Normally, the second Tuesday of the month is “Patch Tuesday.” This is the day that Microsoft releases what can sometimes be a large number of fixes for Microsoft products. The programs being updated usually include Windows, Office and other products like SharePoint. This month, however, since there are 5 Tuesdays in the month, Microsoft is releasing updates today – the third Tuesday of September. To be exact, they are pushing out 129 updates for various products.

If you’re not familiar, patches are pieces of software that fix vulnerabilities in programs and apps. These are released in an effort to keep hackers out of your computer and other devices. Generally speaking, cosmetic updates (feature additions, color and layout changes, etc.) are not released on Patch Tuesday. These types of updates are usually included in version updates.

While many people do their best to NOT install updates, that’s really a mistake. Yes, it’s true that updates will, sometimes, cause issues. However, those problems normally don’t outweigh the security which is restored on Patch Tuesday. You should allow the updates to install.

In case you are wondering, your interaction in accessing the updates usually isn’t needed. Windows will download the updates, install them and at some point, restart your device.

One final note: other companies, like Adobe, have adopted Patch Tuesday and often release their fixes on the same day as Microsoft.

If you have questions or concerns, feel free to use the comment area below.