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You can install a Windows update package directly from its .cab or .msu file with DISM; an MSU does not need to be extracted first. For a supported, running Windows 11 installation, open Command Prompt as an administrator and run DISM /Online /Add-Package /PackagePath:"C:Updatesupdate.msu". Use the matching CAB path for a CAB package. The key is to select a package built for the target Windows release and processor architecture.
Before you install: choose the right update package
Find the update by its KB number in the Microsoft Update Catalog, then check the package’s Windows product or version and architecture before downloading it. Microsoft’s troubleshooting guidance also recommends checking the update’s “Applies To” details and its related KB article for package-specific prerequisites.
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A package for another Windows release or architecture may be rejected as not applicable. Windows Server updates are not interchangeable across Server releases and do not apply to Windows client editions. Also check whether the update is already installed or has been superseded by a newer package.
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Install a CAB or MSU on the running Windows installation
Open an elevated Command Prompt (right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator). Replace the example path with the full path to the downloaded package, keeping quotation marks if the path contains spaces:
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DISM /Online /Add-Package /PackagePath:"C:Updatesupdate.msu"For a CAB package, use its filename instead:
DISM /Online /Add-Package /PackagePath:"C:Updatesupdate.cab"/Online targets the Windows installation currently running. Microsoft documents adding MSU packages to online or offline Windows 11 version 21H2 and later images. For Windows images earlier than Windows 11 21H2, the cited DISM documentation limits MSU addition to offline target images. CAB packages use the same /Add-Package servicing option.
Use PowerShell instead
From an elevated PowerShell session, install a package to the running system with Add-WindowsPackage:
Add-WindowsPackage -Online -PackagePath "C:Updatesupdate.cab"Use the actual .cab or .msu path. The cmdlet also supports -LogPath when you want to save a log to a chosen location, and -PreventPending to skip installation if pending online actions are present.
Install a package into a mounted offline image
For an offline Windows image mounted at C:Mount, target the mount path rather than the running operating system. The following examples work with an MSU or CAB path:
DISM /Image:C:Mount /Add-Package /PackagePath:"C:Updatesupdate.msu"Add-WindowsPackage -Path "C:Mount" -PackagePath "C:Updatesupdate.msu"Confirm that the mount path is the intended image before servicing it. Microsoft also documents adding packages to Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) images; follow the applicable image workflow, then validate package state and commit changes when unmounting the image. See Microsoft’s Windows RE update guidance.
Install a folder of packages and handle 24H2 checkpoints
/PackagePath can point to a single CAB or MSU, or to a folder containing package files. DISM checks subfolders recursively when looking for CAB or MSU packages. Applicability is checked for packages it processes, but including unrelated updates can make servicing harder to reason about; use a folder containing only the packages needed for the target image.
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Windows 11 version 24H2 cumulative updates
For Windows 11 version 24H2, a target cumulative update may require one or more earlier checkpoint cumulative updates. Place the target update and only its required checkpoint packages in the package folder, then call /Add-Package using that folder. Microsoft states that packages with a revision less than or equal to the target are processed. Consult the target update’s KB article for its required checkpoints and instructions.
Check installation state and diagnose failures
DISM performs an applicability check, but it does not fully validate dependencies. Microsoft puts it this way: “/Add-Package doesn’t run a full check for a package’s applicability and dependencies:” Check the associated KB article for prerequisites and package-specific directions rather than treating a failed install as a reason to bypass the check.
If DISM says the update is not applicable
- It is superseded: the system may already have a newer payload, so the selected update is no longer needed.
- It is already installed: inspect the target’s installed packages before trying again.
- The target does not match: recheck the Windows product, release, edition details where specified, and processor architecture against the package information.
- A prerequisite is missing: review the update’s KB article for servicing-stack or other prerequisite updates.
Do not use /IgnoreCheck as a routine fix for a package mismatch. It skips the applicability check; it does not make an incorrect package appropriate for the image.
Inspect installed packages
For an online installation, list packages with:
DISM /Online /Get-PackagesFor an offline image, substitute /Image:C:Mount for /Online. DISM’s /Get-PackageInfo can show detailed information for CAB files, but Microsoft says it cannot be used to retrieve package information for MSU files.
Check pending actions and language packs
If the target image or package has pending online actions, the /PreventPending option skips package installation. For language-dependent updates applied to a Windows image, add the relevant language pack first; Microsoft warns that installing such an update before the language pack means its language-specific changes will not be applied. Install the language pack first or reinstall the update afterward.
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Microsoft references
- DISM Operating System Package (.cab or .msu) Servicing Command-Line Options
- Add-WindowsPackage (Dism)
- Guidance for troubleshooting Windows Update issues
- OEM deployment of Windows 11 desktop editions
- Microsoft Q&A: Command to install Windows 11 updates
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