What is fwupdate.exe on Your PC: LG or Malware?

Have you been scrolling through your PC’s task manager and spotted a strange process called “fwupdate.exe”? If you’re wondering what it is or if it’s something to worry about you’re in the right place. Buckle up because we’re about to dive into the world of fwupdate.exe!

What does fwupdate stand for?

FwUpdate stands for LG Firmware Update.

Your computer has a lot going on behind the scenes, with hidden programs constantly working to keep things running smoothly. One important job is making sure your connected devices have the latest updates to keep them running smoothly and free of vulnerabilities. But how do you update devices? You don’t! That’s where firmware comes in. While you can’t update the hardware (unless you replace it of course), you can update its firmware. The firmware is what tells the hardware what it needs to do and how to operate.

Now, if you have LG drives and devices installed on your PC, fwupdate.exe will make sure that they have the latest firmware.

Malware in disguise? Where is the fwupdate.exe file located?

Worried that your fwupdate.exe might be a sneaky piece of malware? Here’s a quick trick to see if it’s the real deal:

1. Right-click on “fwupdate.exe” in your task manager and choose “Open file location.”
2. This will open the folder where the program is stored. If it’s the real fwupdate.exe from LG Electronics, it should be located in a folder called lg_fwupdate within your Program Files. So, the full path to the executable should be: “C:\Program Files\lg_fwupdate\fwupdate.exe”.

If the location is different, then you might be dealing with malware. In that case, it’s best to erase the file and manually scan your system with a good antivirus program, such as Malwarebytes or Bitdefender.

How to remove fwupdate.exe

While fwupdate.exe is a legitimate utility in the LG toolkit, you might not really need it on your system. Here’s why:

• Software Bundle: If fwupdate.exe came bundled with other LG software and you don’t have any LG devices installed, you don’t need fwupdate.exe on your hard drive.
• Windows Update: If you’re using Windows 10 or later, keep in mind that device drivers are fetched automatically by Windows update. In that case, you don’t need the fwupdate.exe process to autoupdate LG firmware. Thank you Microsoft 🙏

If you want to get rid of fwupdate.exe:

1. Head over to your system’s Control Panel and navigate to Programs and Features.
2. Search for “LG” or “fwupdate.exe” in the list of installed programs.
3. Click on the program you want to remove and select “Uninstall.”