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Fake Windows 10 Update Screen

The Windows 10 update screen, complete with the line about restarting several times that made everyone dread a Tuesday afternoon.

Press F for fullscreen, Esc to exit.

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What the fake windows 10 update screen is

This is the screen that defined the era: a flat #0078D7 blue, a ring of dots, and the warning that the machine will restart several times. Windows 10 was notorious for choosing the worst possible moment to show it.

The dot spinner is the detail worth getting right. It is six dots chasing each other around a circle with fading opacity behind the leader, not a smooth rotating arc — that is a later design.

Windows update prank screen, online and free

Press F11 after opening the page. With the toolbars hidden there is nothing to distinguish this from a real restart, which is the point.

It is worth showing whoever you prank how to get out afterwards: Escape leaves fullscreen and F11 brings the browser back. The joke is better when it ends cleanly.

How to run it, and how to stop it

Press F for fullscreen, then F11 to hide the browser’s own toolbars. That second step is the one that matters: an address bar sitting above the screen gives the whole thing away instantly.

To end it: Escape leaves fullscreen, F11 brings the toolbars back, and closing the tab removes it entirely. Nothing is installed, no file is written and no setting is changed, so there is nothing to undo afterwards.

Worth saying plainly — use this on people who will find it funny, and on machines you are allowed to touch. Show them the way out once the joke has landed.

Questions

Is this safe to run on someone’s work computer?

The page is harmless — it changes nothing. Whether it is a good idea depends on the person and the moment. Do not use it on someone who is mid-deadline or who will genuinely panic about losing work.

Why does the progress stop moving?

On purpose. Real Windows updates stall at a number for minutes at a time, and the pauses here are randomised to match.

How long does it run for?

As long as you set it to. The run-time control picks anything from one minute to two hours for a full sweep to 100 per cent, and by default it starts over and does it again, so it will still be going whenever they come back.

How long does the fake update screen run?

You choose. The run-time control sets how long a full sweep from nought to a hundred per cent takes — anything from one minute to two hours — and the progress is paced to land on a hundred exactly when that time is up. On reaching the end it starts over by default, so it keeps going until the tab is closed; switch it to stay at 100 per cent if you would rather it settled there.

Why does the percentage freeze part-way?

Because real ones do. The screen stops at an arbitrary number for a few seconds and then jumps, which is the single most convincing detail on it. The stalls never change the total run time — the bar catches up afterwards — and you can turn them off for a smooth climb.

Is the fake windows 10 update screen safe?

Yes. It is a web page that draws a picture. It installs nothing, writes nothing to your device, requests no permissions, and cannot survive the tab being closed.

How do I exit?

Press Escape to leave fullscreen. If F11 was used to hide the browser toolbars, press F11 again to bring them back. Closing the tab ends it completely.