Warning
Use an administrator account for these steps, and keep a recent backup before making repair or security changes.
What you will achieve
Unstick Windows Update without guessing — work through services, storage, and repair tools in a sensible order.
1) Run the fast checks first
- Open Settings → System → Storage and make sure you have at least 20 GB free.
- Disconnect non-essential USB devices, then reboot once.
- Go to Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters and run Windows Update.
2) Restart update services in PowerShell
Open Admin PowerShell with Win + X, then run:
net stop wuauserv
net stop bits
net stop cryptsvc
net start cryptsvc
net start bits
net start wuauserv3) Verify update health
- Open Settings → Windows Update and click Check for updates.
- If it still fails, note the error code and continue with reset components.