Why Are There Two MSU Files for Windows 11 Offline Updates?
Asked by
CuriousCat42
Hey everyone! I'm trying to do an offline update for Windows 11 version 24h2 to include June's patch, but I'm running into trouble with the installation. When I check the Microsoft Update Catalog, I see that there are two files available for download (this seems to be the case for previous months as well). I've heard you need both files to install the update—could someone explain why? It used to be pretty straightforward, just one file for offline updates. I'm puzzled!
Answers
I thought offline updates were a thing of the past, but I might be misunderstanding. You could try redownloading the latest ISO directly from Microsoft with all the newest patches included!
Reply to this answer
I just did a similar update recently and faced the same issue. I ended up with two MSUs—one about 2.2 GB and the other around 500MB. It seems like they’re implementing "checkpoint" updates now, which might be why it’s different. For my update, I downloaded the larger MSU, disconnected from the internet, and managed to install it that way. I prefer manual updates too, as they often work more reliably for me!
Reply to this answer
These are new Checkpoint Updates for version 24H2 and Server 2025. They can be pretty annoying, especially when you have to deal with language packs too. Check out the official documentation for more info on them!
Reply to this answer
That’s an interesting scenario! I usually stick to updating server OSes this way, but I agree it's strange to see two MSUs when typically there’s just one. Sometimes .NET updates might have multiple files, but only one is actually needed for your system. Have you tried downloading both and installing them one at a time? Maybe one of them will work!
Reply to this answer
Add your answer
Answers are reviewed before publication.
CuriousCat42: I’ve only tried the latest patch so far and read about needing both files, which seems odd to me. Also, I used to download updates that were only around 700MB, but now they’re ballooning to 3GB. Such a change! When trying the one file, it didn’t seem to work at all.