Windows Update Stuck: How to Get the Update Moving Again

1Confirm it is genuinely stuck

Large updates spend long stretches without moving the percentage while they unpack files or prepare the install. Plenty of people force a shutdown in the middle of an install that was merely slow, and create a far worse problem. This step separates slow from stuck.

1. Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc and look at the Performance tab.
2. Watch disk and network activity. If there is movement, even small, the update is working: wait.
3. If the percentage does not move and both disk and network sit at zero for more than two hours, treat it as stuck and move to the next solution.
4. If the frozen screen is the restart one, with the message telling you not to turn off the computer, wait at least three hours before forcing anything.

2Run the Windows Update troubleshooter

It is quick and fixes the most common cases on its own: a stopped service, a corrupted download queue and wrong permissions on system folders. It does not fix everything, but it costs a few minutes and saves you from reaching for commands unnecessarily.

1. Open Settings and go to System, then Troubleshoot and Other troubleshooters.
2. Find Windows Update in the list and click Run.
3. Let it apply whatever it finds and restart the computer.
4. Try the update again before going further.

3Restart and free up disk space

A full restart releases stuck services and frees files that were in use. Alongside that, disk space is a silent cause: when it runs short, the update downloads, tries to unpack and fails without explaining why. Disk Cleanup removes exactly the leftovers from previous updates, which often take up several gigabytes.

1. Restart using the Restart option, not Shut down. With fast startup enabled, shutting down does not reset services the same way.
2. Open Settings > System > Storage and check how much is left on the Windows drive.
3. Use the temporary files cleanup and tick the entries for Windows Update cleanup and previous installations.
4. Empty the recycle bin and try the update again.

4Clear the SoftwareDistribution folder and restart the services

This is the fix that solves most cases. SoftwareDistribution is where Windows stores the files it downloads for updates. When a download is interrupted, the corrupted piece stays there and Windows keeps trying to reuse it forever, failing at the same point. Stopping the services, renaming the folder and starting the services again forces Windows to create a new folder and download everything afresh. It is safe: the only loss is the update history and the half-finished download. Run each line in Command Prompt opened as administrator, in order.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Run the block of commands below line by line. If a rename line complains that the file is in use, restart the computer and repeat.
3. Restart the computer when you finish.
4. Go back to Settings > Windows Update and click Check for updates. The download restarts from zero and may take longer than usual.

net stop wuauserv
net stop bits
net stop cryptsvc
ren %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren %systemroot%\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old
net start cryptsvc
net start bits
net start wuauserv

5Check that the update services are enabled

System optimisers, privacy scripts and some antivirus products disable the Windows Update services on purpose. When that happens, the start command fails and the update never moves. It is worth checking the startup types before suspecting anything more serious.

1. Press the Windows key and R together, type services.msc and press Enter.
2. Find Windows Update in the list, double-click it and check that the startup type is Manual or Automatic, never Disabled.
3. Do the same for Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) and Cryptographic Services.
4. If any is disabled, switch it to Automatic, click Start and then OK.

6Repair system files with DISM and SFC

If the update fails again after clearing the download folder, the download is not the problem: Windows' own files are damaged. DISM repairs the system image using components downloaded from Microsoft, and SFC uses that repaired image to fix individual files. That is why the order matters: DISM first, SFC afterwards. The process can take from 20 minutes to over an hour and appears to freeze at certain points, especially near 20%. Let it finish.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run the commands below, one at a time, waiting for each to finish.
2. If DISM fails for lack of a connection, confirm the internet is working and repeat.
3. Restart the computer at the end and try the update.

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

7Disconnect peripherals, VPN and metered connection

Two common traps show up here. The first is a connection marked as metered, which makes Windows hold back large downloads on purpose to save data, with no error shown at all. The second is peripherals and VPNs: the update installs drivers during the restart, and a problem device or a tunnel dropping mid-way freezes exactly that phase.

1. Open Settings > Network and Internet, click your connection and check that the metered connection option is off.
2. Disconnect the VPN and close its program completely.
3. Unplug printers, external drives, controllers, webcams and USB adapters. Leave only keyboard, mouse and monitor.
4. Temporarily pause third-party antivirus, if you have one, and try the update again.

8Install the update by hand from the Microsoft Update Catalog

When one specific update always fails, and only that one, the shortest path is to skip Windows Update and install the package manually. The Microsoft Update Catalog is Microsoft's official site for this. You need the update number, which appears in the history as KB followed by digits, and you need to know whether your Windows is 64-bit, which is shown under Settings > System > About.

1. Open Settings > Windows Update > Update history and copy the KB number of the update that failed.
2. Search that number in the Microsoft Update Catalog, on Microsoft's official site.
3. Download the version that matches your Windows and your system architecture, and run the downloaded file.
4. If the problem is a major Windows version change rather than a monthly update, use the official update assistant from the Windows download page on Microsoft's site.
5. Keep the computer plugged in for the whole process.

9Roll back to an earlier point or use Windows' own repair

This is the last resort, for when the computer no longer starts properly or the update brings the system down every time. System Restore rolls settings and programs back to an earlier point without deleting your personal files. A repair install reinstalls Windows over itself, keeping documents and, in most cases, installed programs. Even so, back up first: any reinstall can go wrong.

1. If Windows starts, search for System Restore from the Start menu and choose a point from before the problem update.
2. If Windows does not start, force a shutdown during startup three times in a row to reach the recovery screen and look for the advanced options.
3. Recovery also offers the option to uninstall the most recent update, useful when the freezing started right after one.
4. If nothing works, use the option to reinstall Windows keeping personal files, available under Settings > System > Recovery.