Microsoft confirms Windows 11 bug won't let you download, install new updates

Microsoft confirms a Windows Update bug blocking security patches since March 2026 due to download timeout changes.

Yesterday we reported on a small but useful change Microsoft has introduced with the newest Windows 11 Patch Tuesday (May 2026) update, wherein the company now has a centralized folder for all the necessary Secure Boot update scripts. These updates are crucial for the proper and secure booting of all Windows PCs, as the older ones are set to expire very soon.

While that's great for those who are able to install new updates, Microsoft has confirmed that's not the case for everyone. The issue first started when users began noticing online that they were unable to download the March 2026 Patch KB50794373. As such, consecutive updates, including the emergency out-of-band updates, KB5086672 and KB5091157, also did not install, and neither did the April and May Patch Tuesday updates. Essentially, the Windows Update button inside the Settings app does not proceed with the update and ends up with a 0x80010002 error message.

Hence users who were encountering this problem have not had the latest security updates for a few months, plus they are missing the aforementioned critical security update for Secure Boot as well as updated certificates that are also being delivered via the Windows Update channel. Those who hate Windows though, will probably view it as a good thing, for humorous reasons.

At long last Microsoft has finally acknowledged the issue and has confirmed it is a bug on its end, not the user PCs' fault. Essentially the company has admitted that a recent change in download timeout requirements is what messed it up. It explained the following in a support service alert: "Affected devices might be able to download the February monthly Windows security update, but then become unable to use the Windows Update settings to download Windows updates released in March, April, or later months. This issue results from recent changes in download timeout requirements when starting download operations. It is not related to device integrity or the device's ability to install Windows updates, only to its ability to download updates from the internet via the Windows Update page under Settings."

Those who have access to the Admin center portal can view the message here on Microsoft's official site (spotted by Susan Bradley on AskWoody). A known issue rollback (KIR) could fix the issue.

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Posted Wednesday 20 May 2026 at 7:06 am AEST (my time).

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