, or one where Windows Update keeps failing.
  • A KB you must test or deploy by hand, for example from a script.

Download the right file

  1. Search for the KB number, for example KB5127648, on the Catalog website.
  2. Pick the row that matches your Windows version and your processor. Check Settings › System › About › System type: x64-based processor means the x64 file, ARM-based processor means Arm64.
  3. Select Download and save the file.

On Windows 11 the KB page can list more than one .msu: the update plus earlier "checkpoint" cumulative updates it needs. Download them all into one folder, with no other files in it, and read the Before you install this update section of the KB page for prerequisites.

Install the file

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as administrator.

An .msu file: double-click it, or run:

Command Prompt (Admin)
> wusa.exe C:\Packages\windows11.0-kb5127648-x64.msu /quiet /norestart

/quiet hides every prompt, including the licence terms. /norestart only works together with /quiet, so restart the PC yourself afterwards.

A .cab file, or an .msu when wusa fails:

Command Prompt (Admin)
> DISM.exe /Online /Add-Package /PackagePath:C:\Packages\update.cab

DISM can add an .msu to a running system on Windows 11 21H2 and later. It does not fully check that a package suits the PC, so use the exact file for your Windows version.

Check that it worked

PowerShell
> Get-HotFix -Id KB5127648

If a row comes back, the update is installed. Get-HotFix lists only updates delivered through component-based servicing, so a blank result is not proof of failure: also look in Settings › Windows Update › Update history or in update history. Not sure what a KB is? See the glossary.

Sources

Edited by the site editor. Written with AI from Microsoft's own documents, checked by rules and a second AI. How we work · Report a mistake