Windows Update Stuck? What to Do on Every Screen and Percentage

A stuck Windows update is really two different problems. If it’s stuck inside Settings (downloading at 0%, installing, or pending), Windows is still running normally and the fixes are low-risk. If it’s stuck on a full-screen message such as Working on updates during a restart, Windows is in the middle of replacing system files, and the wrong move can leave the PC unable to start.

So the first question isn’t how to force it, but which screen you’re on and whether it’s still making progress. A changing percentage, even a slow one, means wait, and so does a flickering drive activity light (many laptops don’t have one). Spinning dots alone prove nothing, because they keep turning on a hung update too. A full-screen percentage stuck for about two hours, or a Settings download idle for 30 minutes, means it’s time to act.

Which kind of stuck do you have?

Microsoft doesn’t publish a fixed install time, because it depends on connection speed, network settings and update size. The timings below are a rule of thumb, not a promise; feature updates and older hard drives take longest.

Stuck in Settings: downloading at 0% or not installing

First check whether it’s really stalled. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and look on the Processes page for Windows Modules Installer Worker, Service Host: Windows Update or Service Host: Delivery Optimization. If any of them is using disk, CPU or network, the update is just slow; leave it. If they’re idle and nothing has moved within the time the table allows, it’s stalled.

Windows is still running here, so these steps are low-risk. Work through them in order and select Check for updates after each one.

1. Restart from the Start menu. Use Restart, not Shut down. With Fast Startup on, shutting down isn’t a full restart, and Microsoft documents that this can stop some updates from installing.
2. Check the connection. Turn off any VPN for now; Microsoft lists VPNs as a cause of some update failures. Then open your network’s properties under Settings > Network & internet and make sure Metered connection is off.
3. Free up space. Open Settings > System > Storage > Temporary files and clear items until you have about 20 GB free. Leave Downloads unticked unless you’ve checked it, because it deletes everything in that folder. Keep Previous Windows installation(s) if you might roll back a recent upgrade; deleting it can’t be undone.
4. Fix the clock. In Settings > Time & language > Date & time, turn on automatic time and select Sync now.
5. Pause, then resume. In Settings > Windows Update, select Pause updates, wait a minute, then resume. This can restart a stalled download.
6. Run the troubleshooter. Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters > Windows Update > Run.

For an update stuck at 0% or 100% in Settings, Microsoft’s advice is the same as steps 1 to 3. If the status then changes to Pending restart, select Restart now; a full-screen 100% is covered in the table above.

If Windows Update says some settings are managed by your organization, Intune, Group Policy or a WSUS server controls updates on that PC. A pause, deferral or unreachable update server set there overrides anything you do locally, so the fix belongs with whoever manages those policies.

On Windows 10, the troubleshooter is under Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters > Windows Update. Windows 10 support ended in October 2025, and new monthly security updates now come only through Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. An unenrolled PC won’t get them however well Windows Update works, so check that first; see whether Windows 10 is still usable in 2026.

Reset the update cache (SoftwareDistribution and catroot2)

If downloads keep failing, clear Windows Update’s working folders so it starts fresh. This follows Microsoft’s reset procedure in simplified form. Right-click Start, select Terminal (Admin) (on Windows 10, Windows PowerShell (Admin)) and run these one at a time:

1. net stop wuauserv
2. net stop bits
3. net stop cryptsvc
4. ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
5. ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old
6. net start cryptsvc
7. net start bits
8. net start wuauserv

Restart, then select Check for updates. Windows re-downloads what it needs and rebuilds its catalog of update signatures.

Installed updates and your files aren’t touched, though the update history list may look shorter. Once updates work again, you can delete the two .old folders.

If a rename fails with an access-denied error, a service restarted on its own. Run the matching net stop command again and immediately repeat the rename. If it fails because a .old folder already exists from an earlier attempt, use a different name, such as ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old2.

If updates still fail, repair Windows’ own files: run DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth, then sfc /scannow, restart and try again. A specific error code is now worth looking up; we have separate guides for error 0x80070643 and error 0x80004005.

If the reset and repair didn’t fix it

Stop repeating the reset and install the update another way.

• One monthly update keeps failing. Note its KB number from the Windows Update page or Update history, search for it in the Microsoft Update Catalog (catalog.update.microsoft.com), download the file for your Windows version and processor (x64 or Arm64), and double-click the .msu file. If there’s more than one file, follow the install order on Microsoft’s support page for that update.
• Nothing installs on Windows 11. In Settings > System > Recovery, under Fix problems using Windows Update, select Reinstall now. It reinstalls your current Windows version and keeps your apps, files and settings; keep the PC plugged in and online until it finishes. It needs an up-to-date Windows 11 version 22H2 or later and may be missing on work or school PCs.
• A new Windows 11 version is the one stuck. On x64 PCs, the Windows 11 Installation Assistant on Microsoft’s download page installs it outside Windows Update. Back up first, as with any version upgrade.

On a business-managed PC, ask whoever manages updates first; a policy may be holding that update back on purpose.

Stuck on ‘Working on updates’ during a restart

This is the screen where patience matters most. Windows is swapping system files, and cutting power halfway can leave a mix of old and new files that won’t boot.

Wait first

Plug the laptop in and watch the percentage. While it changes, even by one point every 15 minutes, leave it alone; a flickering drive light, if your PC has one, also means it’s working. The spinning dots alone don’t prove progress. Give a monthly update up to two hours and a feature update on an older hard drive longer.

If it’s truly frozen

1. Confirm nothing has changed for at least two hours and there’s no drive activity.
2. Hold the power button until the PC turns off, wait 30 seconds, and turn it back on.
3. Windows usually resumes the update or shows Undoing changes. Let it finish, however long it takes.
4. Once you’re back in, check Settings > Windows Update > Update history for the failed update and its error code.

If it won’t boot afterward

If the PC lands in Automatic Repair, select Advanced options > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Uninstall Updates and remove the latest quality update (or the latest feature update after a version upgrade). If it keeps looping back to Working on updates instead, hold the power button to turn it off as soon as the Windows logo appears. Do this twice, and on the third start Windows should open Automatic Repair.

If the drive is encrypted, recovery may ask for your BitLocker recovery key. Look it up on another device first: aka.ms/myrecoverykey for a personal Microsoft account, or aka.ms/aadrecoverykey or your IT administrator for a work or school account.

The recovery Command Prompt also offers an IT-level step: DISM /Image:C:\ /Cleanup-Image /RevertPendingActions undoes half-finished update work. Windows isn’t always on C: in recovery, so run dir C:\Windows, then dir D:\Windows if that fails, and use the letter that works. If you’re not comfortable with commands here, stop and get help. Our automatic repair loop guide covers the full recovery order.

Windows 11 stuck on ‘Restarting’

A long Restarting spinner usually isn’t the update itself. Windows is closing apps and drivers, and one of them won’t let go; docks, external drives and some security or VPN software are frequent culprits.

1. Give it 30 to 60 minutes, especially if an update was waiting.
2. Unplug the dock, USB drives and other external devices; Microsoft lists disconnecting external hardware as a standard update fix.
3. If nothing changes, hold the power button until it turns off, then start it again.
4. Back in Windows, install pending updates, then update the dock firmware and graphics drivers from the PC maker’s site.

If it happens on every restart, check whether disk activity is pinned at 100% while Windows runs; a struggling drive slows shutdown too. See our 100% disk usage guide.

For offices: stop updates getting stuck on every PC

One stuck PC is an annoyance; ten on Monday morning is a lost morning. A few habits prevent most of it:

• Set active hours and deadlines so restarts happen outside work time. In Intune, update rings let you set deferrals, deadlines and grace periods for everyone at once.
• Use a pilot group. Let two or three PCs take each month’s updates a few days early, so a bad update stops there.
• Share update downloads on the office network. In Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Delivery Optimization, keep Allow downloads from other devices on with Devices on my local network, so PCs share pieces of each update instead of each pulling it over one internet line. Intune and Group Policy can set this centrally.
• Keep laptops plugged in overnight when updates are due. A battery dying mid-update is a classic cause of failed installs.
• Watch free space. Small-SSD laptops quietly fill up and then fail every feature update.
• Know who controls updates. If a former IT provider set up WSUS or Group Policy, those settings may still be blocking updates years later.

Patch management is one of the basics a managed IT plan should handle for you.

When to stop and get help

Stop retrying and get help when:

• The same update fails again and again with the same error code after a cache reset and DISM repair.
• The PC ends up in Automatic Repair or a boot loop after an update.
• The drive shows errors, clicks, or disk usage sits at 100% for hours.
• Several office PCs are stuck on the same update, which points at a policy or update server.

If Windows still starts, this is a typical $59 remote fix: we connect with your permission, find why the update is failing and work through the fix while you watch, without forcing risky restarts.

Common questions

Is it safe to turn off my computer during a Windows update?

Not while it’s working. Turning off during Working on updates or Undoing changes can leave Windows half-updated and unable to start. If the screen has been frozen for two hours or more with no drive activity, a forced shutdown is a reasonable last resort, and Windows usually resumes or rolls back. Updates stuck inside Settings are different: a normal restart is safe.

Can I cancel a Windows update that’s already installing?

Not once the full-screen Working on updates message appears; interrupting it is what causes boot problems. While an update is still downloading, Pause updates in Settings > Windows Update stops it for now. If an update installs and causes trouble, remove it afterward from Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates, or, within 10 days of a Windows version upgrade, use Settings > System > Recovery > Go back.

How long should a Windows update take?

Microsoft doesn’t give a fixed time; it depends on your connection, the update size and the PC’s drive. As a rule of thumb, monthly updates on an SSD usually finish their restart phase well within an hour, while feature updates on older hard drives can take a few hours. A percentage that keeps moving, however slowly, means it’s still working.

Why is Windows Update stuck at 0% downloading?

The download hasn’t started. Common causes are a VPN or proxy blocking the update servers, a connection marked as metered, too little free space, a wrong system clock, damaged files in the update cache, or company policies pausing updates. Restart, check those settings, run the troubleshooter, and if it’s still at 0%, reset the SoftwareDistribution and catroot2 folders.

Will renaming SoftwareDistribution delete my files or updates?

No. SoftwareDistribution only holds Windows Update’s downloaded files and its working database. Renaming it makes Windows download fresh copies; it doesn’t uninstall anything and doesn’t touch your documents. The update history list in Settings may look shorter afterward. Once updates install successfully again, the renamed .old folder can be deleted to free space.

Why does the same update keep failing and rolling back?

Usually something in Windows blocks that update every time: damaged system files, a driver it can’t replace, third-party antivirus, too little disk space, or a disk error. Note the error code in Update history, run DISM and sfc, free up space, and try again. If it still fails, the error code tells you where to look next.

Can I stop Windows from restarting for updates during work hours?

Yes. Open Settings, then Windows Update, then Advanced options, and set Active hours so Windows avoids automatic restarts while you work. On Windows 10, it’s Settings, then Update & Security, then Windows Update, then Change active hours. You can also pause updates briefly. For a whole office, set active hours and restart deadlines centrally through Intune update rings or Group Policy, so every PC follows the same schedule.