Skip to content
Browser Screensaver

Fake Windows 8 Update Screen

The Windows 8 "Configuring Windows updates" screen — the transitional design between the black text of Windows 7 and the flat blue of Windows 10.

Press F for fullscreen, Esc to exit.

Fake Screens & Prank Screens

View all 28
Show all 28 Show fewer

Browser Screensavers

View all

Monitor & Display Tests

View all

Fullscreen Timers & Clocks

View all

Screen Lighting for Video Calls

View all

Colour & Screen Tools

View all

Solid Colour Screens

View all

What the fake windows 8 update screen is

Windows 8 introduced the full-screen blue update with a dot spinner, and Windows 10 kept it almost unchanged. The wording is the giveaway between the two: Windows 8 says "Configuring Windows updates", Windows 10 says "Working on updates".

It is a less-searched screen than its neighbours, which makes it a better prank on anyone who would spot a Windows 10 fake immediately.

Windows 8 update prank in a browser tab

Press F11 to hide the browser toolbars before you walk away. That single step is the difference between a convincing prank and an obvious one.

Nothing here touches the machine. It is a page, and closing the tab ends it completely.

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

How is this different from the Windows 10 version?

The wording. Windows 8 says "Configuring Windows updates"; Windows 10 says "Working on updates" and adds a line about restarting several times. The blue and the spinner are otherwise the same.

Does it need Windows to run?

No. It is a web page, so it runs on a Mac, a Chromebook or a phone just as happily — which is its own kind of funny.

How do I stop it?

Escape leaves fullscreen, F11 brings the browser toolbars back, and closing the tab ends it.

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 8 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.