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Windows Updates - how do I track them?

K12Panel collects Windows Update status from every Agent-managed Windows machine and surfaces it in the Assets list, a per-asset tab, a fleet report, and AI Search.

Tracking Windows Updates in K12Panel

K12Panel collects Windows Update status from every Windows machine running the Agent. The data refreshes at least once every 24 hours per powered-on machine, quietly in the background, and surfaces in four places.

1. The Assets List

Three optional columns can be enabled on your main Assets list:

  • OS — the operating system the machine reports (Windows 10 Pro, Windows 11 Enterprise, and so on).
  • Reboot — a warning indicator that appears the moment a machine is waiting on a reboot.
  • Crit. Updates — the count of pending critical/important security updates per machine.

Sort by the Reboot column and you have an instant work queue: every machine in your fleet that needs a restart, in one place.

2. The Per-Asset Windows Update Tab

Open any Windows asset and you’ll find a Windows Update tab showing:

  • Overall status (up to date / reboot pending / critical updates pending / broken WU agent)
  • OS build, with timestamps for the last successful check and install
  • Every pending update, with severity and category
  • Every failed install in the last 30 days, with HRESULT codes
  • Recent successful installs

This is the place to drill in when a specific machine is misbehaving. The HRESULT codes are invaluable for diagnosing failures such as the recurring 0x80070643 cumulative-update errors.

3. The Windows Update Fleet Health Report

Under Reports, the Windows Update Fleet Health page tells you at a glance:

  • % Reboot Pending — how much of your fleet is sitting on uncompleted updates
  • % Critical Updates Pending — your security exposure surface
  • % Broken WU Agent — the most overlooked metric; a machine whose Windows Update service is wedged is invisible to patching and quietly accumulates vulnerabilities
  • % Never Collected — how much of your fleet has yet to report WU data

Below the headline cards are a distribution chart (how many machines have 0, 1–2, 3–5, 6–10, or 10+ pending updates) and a worst-offender list of the 100 assets needing the most attention, sorted by critical-update count.

4. AI Search

The Windows Update fields work in AI Search out of the box. Try queries like:

  • windows devices that need a reboot
  • windows machines behind on security patches
  • assets with failed windows updates
  • windows devices we haven’t successfully patch-checked in 14 days
  • windows machines with broken windows update

These translate directly into filters. Bookmark the result, share the URL with your help desk, and schedule yourself a weekly review.

Common Questions

How often does Windows Update data refresh?
At least once every 24 hours per powered-on, Agent-managed Windows machine.

How do I find every machine that needs a reboot?
Enable the Reboot column on the Assets list and sort by it, or search “windows devices that need a reboot.”

What is a “broken WU agent” and why does it matter?
It’s a machine whose Windows Update service is wedged. It can’t patch and reports nothing, so it silently accumulates risk.

Where do I see why an update failed?
On the asset’s Windows Update tab, which lists failed installs from the last 30 days with HRESULT codes.

Does this work on Macs or Chromebooks?
No. Windows Update data is collected only from Windows machines running the Agent.