Windows 10 is one of the widely used operating systems for computers out there. Microsoft always makes sure to roll out regular updates, so Windows 10 users need to keep up with that for security and performance. Sometimes updates are downloaded but the same Windows 10 updates won’t install. There could be multiple reasons behind the issue.

Few updates show as waiting to be downloaded, some shows as waiting to be installed, but actually the process does not complete which makes many users pretty confused. If you are also victimized in the same situation, let me tell you that you are not the only one.

In this article, we will show you how to fix Windows 10 updates won’t install issues. So make sure to follow the article till the end that we have managed to prepared for you.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

Also see: How To Fix the Windows 10 Start Menu If It’s Frozen?

Restart Your PC

Restarting your PC is the major thing you can perform. Windows 10 updates won’t install issues might have encountered due to small bugs or glitches.

Restarting your PC will not only free up some memory but also fix some glitches and bugs that mostly cause the issues. How to restart your PC? Well, that is really simple. Just press the Windows key and click on the Power button, and then select Restart your PC.

Now try to install the Windows 10 update to if this works.

Run Windows Update Troubleshooter

Windows has its own troubleshooter, well thanks to the Microsoft developers that they have made Windows 10 with its own troubleshooting tool.

Here, we will run Windows Update Troubleshooter to see what is causing OS not to install the updates, then restart your PC and check for updates. Here’s how to do that:

Step 1: Press the Windows icon and open Settings.

Step 2: Now go to Updates & Security, and select Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters.

Step 3: Next, select Windows Updates under Get up and running, and then select to choose Run the troubleshooter.

Step 4: Once done, restart your PC.

Now let’s check for Windows 10 updates.

Step 5: Again press the Windows key and open Settings.

Step 6: Now go to Updates & Security.

Step 7: Select Windows Update from the left sidebar, and click on check for updates.

Now, try to install the updates of Windows 10 OS.

Insuficient Disk Space

It can possible that your system is lacking sufficient space in order to install Windows 10 updates. If that’s the case, then you have to consider making some space available to install Windows 10 updates.

Furthermore, you can consider performing a Disk Cleanup to remove unwanted and unnecessary files from your system. Here’s how to do that:

Step 1: Press the Windows key and type Disk Cleanup.

Step 2: Now select the disk that you want to clean and click on OK.

Step 3: Now it will take some time to analyze the unwanted files, let the process finish.

Step 4: Now select the files that you want to remove and press ok.

This way, unwanted files will get removed from your system.

Make sure that Services related to Windows updates are running

Windows 10 requires certain services to run, if services related to Windows 10 is not running then it could stop Windows 10 from getting an update. In short, it won’t allow Windows 10 to install new updates. Here’s how to do that:

Step 1: Press Windows + R key to open Run.

Step 2: Now, type “services.msc” and press enter.

Step 3: Search for Windows Updates service, and select Properties.

Step 4: Keep Startup type to Automatic, click on Apply and OK to save the changes.

Also, search for Background Intelligent Transfer (BITS) and Cryptographic Service, and select Properties. Repeat step 4.

Once done, consider restarting your system.

Check Your Settings

Settings could interfere when trying to install any programs or updates. Here are some settings that you need to check.

Update Windows Automatically

It’s good to download and install the Windows 10 operating system updates automatically rather than doing the same process manually.

Step 1: Press the Windows key and open Settings.

Step 2: Go to Update and Security.

Step 3: Select Windows Update from the left sidebar > Advanced Options.

Step 4: Turn on  Automatically Download Updates, Even Over Metered Data Connections.

Your Windows 10 OS will start updating automatically.

Metered Connection

It is important to know that the internet connection that you are using might be set up as Metered connection. As a result, downloading restrictions get enabled. So we need to turn off the metered connection, here’s how to do that:

Step 1: Press the Windows key, and open Settings.

Step 2: Select Network and Internet option.

Step 3: Select Wi-Fi from the left sidebar, and select Manage known Networks.

Step 4: Select your Wi-Fi and select Properties.

Step 5: Turn off “Set as Metered Connection.

Now, see this works. Install Windows 10 updates.

Reset Windows 10 Update using Registry Tweak

Registry tweak will simply reset your Windows 10 update. This will let Windows Update’s registry keys and set them to the default, resulting in resolving the Windows 10 is not installing issue.

Step 1: Download Registry Tweak.

Step 2: Run the Registry Tweak.

Step 3: A window will pop up asking you “Are you sure you want to continue?”, press Yes, and press ok.

Step 4: Restart your PC, check if this resolved the issue.

Restart Windows Update

Let’s restart the program manually using the command prompt. Here’s how to open the command prompt:

Step 1: Do a right-click on the Windows icon.

Step 2: From the list of menus, select Command Prompt.

Now, we need to type the following command.

NET STOP WUAUSERV

This command will make Windows Update stop, now type the next command.

NET START WUAUSERV

This command will simply restart the Windows update.

Likewise, type the following each command and press enter to execute it:

net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver
ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old
net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver

So we need to visit Settings, select Update, and Security, select Windows Update from the left sidebar.

Check if the Windows 10 installs.

Repair Corrupted System Files

Unfortunately, a damaged or corrupted Windows 10 update files won’t install on your system, that’s because Windows 10 itself won’t accept these files. So we need to scan the file using System, File Checker, in order to repair the corrupted system file.

Step 1: Do a right-click on the Windows icon.

Step 2: From the menu list, select to choose Command Prompt, now select to run it as Administrator.

Step 3: Type the following command and press enter.

sfc /scannow

Your system will analyze the file and proceed to repair the files. Leave your system as it is for a while. Once done, restart your PC to see if this works.

Uninstall Third-Party Security Software

Sometimes, third-party software often causes issues. Yes, I know that it can protect you from viruses and malware, and security threats. But it can make some software and programs not get installed on your system.

If that’s the case, then you might have to remove or disable the third-party software for a while to see if Windows 10 updates won’t install issue get resolved.

Step 1: Click on the Windows icon and type Control Panel.

Step 2: Click on the Programs and Features, now select the third-party software.

Step 3: Right-click on the third-party security software and select Uninstall.

Step 4: Restart your PC.

See if this works, this does have worked for many users.

Quick Possible Fixes

Here are some quick possible fixes that you can try out if Windows 10 updates won’t install issue still tends to exist.

• Perform a complete malware scan on your system using your anti-virus software accordingly, remove the malware detected and then see if the resolves the issue.
• Perform a DISM, SFC, and Chkdsk Scan.
• Try to change the DNS configurations of your system, make sure to point your system’s to Google’s DNS that is: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
• Rollback to the previous system update and then try to update, this rolling back your OS on the previous version might resolve the issue.

What if Nothing Works?

All the solutions mentioned above are valid fixes to resolve Windows 10 update won’t install issue. At this point, your Windows 10 OS should have installed your new Windows 10 update.

In the worst-case scenario, if nothing works out for you, then you can re-install the entire Windows 10 OS and then install the new update. This will definitely fix the issue. Else, you can follow Microsoft’s page related to fixing the Windows error, it will assist you to fix the issue.

That’s it for now, hope this helps! We are glad to know your thoughts in the comment section below. Till then, stay tuned for more info.

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