Microsoft shares official guide for fixing every Windows 11/10 update download/install error

Sometime after the launch of Windows 11 24H2, Microsoft updated an official support article on its website regarding Windows Update troubleshooting. The company has added a bunch of new information regarding fixing and working around update-related issues.

Updates can be pretty troublesome as they introduce all sorts of bugs, and sometimes, these take Microsoft many months to resolve. Well, what's worse than a buggy update? It turns out that an update itself can become a nuisance even before it has managed to install.

The guidance article aims to help users resolve or at least work around such problems. As mentioned above, the post itself is not new, but Microsoft has added several new pointers.

First and foremost, Microsoft has recommended that users run the native Windows Update Troubleshooter tool in case an update fails to download and/or install.

1. Select Start > Settings > Update & Security.
2. From the left-hand menu, select Troubleshoot, then click on Additional troubleshooters.
3. Under the Get up and running section and select Windows Update and click Run the troubleshooter.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Another interesting new point is about clearing the Windows Update cache. Microsoft says that corrupt Update cache files can cause such problems, and thus, clearing them could help. It writes:

1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
2. Locate the Windows Update service, right-click it, and select Stop.
3. Navigate to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution.
4. Delete all files and folders inside this directory.
5. Go back to the Services window, right-click Windows Update, and select Start.

Besides those, Microsoft has also listed the common Update-related error codes and steps on how to fix them. The company has also provided small descriptions of what those error codes mean.

Here are the ones for Windows 10 and 11:

• 0x800705b4: Update took too long to install or was interrupted

• 0x80240034: Update process is stuck due to an incomplete update or connection issue

• 0x800f0922 or 0x8007000E: Unable to install the update due to insufficient disk space

• 0x800F081F, 0x80073712 or 0x80246007: Corrupted or missing system files or incomplete download

• 0x80246007: Missing download or required update files are unavailable

• 0x80070002, 0x80070003 or 0x80070057: Update failed to install

• 0x80070422: Windows update service is disabled or stopped

• 0x80070020: Another program or process is blocking the Windows update process

• Windows Update stuck at 0% or 100%

• Windows Update got to 51-99% and wont complete installation

• Unable to locate my files after the Windows update

   

And here are the ones that are only for Windows 11:

• 0x8007000d: Issue with Windows Update files or corruption in the update cache

• 0x80070057 or 0x80080005: Corrupted files or incorrect system configurations

• 0xC1900101: Incompatible driver is causing the update to fail

• 0x80248014: Windows Update database problem or update service not running

• 0x80070005: Access Denied error or insufficient permissions to install updates

   

You can find this helpful support article here on Microsoft's official website.

Source

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