diff --git a/src/features/app/UpdateBalloonBody.tsx b/src/features/app/UpdateBalloonBody.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..12210e1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/features/app/UpdateBalloonBody.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+/** The running update's progress in its balloon, for windows without a status bar (the welcome screen). */
+import { ProgressBar } from "@/ui";
+import { useTasks } from "@/workbench/tasks";
+
+export function UpdateBalloonBody({ task }: { task: string }) {
+  const current = useTasks((s) => s.tasks.find((t) => t.id === task));
+  if (!current || current.done) return null;
+  return (
+    <>
+      {current.message && <div>{current.message}</div>}
+      <ProgressBar value={current.fraction} aria-label={current.title} />
+    </>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/src/features/app/__tests__/updates.test.ts b/src/features/app/__tests__/updates.test.ts
index 483c832c..f1710e97 100644
--- a/src/features/app/__tests__/updates.test.ts
+++ b/src/features/app/__tests__/updates.test.ts
@@ -66,13 +66,15 @@ afterEach(() => vi.clearAllMocks());
 describe("Install and Restart", () => {
   it("runs as a background task with download progress, then restarts", async () => {
     const done = installUpdate("0.1.22");
-    expect(expired).toEqual([UPDATE_KEY]);
+    expect(notes.at(-1)).toMatchObject({ title: "Downloading OpenIDEA 0.1.22", key: UPDATE_KEY, sticky: true });
+    expect(notes.at(-1)!.actions![0]!.label).toBe("Cancel");
     expect(task(INSTALL_TASK_ID)).toMatchObject({ title: "Downloading OpenIDEA 0.1.22", fraction: null, done: false });
     expect(task(INSTALL_TASK_ID)?.cancel).toBeTypeOf("function");
 
     channel!.onmessage({ type: "downloading", downloaded: 21 * 1024 * 1024, total: 84 * 1024 * 1024 });
     expect(task(INSTALL_TASK_ID)).toMatchObject({ fraction: 0.25, message: "21.0 MB of 84.0 MB" });
     channel!.onmessage({ type: "installing" });
+    expect(notes.at(-1)!.actions).toBeUndefined();
     expect(task(INSTALL_TASK_ID)).toMatchObject({ fraction: null, message: "Installing…", cancel: undefined });
 
     install.resolve(ok(null));
@@ -99,7 +101,7 @@ describe("Install and Restart", () => {
       ok({ enabled: true, update: { version: "0.1.22", currentVersion: "0.1.21", notes: null, date: null } }),
     );
     await checked;
-    expect(notes).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(notes.map((n) => n.title)).toEqual(["OpenIDEA 0.1.22 is available", "Downloading OpenIDEA 0.1.22"]);
 
     install.resolve(ok(null));
     await tick();
@@ -107,7 +109,7 @@ describe("Install and Restart", () => {
     expect(appInstallUpdate).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
   });
 
-  it("reports a failure with Retry, and stays quiet when cancelled", async () => {
+  it("reports a failure with Retry, and a cancellation", async () => {
     const failed = installUpdate("0.1.22");
     install.resolve({ status: "error", error: { kind: "unavailable", message: "connection reset" } });
     await failed;
@@ -127,7 +129,7 @@ describe("Install and Restart", () => {
     expect(cancelRequest).toHaveBeenCalledWith(appInstallUpdate.mock.calls.at(-1)![0]);
     install.resolve({ status: "error", error: { kind: "cancelled", message: "cancelled" } });
     await cancelled;
-    expect(notes).toEqual([]);
+    expect(notes.at(-1)).toMatchObject({ level: "info", title: "Update cancelled", key: UPDATE_KEY });
     expect(appRestart).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/features/app/updates.ts b/src/features/app/updates.tsx
similarity index 87%
rename from src/features/app/updates.ts
rename to src/features/app/updates.tsx
index 5140812c..7cdae992 100644
--- a/src/features/app/updates.ts
+++ b/src/features/app/updates.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 /**
  * Update check and install. Both run as background tasks in the status bar: the
- * check while the request is out, the install with download progress and Cancel.
+ * check while the request is out, the install with download progress and Cancel,
+ * which its balloon shows too (the welcome screen has no status bar).
  * Every entry point (Help menu, toolbar gear, welcome screen, Search Everywhere,
  * the "is available" notification and its log entry) goes through these, so a
  * repeated click joins the running check or install instead of starting another.
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ import {
 } from "@/platform/ipc";
 import { notifications } from "@/workbench/contributions";
 import { upsertTask } from "@/workbench/tasks";
+import { UpdateBalloonBody } from "./UpdateBalloonBody";
 
 export const UPDATE_KEY = "app.update";
 export const CHECK_TASK_ID = "app.update.check";
@@ -117,8 +119,22 @@ async function runInstall(version: string) {
   const request = nextRequestId();
   const cancel = () => void commands.cancelRequest(request).catch(() => {});
   const channel = new Channel<UpdateProgress>();
+  const balloon = (actions?: Array<{ label: string; run: () => void }>) =>
+    notifications().notify({
+      level: "info",
+      title,
+      body: <UpdateBalloonBody task={INSTALL_TASK_ID} />,
+      sticky: true,
+      key: UPDATE_KEY,
+      actions,
+    });
+  let installingShown = false;
   channel.onmessage = (p) => {
     const { message, fraction } = progressText(p);
+    if (p.type === "installing" && !installingShown) {
+      installingShown = true;
+      balloon();
+    }
     upsertTask({
       id: INSTALL_TASK_ID,
       title,
@@ -130,13 +146,15 @@ async function runInstall(version: string) {
       uncancellable: p.type === "installing" ? t("app.update.installUncancellable") : undefined,
     });
   };
-  // The notification's action is spent: progress lives in the status bar from here.
-  notifications().expire?.(UPDATE_KEY);
   upsertTask({ id: INSTALL_TASK_ID, title, message: null, fraction: null, done: false, cancel });
+  // Replaces the notification whose action is now spent.
+  balloon([{ label: t("app.update.cancel"), run: cancel }]);
   try {
     await call(commands.appInstallUpdate(request, channel));
   } catch (e) {
-    if (!isCancelled(e)) {
+    if (isCancelled(e)) {
+      notifications().notify({ level: "info", title: t("app.update.cancelled"), key: UPDATE_KEY });
+    } else {
       notifications().notify({
         level: "error",
         title: t("app.update.installFailed"),
diff --git a/src/platform/locales/en.json b/src/platform/locales/en.json
index 0904cc10..d63d811c 100644
--- a/src/platform/locales/en.json
+++ b/src/platform/locales/en.json
@@ -56,6 +56,8 @@
   "app.unsaved.saveFailed": "Could not save all files",
   "app.unsaved.title": "Unsaved Changes",
   "app.update.available": "OpenIDEA {version} is available",
+  "app.update.cancel": "Cancel",
+  "app.update.cancelled": "Update cancelled",
   "app.update.checking": "Checking for updates…",
   "app.update.disabled": "Automatic updates are not configured",
   "app.update.disabledBody": "Set an update endpoint (OPENIDEA_UPDATE_ENDPOINT or plugins.updater.endpoints) to enable update checks.",
diff --git a/src/platform/locales/zh.json b/src/platform/locales/zh.json
index 37822f02..79f8adec 100644
--- a/src/platform/locales/zh.json
+++ b/src/platform/locales/zh.json
@@ -56,6 +56,8 @@
   "app.unsaved.saveFailed": "无法保存所有文件",
   "app.unsaved.title": "未保存的更改",
   "app.update.available": "OpenIDEA {version} 可用",
+  "app.update.cancel": "取消",
+  "app.update.cancelled": "已取消更新",
   "app.update.checking": "正在检查更新…",
   "app.update.disabled": "未配置自动更新",
   "app.update.disabledBody": "设置更新地址（OPENIDEA_UPDATE_ENDPOINT 或 plugins.updater.endpoints）以启用更新检查。",