Where is the software update setting?
Every system that can update itself has a screen for it, and almost all of them put it exactly two taps from the start. We read the settings tree of all 43 systems in the catalogue and recorded where each one keeps it.
What each system calls it
31 of the 43 operating systems in our catalogue have this setting, and between them they use five different labels for it:
| Name on screen | Systems |
|---|---|
| Software Update | 12 |
| System update | 5 |
| Software update | 3 |
| Check for updates | 3 |
| Windows Update | 2 |
| System updates | 2 |
| System Update | 2 |
| Check for Updates | 2 |
The most common is Software Update, on 12 of the 31. If that is not the word on your screen, the table above is the rest of the vocabulary to try.
Some of those rows differ only in capitalisation — 8 spellings for five actual names. We have kept them apart because that is what is printed on the screen, and a settings search that matches case will tell them apart too.
Where it lives on each system
These are the shortest paths from the first settings screen on the newest release of each system. 27 of the 31 are within two taps; the rest sit deeper, and the table shows how much deeper.
| System | Path | Taps |
|---|---|---|
| Mac OS X 10.6 | Software Update | 1 |
| One UI 9 | Software update | 1 |
| Windows 11 | Windows Update | 1 |
| Android 17 | System › System updates | 2 |
| ChromeOS 151 | About ChromeOS › Check for updates | 2 |
| Garmin System 20 | About › Software Update | 2 |
| HarmonyOS 6.0 | System & updates › Software update | 2 |
| Huawei Watch HarmonyOS 5 | Settings › System update | 2 |
| HyperOS 4.0 | About phone › System update | 2 |
| iOS 27.0 | General › Software Update | 2 |
| iOS 6 6.1 | General › Software Update | 2 |
| iPadOS 27.0 | General › Software Update | 2 |
| KaiOS 3.0 | Device Information › Software Update | 2 |
| LG webOS webOS 26 | Support › Software Update | 2 |
| macOS 27 Golden Gate | General › Software Update | 2 |
| Meta Quest v81 | System › Software Update | 2 |
| Nintendo Switch 22.5.0 | System › System Update | 2 |
| OxygenOS 16 | About device › System updates | 2 |
| Roku OS Roku OS 16 | System › Software update | 2 |
| Samsung Tizen TV Tizen 10 | Support › Software Update | 2 |
| Steam Deck SteamOS 3.8 | System › System Update | 2 |
| visionOS 27 | General › Software Update | 2 |
| watchOS 27 | General › Software Update | 2 |
| Wear OS 7 | System › System update | 2 |
| Windows 7 SP1 | System and Security › Windows Update | 2 |
| Windows Phone 8.1 | Phone update › Check for updates | 2 |
| Zepp OS Zepp OS 6 | System › System update | 2 |
| BlackBerry OS 10 | About › Software Updates › Check for Updates | 3 |
| Google TV 14 | Device Preferences › About › System update | 3 |
| Symbian Belle | Phone information › SW update › Check for updates | 3 |
| tvOS 27 | General › Software Updates › Update Software › Check for Updates | 4 |
Each system name above opens the real menu in the simulator, so you can walk the path before you touch your own device.
Why the names came out this way
The names divide neatly by what the vendor thinks is being updated. Software Update treats the system as a product you own a copy of. System update treats it as a component. Check for updates is not a noun at all — it is a button pretending to be a screen, and it is the phrasing desktop systems reach for.
The depth matters more than the name here. An update screen two taps down gets found; one that sits behind About and then behind a submenu is one people only reach when something has already gone wrong.
Find it on your own device
If your system is not in the table, or the label on your screen is different again, there are three ways through it:
- Search every system at once for a setting by name — it looks inside all 43 trees, not just the one you are holding.
- Open your own system in the settings simulator and click to the screen without changing anything real.
- Follow the step-by-step guide to running a software update, or see where that setting lives on every system.
Related settings in the same part of the menu:
All of it comes from the same catalogue: 43 systems, 135 versions, published as an open dataset.
Try it yourself, on the real menusOpen any of 43 operating systems in your browser and walk the Settings tree exactly as it appears on the device. No download, no account.Frequently asked questions
Where is the software update setting on most systems?
On 27 of the 31 systems that have it, within two taps of the first settings screen. The most common label is “Software Update”, used by 12 of them. The table above gives the exact path for each system.
Why can I not find it by searching my settings?
Because settings search matches the label your system uses, and there are five different labels in use for this one setting. Searching for the word your previous device used is the single most common reason a setting appears to be missing.
How many systems have this setting at all?
31 of the 43 operating systems we catalogue. The rest either have no hardware for it or fold the behaviour into something else, which is why a feature that feels universal often is not.