How to install updates on Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2016, and Windows Server 2019

Installing updates is recommended to improve system stability and performance, to install or upgrade new components used by many programs and the system, for example, installing Net Framework 4.7 is done through updates. Regular updates also help eliminate vulnerabilities and enhance overall system security.

The easiest way to install updates is through the Windows Update Center.
For all versions of Windows Server, the update installation procedure is almost the same, with minimal differences.

Installing updates on Windows Server 2012 R2

To access the Windows Update Center, you need to click on the Start Menu button in the lower-left corner of the desktop and follow the path:
Start Menu -> Control Panel -> System and Security -> Windows Update

Alternatively, you can enter the Start Menu, type "update" if you have the English version of Windows or "Центр обновления" for the Russian version of Windows, you will see in the list of found programs - Windows Update, click on this option.

You can also access the Windows Update Center through the Powershell command line by typing the command "control update" and confirming the input with the Enter button.


In the Windows Update Center, click the Check for updates button.



After the search is complete, you will see that important and optional update packages have been found, click the Install updates button:

After the update packages are downloaded and installed, you will see a message about the successful update, or a button requiring you to restart the server to apply the new configuration (after pressing the button, the server will restart, all programs will stop working, remote desktop connection will become unavailable, so be sure to save all your files and unfinished settings/programs before pressing the button).
If you are ready, press the Restart now button:



You can also restart the server from the Start Menu:


Then the shutdown and installation of new components will begin, sometimes this can take a few minutes, and sometimes it can take up to half an hour, so your server may be unavailable for connection for some time, wait 5-30 minutes and then try to connect to the server. (You can always track the system loading process on our servers using the VNC/IPMI connection window.)


Updates are installed.
It is recommended to repeat the update installation procedure and restart the server again, as not all updates are installed immediately, some become available only after the previous ones are installed.



Installing updates on Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019

The procedure is the same as for Windows Server 2012 (see above in this article), so I will not describe the process in detail, I will just attach a few screenshots, as the graphical interface differs from Windows Server 2012 R2.

To access the Windows Update Center, you need to click on the Start Menu button in the lower-left corner of the desktop and follow the path:
Start Menu -> Settings button -> Update and Security -> Windows Update

Or find it through the search in the Start Menu, then go to the "Windows Update settings" option:


Searching for updates:


Downloading and further installing updates:


After the installations are complete, restart the system:


The system will start to restart and the connection to the server via remote desktop will be disconnected during its restart.
Wait until the server becomes available for connection again, approximate time: 5-30 minutes. (You can always track the system loading process on our servers using the VNC/IPMI connection window.)


It is recommended to repeat the entire procedure, as many updates become available only after the previous ones are installed.
However, note that it is not recommended to install all updates on Windows Server 2016-2019 on servers with a disk size of 20 GB or less, as updates are large and can take up all free space.