How to Fix That Windows Defender Update Failed on Windows 10

Many users have complained of Windows Defender not updating on Windows 10 regardless of whether the update being downloaded and installed is a small definitions update or a large, chunky update. Read this post from MiniTool to get the methods.

Sometimes, your Windows Defender update failed and Windows Defender stated that the reason behind the failures was “connectivity problems”, even though the computer has a completely healthy internet connection.

Luckily, there are some solutions to this issue, and you can follow the three most effective solutions to get rid of this issue.

How to Fix That Windows Defender Update Failed?

Solution 1: Update Windows Defender Using Windows Update

If you have encountered the “Windows Defender won’t update” issue because of “connectivity problems”, the most logical solution for the issue would certainly be trying to use Windows Update to update Windows Defender. You can follow the steps below:

Step 1: Open the Search menu to input Settings and search for it, then open it.

Step 2: Click the Update & Security tab in the Settings interface.

Step 3: Then you should click Windows Update in the left pane.

Step 4: Click Check for updates in the right pane. Your computer will now check for any and all available updates.

The available updates for Windows Defender will automatically start being downloaded as soon as they are detected. Once the updates are downloaded, they will be installed successfully. Then you can check if the “Windows Defender update failed” issue still exists.

Solution 2: Update Windows Defender Using Command Prompt

The second solution is to try updating Windows Defender using an elevated Command Prompt. Here is the tutorial.

Step 1: Input command prompt in the Search menu and click Command Prompt.

Step 2: Then click Run as administrator to open an elevated Command Prompt.

Step 3: Type the following command into the Command Prompt and press the Enter key.

cd /d “\Program Files\Windows Defender”

Step 4: Then type exe -signatureupdate into the Command Prompt and press the Enter key.

This will initiate a Windows Defender update and you can see if the Windows Defender won’t update again. If yes, you can try the next solution.

Solution 3: Set Windows Defender Service as Automatic

This solution is to set Windows Defender Service as automatic. Here is how to do this.

Step 1: Right-click the Start menu and select Run.

Step 2: Type services.msc in the Run box and click OK to open Services.

Step 3: Find Windows Defender Antivirus Service and right-click it, then you should click Properties.

Step 4: You should make sure that Service status is Running.

Step 5: Then ensure Startup type is Automatic (if not, select Startup type as Automatic and click Start)

Step 6: Click Apply, then click OK.

Now, you can check if the Windows Defender not updating on Windows 10 issue is still existing.

Final Words

I think the issue must be fixed by the solutions above. If you encounter such an issue, you just need to try the solutions one by one. Then you can find the appropriate one.

About The Author

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Position: Columnist

Having been an editor at MiniTool since graduating college as an English major, Daisy specializes in writing about data backups, disk cloning, and file syncing as well as general computer knowledge and issues. In her free time, Daisy enjoys running and going with friends to the amusement park.