Open this page on someone's computer, press F for fullscreen, and walk away: a perfectly convincing "Working on updates" screen crawls toward 100% at an agonizing pace, occasionally stalling, occasionally "restarting" — and never, ever finishing. The victim's mouse cursor disappears, keyboard presses do nothing visible, and the spinner spins on.
Pick the era to match the machine you are pranking. Use the buttons under the screen to switch between three authentic looks: the black Windows 11 update, the blue Windows 10 "Working on updates" screen with its ring of chasing dots, and the classic Windows XP installer with a waving flag logo and a green segmented progress bar counting "installing update 3 of 5".
The prank is completely harmless: nothing installs, nothing changes, no data is touched. Press Esc to exit fullscreen and end the illusion instantly.
What people use it for
The classic office prank
Fullscreen it on a colleague's unlocked machine before a meeting. The average time before they suspect anything: remarkably long.
Match the victim's PC
Running an old office machine? Switch to the Windows XP installer. A modern laptop? Windows 11's black update screen is the one they dread.
Do-not-touch screen
Leaving a shared computer for ten minutes? An eternal update screen keeps casual users away better than a lock note.
Frequently asked questions
Is the fake update harmful to the computer?
No. It is an ordinary web page drawing an animation — nothing is installed, downloaded or modified. Closing the tab removes every trace.
How do I stop the fake update?
Press Esc to leave fullscreen, then close the tab. There is no other magic: it is just a browser page.
Can I choose Windows 11, 10 or XP?
Yes. The buttons under the screen switch between the black Windows 11 update, the blue Windows 10 screen and the classic Windows XP installer, each with its own authentic spinner, wording and progress style.
Does it look like the real Windows update?
Each version reproduces the familiar background, spinner, percentage and phrasing of that Windows release. On fullscreen, at a glance — and even at a stare — it passes.