Windows Update Service Not Running? Here’s How to Fix It (Windows 10 & 11)

Fix #2: Manually Start the Windows Update Service via Services.msc

If the troubleshooter couldn’t restart the service, do it yourself. This directly addresses <a href=”https://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to-fix-windows-update-service-not-running/”>error 0x80070422</a>.

• Press Windows key + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
• Scroll down to Windows Update.
• Right-click Windows Update and select Properties.
• In the Startup type dropdown, select Automatic (Delayed Start).
• Under Service status, click Start.
• Click OK.

• Still in Services.msc, find Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) and repeat steps 3–6, setting its Startup type to Automatic (Delayed Start).
• Find Cryptographic Services and repeat steps 3–6, setting its Startup type to Automatic.
• Close Services.msc and restart your PC.
• Open Windows Update and click Check for updates.

Expected result: The service status changes to “Running.” If the Start button is grayed out or the service stops again immediately, something is actively blocking it. Continue to Fix #3.

Note on Windows Update Medic Service: You may see Windows Update Medic Service (WaaSMedicSvc) in the list. It automatically restores Windows Update if it gets disabled. You can’t disable it through Services.msc, and that’s by design. If wuauserv keeps getting disabled on its own, a third-party tool is likely fighting with Medic Service. Check your antivirus and any “optimizer” software.

Fix #3: Temporarily Disable Third-Party Antivirus

Error 0x80080005 often appears when a third-party security suite blocks Windows Update’s file writes or network connections.

• Find your antivirus in the system tray (bottom-right corner of the taskbar).
• Right-click its icon and look for Disable real-time protection, Pause protection, or Turn off. The exact wording varies by product.
• Disable it temporarily (10–15 minutes if given the option).
• Open Windows Update and click Check for updates.
• If updates now proceed, re-enable your antivirus immediately after the test.

If updates work only with antivirus disabled: Check your antivirus vendor’s documentation for a Windows Update exclusion or whitelist setting. Don’t leave real-time protection permanently off.

Important: This applies only to third-party antivirus products (Norton, McAfee, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, ESET, etc.). Do not disable Windows Defender. It’s integrated with Windows Update, and disabling it won’t help here.

Fix #4: Reset Windows Update Components via Command Prompt

This is the fix that works most often. It stops the relevant services, renames the corrupted cache folders so Windows builds fresh ones, then restarts everything. If you’re going to skip ahead to anything, skip to this.

Is it safe to rename the SoftwareDistribution folder? Yes. It’s a temporary cache. Windows re-creates it automatically and re-downloads any update files it needs. You’re not deleting programs or personal files.

• Press Windows key + S, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
• Run each command below, pressing Enter after each and waiting for it to complete:

net stop wuauserv
net stop bits
net stop cryptsvc
net stop msiserver

• Rename the corrupted cache folders:

ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old

• Restart the services:

net start cryptsvc
net start bits
net start wuauserv
net start msiserver

• Close Command Prompt and restart your PC.
• Open Windows Update and click Check for updates. Windows will rebuild the SoftwareDistribution folder and download updates fresh.

Expected result: Windows Update starts checking for updates without errors. The first check may take a few extra minutes while Windows rebuilds its update index.

If the ren command returns “Access is denied”: The services didn’t stop cleanly. Re-run the net stop commands, wait 30 seconds, then try ren again. If access is still denied, restart into Safe Mode and run the rename commands from there.

Fix #5: Re-register Windows Update DLL Files

If updates fail with COM-related errors or the update service crashes on start, the DLL files the update engine depends on may have become unregistered. This fix re-registers them.

• Open Command Prompt as Administrator (same as Fix #4, step 1).
• Run each command below one at a time, pressing Enter after each:

regsvr32 wuapi.dll
regsvr32 wuaueng.dll
regsvr32 wuaueng1.dll
regsvr32 wucltui.dll
regsvr32 wups.dll
regsvr32 wups2.dll
regsvr32 wuweb.dll
regsvr32 atl.dll
regsvr32 jscript.dll
regsvr32 msxml3.dll
regsvr32 softpub.dll
regsvr32 wintrust.dll
regsvr32 initpki.dll
regsvr32 cryptdlg.dll

If you see: “The module was loaded but the entry-point DllRegisterServer was not found”, don’t worry. Some system DLLs show this message. It doesn’t mean the command failed or caused damage.

• Open Services.msc and restart the Windows Update service (right-click > Restart).
• Restart your PC and test Windows Update.

Fix #6: Run DISM and SFC to Repair System File Corruption

Error codes 0x800736B3, 0x80073712, and 0x8007371B all point to corruption in the Windows component store. That’s the internal database Windows uses to track installed components. The cache flush in Fix #4 won’t touch it. DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) connects to Microsoft’s servers and replaces corrupted files directly.

You need an active internet connection for DISM /RestoreHealth. This can take 15–45 minutes. Get a coffee.

• Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
• Run a quick corruption check first (read-only, takes about 1 minute):

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

• Run a deeper scan (5–10 minutes, no changes made):

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

• If either scan reports corruption, or if you’re here because of a 0x8007371x error, run the repair:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

• When DISM finishes, run SFC to catch any remaining corrupted files:

sfc /scannow

• Restart your PC after SFC completes, regardless of the result.
• Open Windows Update and click Check for updates.

Expected result: DISM reports the component store was repaired. SFC reports either “did not find any integrity violations” or “found corrupt files and repaired them.” Windows Update should work normally after the restart.

If DISM fails with error 0x800f081f: DISM can’t reach Windows Update servers. Check your internet connection, disable any VPN or proxy, and try again. You can also download a Windows ISO from Microsoft and point DISM to it as a local source using the /Source flag. See Microsoft’s DISM documentation for the exact syntax.

Windows 10 vs. Windows 11 UI Differences

Most fixes above work identically on both versions. The differences are just in where Settings puts things:

Note: On Windows 11, the Settings app sometimes shows “Something went wrong” without a numeric error code. To find the real one, press Windows key + X, select Event Viewer, navigate to Windows Logs > System, and filter by Source = WindowsUpdateClient. The event details will show the actual error code you can match to the table above.

Configuration: Keeping Services Set Correctly

After fixing the immediate problem, confirm these startup types are correct in Services.msc so the issue doesn’t quietly come back:

Service	Correct Startup Type
Windows Update (wuauserv)	Automatic (Delayed Start)
Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)	Automatic (Delayed Start)
Cryptographic Services (CryptSvc)	Automatic
Windows Update Medic Service (WaaSMedicSvc)	Manual (protected, cannot be changed)

If any of these keep reverting to Disabled, a third-party application is changing them. Use Task Scheduler or Autoruns (from Microsoft Sysinternals) to find what’s making the change.

Tips and Troubleshooting

Updates download but never install

The SoftwareDistribution folder may have a partially downloaded, corrupted package stuck in the queue. Run Fix #4 to clear it, then check for updates again.

Windows Update says “You’re up to date” but you know you’re missing updates

Your update history may be stale. After running Fix #4, wait up to 24 hours. Windows Update sometimes needs a full background scan cycle to rediscover pending updates. You can also press Windows key + I, go to Windows Update, and click Check for updates to force an immediate check.

<a href=”https://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to-fix-an-update-error-0x800705b4-on-windows/”>Error 0x800705B4</a>, update keeps timing out

• Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
• Reset the network stack:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset

• Restart your PC.
• Disconnect from any VPN or proxy before trying Windows Update again.
• If the timeout persists, proceed with Fix #4 and Fix #6.

The SoftwareDistribution.old folder is taking up gigabytes of space

Once updates are working normally after Fix #4, the .old folder is safe to delete. Open File Explorer, navigate to C:\Windows\, right-click SoftwareDistribution.old, and select Delete. You can also use the built-in Disk Cleanup tool. See our guide on <a href=”https://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to-clear-windows-update-cache-on-windows-11/”>clearing Windows Update cache on Windows 11</a> for a full walkthrough.

Nothing works, what next?

If all six fixes have failed, you have a few options left:

• In-place upgrade repair: Run Windows Setup over your existing installation (download the Windows 11 or Windows 10 installation media from Microsoft, run setup.exe, and choose “Keep personal files and apps”). This repairs the Windows Update infrastructure without erasing your data. It’s the last software-based fix.
• Manual update via Microsoft Update Catalog: Download individual update packages (.msu files) directly from catalog.update.microsoft.com and install them by double-clicking. This doesn’t fix the broken service, but it keeps your PC patched in the meantime.
• Check for malware: Some malware targets Windows Update specifically to block security patches. Run a full scan with Microsoft Defender before assuming this is purely a service configuration problem.

Preventive tips to reduce recurrence

• Avoid “PC optimizer” or “registry cleaner” tools. Many disable background services, including Windows Update, as part of their “optimization.” They cause more problems than they solve.
• Don’t pause Windows Update for longer than 35 days. Extended pauses can cause the update database to fall out of sync. Use the built-in pause feature in Settings > Windows Update > Pause updates rather than disabling the service.
• Restart your PC at least once a week. Windows Update can only install many patches after a restart. Machines left running for weeks accumulate pending updates that can conflict with new ones.
• Keep at least 10–15 GB of free space on your C: drive. Windows Update needs staging space to download and unpack files. A nearly full drive causes update failures that are easy to miss.

Wrapping Up

<a href=”https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4191084/windows-update-one-of-the-update-services-is-not-r” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>Fix #4, the Command Prompt component reset</a>, solves this for most people, especially when paired with Fix #2 to confirm the service startup type is correct. If that doesn’t do it, <a href=”https://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to-fix-dism-error-87-on-windows-10-and-windows-11/”>Fix #6 (DISM + SFC)</a> handles deeper corruption that nothing else can reach.

If updates break again within a few days, dig in. Repeated failures usually mean a third-party tool is interfering, or a failing drive is corrupting files faster than Windows can repair them. Don’t wait until the next Patch Tuesday to sort it out.