Fake Windows update screen that stalls at 99%
Fill your monitor with a fake Windows update screen, in one of three Windows styles or as a Mac. It crawls to 99%, sits there for ages, then restarts and climbs again from near 0%.
Typing does nothing while it runs, as on a real update. Esc or Exit brings this page back.
The four fake update screens
A Windows 11 style update
The Windows 11 style is black, with a ring of white dots above “You are 8% there.” Along the bottom, a warning says your computer may restart a few times.
The count starts below 10% and climbs one or two points at a time. On the 20 min setting, it can get stuck on one number for about two minutes.
Windows 10 and Windows 7 styles
Windows 10 gets a blue background, with “Working on updates” above “Don’t turn off your computer.”
For Windows 7, a ring spins beside “Configuring updates” on a deep blue glow. Support for Windows 7 ended in January 2020.
A Mac style update
In the Mac style, a thin progress bar sits on black with the time left under it.
The estimate changes its mind a dozen times or more. It can go from 12 minutes to 25, then down to 4.
At 99% it says “Less than a minute remaining”. On the 20 min setting, it keeps saying that for three minutes or more.
How the fake update keeps going
Stuck at 99%, then a restart
Each screen stays on 99% for a quarter to half of the time the climb took. Then it goes black for a few seconds, like a restart, and the count starts over near 0.
How long the fake update takes
The setting called Gets to 99% in has three choices: 5 min, 20 min and 1 hour. Pick 1 hour, and after the climb the screen sits at 99% for another 15 to 30 minutes.
A real Windows PC restarts for updates outside its active hours. Active hours run from 8 am to 5 pm unless somebody changed them, so a real update at 2 pm is rare.
A bumped keyboard changes nothing
You can type all you like and the update carries on, the same as a real one. The Exit button stays out of sight until the mouse moves or you tap.
When the update stops fooling anyone, try one of these:
- On the fake work screen, a spreadsheet fills in one digit at a time as you type.
- The fake blue screen skips the update and goes straight to the crash.
- In the fake Zoom meeting, a coworker presents while you stay on mute.
- Our ways to look busy at work range from a notebook under your arm to a mouse jiggler.
Fake update screens and real scams
The fake update scam
Since October 2025, attackers have shown fake Windows update screens in full screen to trick people. The fake tells you to press Windows+R, paste a command and hit Enter.
A real update never asks you to type anything. If an update screen in your browser does, press Esc and close the tab. This page asks for nothing.
Using the fake update on a phone
On an iPhone, Safari won’t put a page in full screen, so the update fills everything below the address bar. Anyone close enough to read the address bar is close enough to ask what you’re doing.
Questions about fake update screens
How do I get a fake Windows update screen?
Pick a style on this page and press Go full screen. The update fills your monitor, climbs toward 99% and keeps restarting on its own until you press Esc.
What are the different types of fake Windows update screens?
This page has four styles. Each one copies the layout of the real screen and leaves the logo off. Windows 11 is black with a ring of dots, Windows 10 is blue, Windows 7 spins a ring on deep blue, and the Mac has a thin bar.
Why do fake Windows update screens exist?
For pranks, and for the half hour when you'd rather the computer took the blame for nothing getting done. Nobody argues with a screen that says not to turn it off.
Is a fake update screen safe?
Yes. This one is a web page in full screen, and it changes nothing on your computer. Attackers use fake update pages too, and theirs ask you to press Windows+R and paste a command. No real update asks for that, and this page doesn't either.
How can you tell a real update screen from a fake one?
Press Esc. A fake that runs in a browser drops out of full screen and shows the page behind it. A real update ignores the key, and it never sits inside a browser tab.
Is there a website that fakes a Windows update screen?
Yes, this page, free and with nothing to install. You set how long the climb to 99% takes: 5 minutes, 20 or an hour. On the hour setting, it then holds at 99% for a further 15 to 30 minutes.