These steps follow Microsoft's support page Troubleshoot problems updating Windows, which covers Windows 11 and Windows 10 in separate sections. The page does not name a feature version, and this site has no lab and no PC on every build, so none of it was checked on Windows 11 26H2, the current release. Menus move between versions: if a name below does not match your screen, Microsoft's page is the reference, not this text.
The steps cover an update that will not download, hangs at a percentage, or ends in an error code. They do not cover an update that installed and then broke something; that is a different procedure.
Step 1: run the Windows Update troubleshooter
On Windows 11, open Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters and select Run next to Windows Update. Microsoft also offers the same troubleshooter in the Get Help app. On Windows 10 the path is Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters. It applies what it finds on its own. If it reports nothing, go on.
Step 2: check the basics
Four checks from Microsoft's list, each quick:
- Power and internet: confirm the PC is plugged in and connected under Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi.
- Administrator: the account must be an administrator, or an administrator has to install the updates.
- Hardware: unplug drives, docks and other devices you do not need, then try again.
- Date and time: under Settings > Time & language > Date & time, turn on the automatic time and time zone and sync.
Step 3: free disk space
Microsoft's page gives 16 GB of free space for the 32-bit version and 20 GB for the 64-bit version of Windows as the figure to have. Open Settings > System > Storage to see what is left on the C: drive. Error 0x800f0922 is tied by the page to too little space, and it suggests turning off a VPN as well. Our guide on a Windows disk stuck at 100 percent covers what else is using the drive.
Step 4: reset the update cache
This is the step most guides jump to first, and Microsoft puts it after the simple ones. Press the Windows key and R, type services.msc and press Enter. Stop the Windows Update service, empty the folder C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution, then start the service again. The folder holds downloads Windows can fetch again, which is why the page treats clearing it as safe. If the update is still stuck after a restart, go on.
Step 5: read the error code
Microsoft lists first fixes by code. These are the Windows 11 ones, as the page gives them:
- 0x8007000d: corrupt update files or cache. Run the troubleshooter and clear the cache.
- 0x800705b4: the update took too long or was interrupted. Check the connection, turn off antivirus and firewall temporarily, restart.
- 0x80240034: a stuck update or connection problem. Confirm the Windows Update service is running.
- 0x80070057 or 0x80080005: corrupt files or configuration. Run sfc /scannow from an administrator Command Prompt.
- 0xC1900101: an incompatible driver. Update or uninstall the network or display adapter in Device Manager, or try a clean boot.
- 0x80070005: access denied. Confirm administrator rights and turn off antivirus temporarily.
The page has more codes for Windows 10, including 0x80070422, where the fix is to set the Windows Update service to Automatic in services.msc and start it.
Step 6: the advanced repairs
These need an administrator Command Prompt. Microsoft lists them for when the earlier steps leave the update stuck:
- Reset the update components: net stop bits and net stop wuauserv, rename the folders %systemroot%\softwaredistribution and %systemroot%\system32\catroot2, then net start bits and net start wuauserv, and restart.
- Repair system files: DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth, then sfc /scannow, then try the update again.
- Check the disk: chkdsk /f C: and restart when it asks.
The last resort on the page is a clean install with Microsoft's tool. It reinstalls Windows, so back up your files first.
If the option is not there
The troubleshooter is not under Other troubleshooters. Use the Get Help app instead. Microsoft's page does not say what to do if neither is there; skip step 1 and continue with the manual steps.
The folder SoftwareDistribution is empty or the service will not stop. Restart the PC and try again before assuming the cache is not the cause. The page does not cover this case.
Your code is not in the list. The page does not cover every code, so searching the exact code on Microsoft's support site is the next step, not guessing from a similar one.
What these steps do not fix
None of this helps if the update is not offered to your PC at all. That is not a failure, it is the rollout: Microsoft sends some updates in stages, and a PC can be waiting its turn. A PC whose Windows version is out of support is a third case, and the 24H2 end-of-updates date is the one coming up. Failing hardware, such as a drive with bad sectors, can also look like a stuck update; chkdsk in step 6 is where it would show.
A PC that does not update will eventually meet a date: the Windows Update certificates that expire in 2027 are the next one Microsoft has named. And if the PC updates but wakes badly afterward, what to check when Windows 11 will not wake from sleep is the follow-up.
Last updated October 10, 2026