Bothered by Windows Update Not Working? Here’s What to Do

Windows Update Not Working on Windows 10! There Are Several Situations!

Windows 10 operating system keeps updating all the time. When a new update is released, you may want to download and install it on your computer to experience its new features.

However, Windows 10 update process is not always smooth. Windows Update not working is a common issue and this issue has many different situations.

Situations of Windows Update Not Working

• Windows Update Broken
• Windows Update Won’t Open
• Windows Update Not Applicable
• Windows Update Database Corruption
• Windows Update Service Not Running
• Windows Update Not Downloading
• Windows Update Stuck on Checking for Updates
• Windows Update Not Working after Creators Update
• Windows Update Not Working: Not Enough Space

When you search for this issue on the internet, you will find many people are troubled by it. Thus, it is quite necessary to introduce how to get rid of these Windows Update problems today.

We summarize some solutions which are proved to be effective and list them in the following part.

How to Get Rid of Windows Update Not Working Windows 10?

Perhaps, you are not sure the exact reason for Windows Update stopped working issue. But, you can try these solutions one by one to find a proper one for your own situation.

Solution 1: Run Windows Update Troubleshooter

Step 1: Get this Windows Update reset (fix it) tool download on your computer. Then, open it and you will see the following window. Click on the Next button to continue.

Step 2: Then Windows Update Troubleshooter will begin to detect problems. When it reports issues, please follow the wizard to let it resolve them.

If Windows Update not responding persists, please continue to try solution 2.

Solution 2: Download the Latest Servicing Stack Update (SSU)

Step 1: You need to determine whether you are using 32-bit or 64-bit Windows. To do this job, you can go to Start > Settings> System > About. Then, scroll down to System type to verify it.

Step 2: Enter the Microsoft Update Catalog to download the latest SSU version that matches your own version and bit level of Windows.

Step 3: Restart your computer and then check for updates.

If you are still bothered by Windows Update stopped working issue, please try the next method.

Solution 3: Download the most recent KB

Step 1: Use the way mentioned in solution 2 to see whether you are using 32-bit or 64-bit Windows.

Step 2: Go to the Update history page to find the latest update KB for the version of Windows 10 you are using. It is usually at the top of the list. Then, write the KB number down or copy it.

Step 3: Go to the Microsoft Update site to search for the target KB number and then download it on your computer. Click Save if you are prompted.

Step 4: When the download process completes, choose Open to start the update.

If this method still can’t help you out, please move to the next one.

Solution 4: Fix Windows file corruption

Step 1: Click on the Windows button on your desktop and then choose Command Prompt (Admin).

Step 2: You will enter the Command Prompt interface where you need to type the following command:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

After that, press the Enter key to continue. It will take several minutes to complete the command operation process. Please be patient.

Step 3: Input the following command and then press the Enter key:

sfc /scannow

When this process ends, please close the command prompt window and then run Windows Update again.

If Windows Update can work normally, everything is OK. If not, please continue the following solution.

These solutions help many users to get rid of Windows Update not responding issue. You can share them with your friends on Twitter.Click to tweet

Solution 5: Perform an in-place upgrade

To perform an in-place update, you need to download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool (MCT) on your computer and then use it to do that job. Here is a video which shows you how to do it successfully.

If you are not using the most recent Windows version on your computer, this operation will update Windows to the latest one.

However, if Windows Update not running issue continues, please go to try solution 6.

Solution 6: Perform a clean install of Windows 10

A clean install of Windows 10 is the direct way to update your Windows. However, it will delete all of the data and installed apps on your computer. Thus, you’d better back up your important data before doing a clean install.

Here, MiniTool ShadowMaker is a good choice for you to make such a backup. Just click on the following button to download the Trial Edition of this software to back up your data quickly.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

To perform a clean installation, you need to use the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool. Microsoft also offers a video which shows you how to do this job: How to Clean Install Windows 10 on a PC Step-by-Step Guide.

Likewise, this way can also update your computer to the latest Windows version.

These 6 solutions are used to solve Windows Update not Working Windows 10 issue. If the issue happens on Windows 7/8.1, things will be different. In the next part, we will show you how to deal with Windows Update not working Windows 7/8.1.

Windows Update Not Working Windows 7/8.1 32/64 Bit

When Windows Update not running issue happens on Windows 7/8 computer, you can use the Windows Update troubleshooter or download the most recent SSU to get rid of the issue. For Windows 8.1, you can also fix Windows file corruption to solve Windows Update stopped working.

All of the above three solutions have been introduced in How to Get Rid of Windows Update Not Working Windows 10 part of this post, and we will not repeat them here.

Additionally, the following methods are also available:

Solution 1: Rename Software Distribution Backup Folders

Step 1: Click on Start and search for cmd. Then, choose the first option from the search results.

Step 2: Type the following command and press Enter:

Ren %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.bak

Step 3: When the above step ends, type the following command and press Enter:

Ren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 catroot2.bak

After these three steps, close the Command Prompt window and reboot the computer to see whether Windows Update can work normally.

Solution 2: Reset or Reinstall Windows

To reset or reinstall Windows can solve a lot of issues. It is worth trying to fix Windows 7/8.1 update not working issue. However, reset and reinstallation of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are not the same. You can search for the proper way according to your Windows version on the internet.

Solution 3: Update to Windows 10

Windows 10 is the most up-to-date Windows operating system with many new features and improved security. To upgrade to Windows 10 is your best choice to solve Windows Update not running Windows 7/8.1 issue.

Windows Update Deleted My Files? Recover Them Now!

After using those 6 solutions mentioned in the last part, Windows Update not working Windows10 issue should be fixed. However, another annoying issue may occur: Windows Update deleted my files.

If there is no available backed up file and these deleted files are important for you, you’d better use a piece of professional data recovery software to get them back. Here, MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a good choice.

This software is specially designed to recover different kinds of files from various types of digital data storage devices like computer hard drives, USB flash drives, memory cards, SD cards, and more.

As long as the deleted files are not overwritten by new data, you can use this tool to get them back. So, you’d better stop using your computer as soon as possible after your find Windows 10 update deleted your files.

With the Trial Edition of this software, you can check whether it can find the data you want to recover. So, when you find your files are deleted after Windows 10 update, please use this free file recovery tool to scan your computer immediately.

Windows 10 update deleted your files by mistake? Don’t worry. You can use MiniTool Power Data Recovery to get them back.Click to tweet

Now, please press the following button to get this freeware.

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Then, it’s time to use this program to recover the deleted files on your computer.

Step 1: Open the software and you will enter This PC interface directly. This is the exact recovery module you need to use to recover deleted files from PC. Then, choose the target drive from this interface and click on the Scan button to start the scanning process.

Step 2: When the scanning process ends, you will see the scan result where the files are listed by path. You can open each path to find the files you want to recover.

In fact, there are always many scanned files and it is not easy to find your needed files quickly. Here, we suggest using these features of this software to find the target files easily:

Type: With this feature, the software will show you the scanned files by types. Then, you can search for your deleted files quickly.

Show Lost Files: This software will show you both the deleted and existing files. However, you only need to recover the deleted files. Thus, you can use this function to make the software only display the deleted and lost files.

Find: If you still remember the name of the file you want to recover, this function can help you locate the file directly.

Preview: This software can even allow you to preview some certain types of files, like images and text files which are not larger than 20MB.

Step 3: You are not allowed to use this Trial Edition to recover your needed files to the computer. However, you can get a full edition to do the job. If you are a personal user, the Personal Deluxe Edition can meet your need.

After registering this software, you can check the items you want to recover and then click on the Save button to choose a proper path to save them.

You can see that it is easy to recover your deleted files with MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

Bottom Line

In this post, we show you how to deal with Windows Update not working Windows 10/7/8.1issue in various ways. Try them and find out a proper one for your own use. In addition, if Windows update deleted your files, you can use MiniTool Power Data Recovery to get them back.

Should you have any question when coding with this issue, you can contact us through [email protected], or let us know in the comment. Any useful ideas and suggestions are also appreciated here.