How to Fix Windows Update Stuck or Failing to Install

Common symptoms

• Update stuck at a percentage for hours
• Error codes like 0x80070002, 0x80073712, 0x8024401c
• Updates install, then roll back after reboot
• "Something went wrong" loop

Step 1: Run the Windows Update troubleshooter

Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters → Windows Update → Run. It fixes many common problems (stuck services, wrong settings) automatically.

Step 2: Restart update services

Open Command Prompt as administrator and run these commands one by one:

net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver
net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver

Step 3: Clear the update cache

In the same admin Command Prompt:

rmdir /s /q C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution
rmdir /s /q C:\Windows\System32\catroot2

These folders rebuild automatically. Then retry Windows Update.

Step 4: Repair system files

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

DISM downloads healthy files from Windows Update servers; SFC then repairs protected files using the fixed image. Restart and try updating again.

Step 5: Free up space

Feature updates need 20+ GB free. If your system drive is nearly full, updates silently fail. See our disk space guide.

Step 6: Update manually

Go to catalog.update.microsoft.com, search for the KB number shown in Windows Update, download the matching installer and run it. This bypasses the broken automatic pipeline.

Still failing?

Persistent update failures can indicate deeper system damage. Our technicians can repair it remotely. Book Windows troubleshooting.