Make Windows 8 Display a Desktop Notification for Updates

Unlike previous versions, Windows 8 doesn’t display a desktop notification when new updates are available. Windows 8 Update Notifier is a free utility that solves the issue and will pop up a notification for new updates. It also makes it easier to a access Windows Updates from the desktop.

Even if you set Windows Update to “Check for Updates but Let Me Choose Whether to Download and Install Them” it won’t pop up a notification.

Windows (8) Update Notifier

Download Windows (8) Update Notifier, unzip it and run WindowsUpdateNotifier.exe.

The utility icon lives in the Notification Area on the Taskbar. It will check for updates and display a notification of what’s available. By default it searches for new updates every hour.

Click it to open Windows Update directly and install available updates. I like this feature because it’s easier to access Windows Update from the desktop.

If you like to manually keep Windows up to date, this utility makes it a lot easier. A basic improvement, but sometimes it’s the little things…