wum install
Downloads and installs selected updates. Shows an install plan first, then per-update progress and a final summary.
Synopsis
wum install [<kb-articles>...] [--security] [--critical] [--all] [--definition]
[--dry-run] [--force|-f] [--no-reboot] [--microsoft-update|--mu]
Arguments
| Argument | Required | Detail |
|---|---|---|
kb-articles |
No | Zero or more KB numbers, for example KB5034441 KB5035853. A bare number is auto-prefixed with KB. |
Selection options
| Option | Detail |
|---|---|
--security |
Install security updates only. |
--critical |
Install critical updates only. |
--all |
Install every available update. |
--definition |
Install definition / Defender updates. |
--microsoft-update, --mu |
Query Microsoft Update while scanning. |
Execution options
| Option | Detail |
|---|---|
--dry-run |
Show install plan and stop. No download, install, or reboot prompt. |
--force, -f |
Skip confirmation prompt. |
--no-reboot |
Do not prompt for restart after installation. |
Target resolution
- Explicit KBs win. WUM installs those matching updates and warns for KBs not found.
--allinstalls every available update.--security --criticalinstalls both categories.- A single category flag installs that category.
- No flags installs security + critical updates. If none exist, WUM falls back to all available updates.
Flow
Downloading or installing updates requires Administrator. --dry-run is
read-only and does not require elevation.
Flow: scan -> resolve targets -> show plan -> confirm unless --force -> download/install with progress -> full live status refresh -> state-aware summary -> optional reboot prompt.
After installation completes, WUM queries Windows Update again so the next view reflects installed, failed, pending-restart, superseded, and no-longer-applicable state. The summary keeps no-longer-applicable and restart-required items separate from genuine failures.
When restart is required, use the WUM restart prompt or wum reboot. WUM calls WUA Commit(0) once for the current boot immediately before shutdown /r; this is required to finalize pending feature updates. --no-reboot suppresses only the prompt and prints this guidance.
Examples
wum install KB5034441
wum install KB5034441 KB5035853
wum install --security
wum install --all
wum install --all --force
wum install --all --dry-run
wum install --all --no-reboot
wum install --definition --mu
Next: uninstall