Windows 10 update stuck checking for updates? 7 Solutions to apply

Did you find yourself, that Windows update has stuck checking for updates for hours? Windows update stuck Downloading updates on a specific percentage (xx%, 20%, or 99%) and there is no improvement after waiting over hours on your Windows 10 Laptop. Also Sometimes Windows 10 Update fails to install with Different errors 0x800f0922, 0x8000ffff, 0x800f0826.

Issue: Windows 10 Update Stuck downloading/failed to install 

2023-12 Cumulative update for windows 10 version 22H2 for x64 based system (KB5033372) failed to install (Error – 0x800f0826).

For some other users, windows updates are stuck (windows 10 checking for updates / installing updates) for hours.

Various reasons cause Windows updates to be stuck checking for updates or Windows updates fail to download. Slow internet connection, Security software (antivirus) blocking, buggy update cache, corrupted system files, third-party software conflict, incompatible device driver, and more. Whatever the reason, here are some solutions you may apply to fix almost every Windows update-related problem.

Windows 10 update stuck checking

If Your PC shows stuck at 100% when you’re performing a Windows update, you can try to force restart your PC first.

1. Make sure you have a working internet connection So that Windows downloads the updated files from the Microsoft server. Also, check on your system installation drive (C drive) to have sufficient free space to download and install Windows updates. Or you can run Disk Cleanup tool to free up some disk space.
2. Sometimes, updates can be large and require a long time to download. If a particular update is stuck at, say, 95% for an hour or two – don’t panic. However, there may be an issue if that figure doesn’t shift after hours
3. Disable your antivirus software — security software may sometimes block Windows 10 updates. Turn off your antivirus, download and install the updates and then turn it on again.

Check the Windows update service

Open Windows services (services.msc) and check Windows update and its related services are running.

• Press Windows Key + R and type services.msc, Click on OK or hit the Enter key.
• In the services Window scroll down to Windows Update Service.
• Right-click on the service and click on Properties.
• Make sure the Startup type is set to Automatic and Service status is started.
• Click Apply and ok.

You may repeat the above steps for Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS).

Clean boot Windows 10

Clean booting your computer may also help, If any third-party software causes conflict to download & install Windows updates. Here’s how to do this:

Performing a clean boot, which can avoid software conflicts while installing Windows updates

• Press the Windows key + R, type msconfig and click ok to open the system configuration window,
• Move to the services tab, checkmark on Hide all Microsoft services then click on Disable all.

• Now move to the Startup tab and click on Open Task Manager
• Here Disable all the unnecessary services running there.

Restart your computer and check for updates again.

Free up Disk Space

If the system driver is usually C, and run out of space, the Windows update may stuck downloading because of the lack of free space on the drive. You can free up disk space by following the tips below.

First If you have multiple partitions on your computer we recommend Move files to a different drive (For example D drive) or if possible move some large files to an external disk.

We recommend remove or uninstalling apps and programs on your PC that you don’t use. To check which apps use more space open the Settings menu and go to Apps > Apps & Features and choose Sort by Size.

Run the built-in disk cleanup utility, which can help you clear up space by removing various files — including temporary internet files, system error memory dump files and even previous Windows installations that may still be hanging around.

In addition, remove external devices while checking for Windows updates to prevent any driver conflict that may prevent downloading or installing Windows updates on your PC. Some Windows users reported that after they disconnect all the USB peripherals from their PCs, the update process completes quickly.

Clear buggy update (cache)

If the Windows 10 update is stuck during download at 0% or 99% or completely failed to install, it might be that something went wrong with the file itself. Clearing the folder where all of the update files are stored will force Windows Update to download fresh files.

It shouldn’t cause any damage to your PC – you’ll only really be deleting temporary Windows Update files – but we’d recommend setting up a System Restore point before going any further.

• To do this Type services.msc on the start menu search and hit the enter key. Then look for Windows update service, right-click on it, and select stop. Do the same with its related service BITS ( Background Intelligent Transfer Service ).

Or you can use the command net stop wuauserv and net stop bits to stop these services.

• Go to the following location C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download And Delete everything in the folder, but do not delete the folder itself. To do so, press CTRL + A to select everything and then press Delete to remove the files.

Note: If the files can’t be deleted because they’re in use, you’ll need to restart your PC. Turn off the two Windows Update services and then try to delete the files again.

• Again open Windows services and restart the services (windows update, BITS) that you previously stopped. or Use the command net start wuauserv and net start bits to Bring up these services.

Run Windows Update troubleshooter

After clearing Buggy update files simply run the Windows update troubleshooter to check and fix any other problem preventing the Windows update to download and install. To run the update troubleshooter.

Microsoftg developed windows update troubleshooter program(opens in new tab) specifically to help you fix a stuck Windows update issue.

• Press the Windows key + I on the keyboard. It will open the Settings window.
• Now, Go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot and click on additional troubleshooter
• Find Windows Update click on it and then click on Run the troubleshooter.
• Then, Follow onscreen instructions and finish the process.

• Wait a few minutes and let Windows update the troubleshooter Diagnose and fix the problems if there are any.

After that, Restart Windows and now check for updates from settings -> update & security -> Windows update and check for updates.

Manually install Windows updates

Also, you can resolve the problem manually by installing the latest Windows 10 updates.

• Visit the Windows 10 update history webpage where you can notice the logs of all the previous Windows updates that have been released.
• For the most recently released update, note down the KB number.
• Now use the Windows Update Catalog Website to search for the update specified by the KB number you noted down. Download the update depending on if your machine is 32-bit = x86 or 64-bit = x64.
• Or You can get the offline download link for these updates from here.
• Open the downloaded file in order to install the update.

That’s all after installing the updates simply restart the computer to apply the changes.

Run DISM and SFC command

In addition, running DISM and SFC command help repair or replace corrupt files with correct ones. It’s very helpful especially if file corruption prevents downloading and apply Windows updates on your system.

• Open command prompt as administrator,
• First, run the DISM command DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
• Next, run the command sfc /scannow both commands scan the Windows system for corruption and try to repair or replace them with the correct ones.
• Once both of the commands are executed we recommend reboot your PC and try to install Windows updates again.

Also If you are getting Windows updates stuck while the upgrade process simply use the official media creation tool to upgrade to Windows 10 version 22H2 without any error or problem.

Let us know if these solutions help to fix Windows update problems.