Do Windows updates actually improve anything at all on a computer?

[Siri137]

What are they actually for? And why do they occur so often?

[NathanDavis]

Windows 11 usually keeps up with a monthly update, and perhaps a few minor patches in between and yes, these are all necessary to improve safety and stability

if you get updates off the usual schedule, these are probably to patch previous errors or to protect the system against brand new vulnerabilities

if Windows has a lot of updates, it is probably because of the size of the system which is not little, and also because it is the most used so it is also going to be the most exploited and it needs more protection and security than any other, therefore... constant upgrades and updates

[AlexEfron]

Most updates are security updates and vulnerability fixes. A general user won't even know the difference. The most annoying thing about windows 10 to windows 11 was the UI changes. You get used to it, but still why make things more tedious than necessary.

Why do they occur so often? Most products have a release cycle. Monthly releases, quarterly releases, half yearly releases, etc. And why are there so many vulnerabilities? It's never perfect. Every now an then some loophole, some vulnerability pops up. And so are the fixes to them. OS teams have to add those patches to their operating systems and keep them secure from the aforementioned threats. Also there is security compliance for federal organisations. Compromised security is a huge deal for government organisations and a massive business impact for OS/Product manufacturers.

[IslaTheWitch]

Most updates are security updates which close holes used by viruses, so I strongly suggest to keep your windows up-to-date

[genericname85]

yes they absolutely do. operating system updates generally do. it's not something you notice day to day but there are always vulnerabilities that only are exposed by hackers over time. operating systems engineers and hackers are playing a constant cat and mouse game. hackers trying to find weak spots that they can abuse and operating systems engineers try to close these openings as fast and bes they can.

and what you get with updates is typically a buch of fixed vulnerabilities. so you don't see anything changing but every update makes it less likely for your system to be successfully attacked.

mind you not all attacks are active hacking. there's a lot of malware like viruses that can spread through all sorts of different programmes that you use day by day, which can negatively effect you without someone actively wanting to attack you.

[WindAtMyBack]

For the majority of people they don't make any difference. Most are either security updates, or a fix for some rare bug that extremely few people will run into. The few updates that are not one of those two are trivial things that don't matter for most people.

Whether or not a security update is an improvement is open for debate. It makes no difference for how you use you computer. And if you are being reasonably safe online, then it probably won't matter at all, even for security.

[KostasKouvalis]

I don't know. I never notice any difference honestly. But I updated my phone yesterday and it made my sim card stop working, and it also made my clock font thick and made my icons look worse than before. And it also put everything in dark mode. Not all updates are good

[Astarlessnightsky]

You can look up the patch notes online.

But if an OS is somewhat good, its usually just minor fixes, improved stability, closing of some backdoors to improve safety, added or improved support for the newest hardware...

[sawno]

Its primarily security updates, sometimes they add a useful feature, sometimes they break things and add bloatware. You do need them for the security.

[Anonymous]

Yes, they're very important. Most updates are "security updates" not not functionality updates.

Windows will find vulnerabilities in their code and issue a fix for them, and that's when you get these updates.

If you do not update, you will be more likely to get a virus or be hacked.

[Unit1]

The Windows updates are almost only all about patching security vulnerabilities and system updates. 99% of these updates do not add any new features or functionalities.

[exitseven]

There are security patches every week. They fix vulnerabilities. Frequently there are patches that will help hardware work better as well.

[ChicoFromThe305]

It lowers malware risk I think, the more of the updates you skip, the higher the chances are of being hacked or your computer getting a virus I think

[CaptainSmartass]

They're designed to annoy people periodically.

But seriously, they just fix minor issues in the system and renew bits of software.

Simples...

[syncheart]

I hate windows and it's update system. Linux Mint has the best updater that I have ever experienced.

[TonyMetal___86]

I don't have win 11, still using on my laptop win 7

[Siri137]

I have Windows 7 on a desktop that has no internet connection whatsoever. I keep my personal and important documents on there. It's impossible for any hackers to gain access to it, but this laptop I'm now using has Windows 11.

[TonyMetal___86]

The big difference is just in it's interface and graphical designs, nothing special!
When i used to have win 10, a lot of programs and old games haven't worked on it, my laptop felt more like a tablet with win 10

[love_conquers_lust]

Hit or miss. I’m annoyed when it shuts itself down for said updates.

[_no_one_]

Its mostly security patches and bug removals

[SunnyRS]

Most of the time it is meant for improving the working of your OS.
But sometimes it just adds new features you are not interested in.

[dudeinohio]

Security patches to protect vulnerabilities mostly.

[roy_ricky09]

If you are looking for performance improvement, quite little
Vulnerabilities removal, yes.

[Twalli]

They do, but most are background, so we don't see too may changes.

[In_Trance]

I don't think they do. I think they make things slower

[shortster]

Every update Windows gets worse since XP.

[Siri137]

XP was quite good. They didn't need to "improve" it.

[jshm2]

Yes. obviously.