We are going to try to explain how long it may take to update Windows 11, both when updating in general and when installing the operating system. This is not an exact science, it depends on many conditions, and this is also something that we are going to explain to you.
We’ll start by explaining the things that take more or less time to update. Then, we’ll walk you through the types of updates, explaining which types of updates may take more or less time.
What does the update speed depend on?
The speed at which Windows 11 updates occurs depends on a number of factors. The first, obviously, is the type of update. But apart from this there are some conditions.
Firstly, it depends on your internet speed. Windows Update needs to download data from the network, and the amount of time it takes to download it depends on your connection. And not just how much speed you have in your home, but how much reaches your computer.
If you are in a house with 500Mb internet speed and I am in a house with 10Mb internet speed, especially big updates are going to take me too long to download. But even if we are in the same house, the signal reaching the computer in the room it is in or the modem this computer has installed can also affect it.
After the update is downloaded, Windows begins the process of installing the update. Here, there may also be some differences in speed, depending on the type of hard drive you have, and an SSD will always download and install updates faster.
Update type
There are several types of updates in Windows, and each of them can take a different amount of time. There are many minor updates that may be important, definitions, drivers, minor security updates, and so on. These should only take a few seconds or minutes, depending on your connection.
Then you have some updates where you get new features, or monthly which fixes a lot of things. In these cases, the update may take a few minutes, but unless you have a very bad connection, it shouldn’t take that long.
Next, Windows also releases one or two major updates every year. These big updates are usually packed with features and take up a lot of space, even more than a gig, and they’re the ones that take you the longest to get. This can take anywhere from half an hour to an hour or so, as they will need to be installed after downloading and restart your computer.
And finally, there is the time when you want to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11. This may take a long time, since you must first download the entire operating system, and then install it over the previous one. This can easily take an hour or several hours, depending on your computer and your connection, though. This could be half an hour or three quarters if you have particularly fast internet
As you can see, there is no predefined period for the update in the end, as firstly it will depend on the type of update, and then on the speed and quality of internet signal that you are reaching.
