Fake Windows Update
The fake Windows update prank shows a blue "Working on updates" screen that creeps the percentage up and never finishes. Open it on a Windows PC, press F11 for fullscreen, and walk away. They'll sit there watching a number that refuses to move, because it is designed never to reach 100%.
Press F11 for maximum realism. Tap or press Esc to exit.
For the best results, add this to the device's home screen. It then opens with no address bar, no tabs and no URL, so there is nothing left to give it away.
It works because everyone has genuinely lost half an hour to this screen. Nobody force-restarts a machine mid-update. On a Mac instead? Use the fake macOS update. Want the crash rather than the wait? The blue screen of death is the harder hit.
How to use the fake windows update prank
- Open this page on the Windows PC or laptop and close any other tabs, so nothing else shows if the browser comes back.
- Press Launch Full-Screen Prank. If the address bar is still visible, press F11.
- Move the mouse pointer to the bottom corner and let go of the mouse, because a single click ends the update screen.
- Walk away while the percentage climbs. It moves fast at first and then slows to a crawl.
How to set up the fake Windows update on a PC or laptop
It runs in any current desktop browser, including Edge, Chrome and Firefox. The Launch button asks the browser to fill the screen. While the update screen is up, the mouse pointer turns into a small hand wherever it sits, so park it at the very bottom of the display where nobody looks.
On a laptop, the page asks the screen to stay awake while the update runs, in browsers that support it, so the display does not dim halfway through and give the joke away. Before you start, save anything open in other programs on the PC. You will see why further down.
What the fake Windows update screen shows
A blue background, a white spinning ring, the words "Working on updates", a percentage and the usual warning not to turn off the PC. The percentage climbs about two points a second until the mid 80s, then slows to roughly one point every three seconds and stops at 99% after about a minute and a half. It stays there.
This is the blue Windows 10 style of update screen. Windows 11 shows its update screen on black, so on a Windows 11 machine it reads as an older-style update. Nothing is downloaded, no setting changes and the PC never restarts. There is no sound.
How to end the fake update and own up
A click anywhere on the screen ends it, and so does Esc. Leaving full screen ends it as well, so pressing F11 again closes the update and brings back this page.
The best moment to come back is when it has been sitting on 99% for a while. Click it away yourself and the PC is exactly as it was, with no restart to wait through.
When to skip the fake Windows update
The real risk is someone deciding the update has frozen and holding the power button. That shuts down the actual PC, and anything unsaved in other programs is gone. Stay within earshot.
Skip it on work computers and shared machines, where someone may call IT about a stuck update, and on anyone racing a deadline. If the person would rather see a crash than a wait, the fake blue screen of death does that instead.
Fake Windows update prank video
Frequently asked questions
Is this a real Windows update?
No. Nothing is downloaded, installed or changed. It's a full-screen web page that mimics the Windows update screen. Close the tab and the "update" vanishes, with the PC exactly as it was.
How do I make a fake Windows update screen?
Open this page on the PC you want to prank, press F11 to hide the browser bar, then walk away. The "Working on updates" screen and its creeping percentage auto-play, so you do not need to set anything up or install a thing.
Does the percentage ever reach 100%?
Deliberately not. It climbs to roughly 99% and stalls there, which is the most maddening part of the real Windows update experience: the bit where you start wondering whether it has frozen and whether touching it will break the machine.
How do you get out of the fake update screen?
Press Esc or F11 to leave fullscreen, then close the tab. Nothing on the computer has changed, so there's no restart, no rollback and no repair needed.
Will this work on Windows 11 as well as Windows 10?
Yes, it runs on both. The screen uses the blue Windows 10 look, with the same "Working on updates" line and the warning not to turn off the PC. Windows 11 shows its update screen on black, so on a Windows 11 PC it reads as an older-style update. It also runs in any modern browser, so it looks right on a work laptop or a home desktop.
Can I get in trouble for using it?
The page is harmless and legal. The risk is in the context: leaving it running on a machine someone needs for real work, or on shared IT equipment where a technician may waste time investigating a fake update. Keep it to people who'll laugh, and own up before anyone calls support.
Does the fake Windows update work on a phone?
It will load, but it will not convince anyone, because Windows update screens do not appear on phones. For mobile targets use the fake iOS update or the fake Android update instead, which mimic the right operating system.
How do I stop it looking like a browser tab?
F11 is the whole trick, because a visible address bar is the biggest giveaway. Do it before you hand the machine over, and close any other tabs first so nothing shows through if they hit Esc by accident.