How to Fix Common Windows Update Error Codes

Published 2026-10-16 · LuxuriousComputers Repair

When Windows Update fails, it usually leaves an error code — a hexadecimal number like 0x80070002 or 0x800f0922 that identifies what went wrong. These codes look cryptic but each one points to a specific problem: corrupted files, insufficient space, a blocked service, or a connection failure. Knowing what the code means saves you from blindly trying every fix and instead lets you target the actual cause.

Before troubleshooting any error code

Three steps resolve the majority of update errors regardless of the specific code. Try these first:

Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Go to Settings, System, Troubleshoot, Other troubleshooters, and run Windows Update. The troubleshooter automatically checks for stopped services, corrupted cache files, and misconfigured settings. It fixes what it can and tells you what it found. This resolves about 30 percent of update failures on its own.

Clear the update cache

Corrupted download files are one of the most common causes of update failures. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run:

1. net stop wuauserv
2. net stop bits
3. Delete everything inside C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
4. net start wuauserv
5. net start bits

Then check for updates again. Windows will re-download everything fresh.

Repair system files

Open Command Prompt as administrator and run sfc /scannow followed by DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. SFC checks and repairs protected system files. DISM repairs the component store that Windows Update and SFC both rely on. Run DISM if SFC reports it found corruption but could not fix it, then run SFC again.

Error 0x80070002 and 0x80070003

Meaning: The system cannot find the file specified. Windows Update is looking for a file that does not exist or was corrupted during download.

Fix: Clear the SoftwareDistribution folder as described above. This is almost always a corrupted download cache issue. After clearing the cache and restarting the update service, the update downloads fresh files and typically installs without error.

If the error persists after clearing the cache, check that your system date and time are correct — incorrect date and time can cause certificate validation failures that present as file-not-found errors.

Error 0x80073712

Meaning: A file needed by Windows Update is damaged or missing from the component store.

Fix: Run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth to repair the component store. DISM downloads clean copies of damaged components from Microsoft's servers (requires internet). After DISM completes, run sfc /scannow to verify the repair, then retry the update.

Error 0x800f0922

Meaning: This error has two common causes — either the System Reserved partition is too small for the update, or a VPN connection is interfering with the update process.

Fix:

• Disconnect any active VPN and retry the update. VPNs can block the connection to Microsoft's update servers or interfere with the update's network verification steps
• If disconnecting the VPN does not help, the System Reserved partition (a small hidden partition, usually 100 to 500 MB, that contains boot files) may be too full. This is common after multiple major Windows upgrades. You may need to extend the System Reserved partition using disk management tools, which requires careful partition manipulation

Error 0x80070005

Meaning: Access denied. The Windows Update service does not have permission to access or modify a required file or registry key.

Fix: This is often caused by third-party antivirus software that locks system folders during updates. Temporarily disable your antivirus software, retry the update, then re-enable the antivirus. If you do not have third-party antivirus (only Windows Defender), try resetting Windows Update permissions by running these commands as administrator:

1. net stop wuauserv
2. icacls C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution /grant Everyone:F /t
3. net start wuauserv

Error 0x80080005

Meaning: The Windows Update service or a related service crashed during the update process.

Fix: Restart all update-related services. Open Command Prompt as administrator:

1. net stop wuauserv
2. net stop cryptSvc
3. net stop bits
4. net stop msiserver
5. Wait 10 seconds
6. net start wuauserv
7. net start cryptSvc
8. net start bits
9. net start msiserver

If this does not help, rename the SoftwareDistribution and catroot2 folders (the full component reset described in the section below) and retry.

Error 0x8024402f and 0x80242006

Meaning: Connection to Microsoft's update servers was interrupted or refused.

Fix:

• Check your internet connection — load a website in a browser to confirm it works
• Disconnect any VPN or proxy. Go to Settings, Network and Internet, Proxy, and make sure Use a proxy server is off
• Flush your DNS cache: open Command Prompt as administrator and run ipconfig /flushdns
• Try switching to a public DNS server (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) in case your ISP's DNS is not resolving Microsoft's servers correctly
• If you are on a work or school network, the network administrator may be blocking Windows Update traffic. Try updating from a different network

Error 0x80070057

Meaning: An invalid parameter was passed. This vague error can mean several things, but in the context of Windows Update it usually points to corrupted update components or a partition formatting issue.

Fix: First, try clearing the update cache and running SFC and DISM. If the error persists, check the Windows Update log for more detail: open PowerShell as administrator and run Get-WindowsUpdateLog. This generates a readable log file on your desktop that shows exactly where the update process failed.

Error 0x800f081f

Meaning: Windows could not find the source files needed to install a feature or repair the installation. DISM cannot download replacement files from Microsoft.

Fix:

• Make sure you have an active internet connection — DISM needs to download files from Microsoft
• If you are in an enterprise environment, Group Policy may be configured to use a local WSUS server that does not have the needed files. Try this: open Command Prompt as administrator and run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:\RepairSource\Windows /LimitAccess, substituting the path to a Windows installation media or mounted ISO for C:\RepairSource
• Download the Windows ISO from Microsoft's website, mount it, and point DISM to it as the repair source

Full Windows Update component reset

If multiple error codes appear or the same error keeps recurring, a full component reset is more thorough than clearing the download cache alone. Open Command Prompt as administrator:

1. Stop all update services: net stop wuauserv, net stop cryptSvc, net stop bits, net stop msiserver
2. Rename the cache folders: ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old and ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old
3. Restart the services: net start wuauserv, net start cryptSvc, net start bits, net start msiserver
4. Restart the computer and try Windows Update again

Windows will create fresh SoftwareDistribution and catroot2 folders. After the next successful update, you can delete the .old folders to free disk space.

Manual update installation

If automatic updates keep failing with any error code, you can install the update manually:

1. Note the KB number of the failing update from Settings, Windows Update, Update history
2. Go to the Microsoft Update Catalog website and search for that KB number
3. Download the version matching your system (x64 for 64-bit, ARM64 for ARM) and run the downloaded .msu file

Manual installation bypasses the automatic update mechanism and often succeeds where the automatic process fails because it avoids the damaged component that is causing the error.

Windows Update help in Marion

If Windows Update keeps failing with error codes and the steps above have not resolved it, LuxuriousComputers Repair in Marion can diagnose the specific update failure, repair any corrupted system components, and get your Windows updates installing properly.