9 solutions to fix Windows 10 update problems

Windows 10 continues to grow much faster than any other version of Windows to date. Don't think about all that news about Windows spying on you or about invasion of privacy. There are always good reasons behind an update, such as better performance, new features, improved user experience, and more. However, you may run into a Windows 10 update error during the process.

Microsoft rolls out major Windows 10 updates every six months. Depending on the size and location of the update, Windows 10 updates take time and after many hours, any type of update or installation process leaves users frustrated. If you are often faced with the Windows Update error on your PC or laptop, you are in the right place. In this post we will talk about the top 9 solutions to fix Windows 10 update problems.

1. Check your Internet connection

If you are not connected to the internet, you cannot download and install updates.

Open your web browser and try to query Google and you will notice if the internet connection is working fine or not.

2. Have enough space on the device

As mentioned above, Windows 10 updates are large in size which is why they require free storage space on your PC or laptop to complete.

On average, your device requires at least 16GB of free space to upgrade to a 32-bit operating system, or 32GB for a 64-bit operating system. You can delete irrelevant files or use cloud storage like OneDrive or Google Drive to free up space on your local storage.

Follow the steps below to free up space on your Windows device.

Step 1: open Settings. Click System, then select Storage.

Step 2: In the “Local Drive C:” section, click on the Temporary Files section.

Step 3: select the items you want to delete to free up space.

Step 4: do click the Remove File button.

You can free up storage space so that you have enough free space to download the Windows update service on your computer.

3. Pause Windows Updates

Here's an interesting trick that's a bit counterintuitive. If you're having trouble downloading updates, pausing and resuming Windows updates can fix the problem.

To use pause and resume updates on Windows 10, use these steps:

Step 1: open Settings and go to Windows Updates.

Step 2: do click the Pause updates for 7 days button.

Step 3: restart your device.

Step 4: open Settings and go to Windows Update. Click the Resume Updates button.

After completing these steps, try checking for updates again.

This is much simpler and less stressful than deleting the SoftwareDistribution directory, which is my next tip.

4. Use the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Windows offers a troubleshooter that can diagnose and fix a wide variety of Windows installation and update problems.

If a problem or an error occurs (for example, 0x80070020, 0x80240438, 0xC19001E2, 0x80070424, 0x80242006, 0x8007000E, 0x80D02002, 0x80070070, 0x80096004, 0x80080005, 0x8007000D00 or 0x number of steps to troubleshoot) your installation.

Step 1: open Settings. Then, select Update & Security.

Step 2: In the Additional Troubleshooting section, select the Windows Update option.

Step 3: do click the Run the troubleshooter button.

Step 4: do click the Close button.

After completing all the steps, the troubleshooter will diagnose and find any problems and fix them regarding Windows updates. After that, you can update your device without any problems.

5. Restart your device

Sometimes a simple system restart can fix the Windows 10 update error on your device.

To restart your device, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Start.

Step 2: do click the power options menu.

Step 3: do click the Restart button.

After completing the steps, try updating your device again from the Windows Update settings page.

6. Start the Windows Update service

The Windows Update service was designed to manage Windows updates and all related processes. If the Windows Update service is stopped, error code 0x80070422 may appear during the installation of Windows updates. So, you should make sure that your Windows Update service is running with the autostart type.

Follow the steps below.

Step 1: press the Win + R keys on your keyboard to invoke the Run dialog box. Then type service.msc in the box and hit Enter.

Step 2: within the service window, go to Windows Update and double-click it.

Step 3: in the pop-up window, select Automatic from the drop-down menu in the Startup type section. Then click the Start button if the service has been stopped.

Step 4: do Click the Apply button to save the changes and select OK.

After starting the Windows Update service, you can check if the Windows Update error persists while installing Windows updates.

7. Disconnect the additional hardware

Microsoft's official troubleshooting guide recommends removing all external storage devices and drives, docks, and other hardware that you may have connected to your device that is not needed for basic functionality.

Now go ahead and try the Windows Update service again.

8. Check Device Manager for errors

If your existing drivers are not compatible with the latest version of Windows, it may interfere with the installation process.

Follow the steps below.

Step 1: select the Start button in the search box on the taskbar, type device manager.

Step 2: choose Device Manager from the results.

Step 3: in the window that opens, look for any device with a yellow exclamation mark next to it (you may have to select each category to go to the device list).

Step 4: Press and hold (or right-click) the device name and select Update Driver Software or Uninstall to fix errors.

9. We just have to wait ...

There are more than a billion Windows 10 devices in the world. When Microsoft releases the Windows 10 update for all devices, millions of users install the latest Windows server update around the same day. This process sometimes crashes servers and you may face Windows 10 update errors on your device.

You have no choice but to wait a few hours to use the Windows Update service in such cases.