Scripty Script

Identify Pending Windows Updates PowerShell Script

Written by

Geoff

in

,

This PowerShell script utilizes the Windows Update Agent API to scan for available updates that are not yet installed, displaying a detailed list of pending updates including their titles, KB numbers, download status, and descriptions. It provides a quick and reliable way to check the update status of a Windows system without requiring manual intervention through the Settings app.

Click to view script… 
# PowerShell script to check for Windows updates and list pending updates

try {
    Write-Output "Checking for updates..."
    
    # Create a new update session
    $session = New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Session
    
    # Create an update searcher
    $searcher = $session.CreateUpdateSearcher()
    
    # Set the search criteria to find updates that are not installed and not hidden
    $criteria = "IsInstalled=0 and IsHidden=0"
    
    # Perform the search
    $result = $searcher.Search($criteria)
    
    # Check if the search was successful (ResultCode 2 means Succeeded)
    if ($result.ResultCode -eq 2) {
        $updates = $result.Updates
        if ($updates.Count -gt 0) {
            Write-Output "Found $($updates.Count) pending updates:"
            $counter = 1
            foreach ($update in $updates) {
                # Get the KB article ID if available
                $kb = if ($update.KBArticleIDs.Count -gt 0) { $update.KBArticleIDs[0] } else { "N/A" }
                # Check if the update is downloaded
                $status = if ($update.IsDownloaded) { "Downloaded" } else { "Not Downloaded" }
                Write-Output "$counter. Title: $($update.Title) (KB$kb) - $status"
                Write-Output "   Description: $($update.Description)"
                Write-Output ""
                $counter++
            }
        } else {
            Write-Output "No pending updates found."
        }
    } else {
        Write-Output "Update search failed with result code $($result.ResultCode)"
    }
} catch {
    Write-Output "An error occurred: $($_.Exception.Message)"
}

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