There are two major categories of apps installed in Windows 11: Microsoft Store apps and third-party apps. We’ll go over how to update both below.
How to Update Apps on Windows 11
There are two ways to update apps installed through the Microsoft Store: manually and automatically.
Manual App Updates
Update an app manually if you know a newer version is available but Windows hasn’t given it to you yet. This isn’t the ideal way to keep your apps updated, which is why auto-updating is enabled by default, but you can still force Windows 11 apps to update manually. Another way to manually update a Windows 11 app is to re-download it. This will force your computer to get the latest version that’s available. To do so, search for the app on your computer and choose Uninstall. Then, revisit its download page in the store to get it again.
Automatic App Updates
Keeping your apps up to date all the time is important. Microsoft encourages this by enabling automatic updates by default. If apps aren’t updating on their on when necessary, check that this setting is toggled on. Select your profile image at the top of the Microsoft Store to find App settings, and then ensure that App updates is turned on.
How to Update Other Apps on Your PC
Lots of software is available outside the Microsoft Store. For example, all the programs you download through your web browser are maintained separately from Microsoft Store apps, which means updating them is a bit different. Most apps include an option in the Help menu or within the settings to check for updates or to turn on automatic updates. You can sometimes manually trigger the update from there, too, otherwise, you’re simply told to visit the company’s website to find the latest version. To do that, simply visit the site in question, find and download the program that needs the update, and install it like you did the first time you put it on your computer. Another way to update non-Microsoft Store apps is with a software updater tool. These are programs, too, but they function more like Microsoft Store since they can scan for outdated software and sometimes even provide easy-to-use ‘install’ buttons to bulk update all your apps.
Windows Updates Are Different
Windows 11 also includes a tool called Windows Update. Although it might, at first look, appear to be a source for app updates, such as those available through Microsoft Store, it’s actually completely different. Windows Update is where you go to update Windows 11 (i.e., the entire operating system). When you download and install updates with Windows Update, you won’t find new versions of your everyday apps like Netflix, Spotify, etc., but instead new features and security improvements for the whole OS. Keeping Windows 11 up to date is just as, if not more, important than maintaining fresh versions of all your apps.
