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Check Installed Windows Updates with Get-HotFix

The forgotten Get-HotFix cmdlet answers 'is KBxxxxxxx installed?' in one line, locally or on remote machines.

WindowsupdatespowershellauditLow risk
Run Get-HotFix to list patches, or Get-HotFix -Id KB5031354 to test for one specific update.

01Command

Command
$ Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 10 HotFixID, Description, InstalledOn

02What it does

Every security advisory says 'patched in KBxxxxxxx', and Get-HotFix is the fastest way to verify it — filtering by -Id, -Description (Security Update) or piping to Sort by InstalledOn. It also accepts -ComputerName for auditing several machines over the network. Caveat: it reads the servicing database and does not list every update type, so Defender definition updates and some feature updates don't appear.

03Risk

RiskLow risk

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • Get-HotFix (Microsoft.PowerShell.Management)
    Microsoft Learn · vendor-doc · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Documents Get-HotFix listing installed hotfixes, including filtering by HotFixID (KB number) or description, and querying remote computers via -ComputerName.

Last verified: 2026-09-17 · Category: Security & Privacy

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