Microsoft has recently released Windows 11 KB5026446 Cumulative Update with various bug fixes and system performance enhancements. It’s a mandatory update download and installs automatically on devices running Windows 11 and connected to Microsoft server via the internet. Only you need to reboot your computer to apply the changes, But a few users report, the Windows 11 KB5026446 update stuck download. Or sometimes you may notice Windows 11 KB5026446 update fails to install with different errors. It could be slow internet, security software, or a corrupted update database that causes this issue. If the Windows 11 update failed to install or is stuck downloading apply the solutions listed below.
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Windows 11 update failed to install
Before moving forward, check and make sure you have a stable Internet connection to download Windows 11 KB5026446 update files from the Microsoft server. Again disconnect VPN if configured on your device and uninstall any third-party antivirus software.
Restart your computer and check for updates again, refresh the operating system and clear temporary glitches that may prevent Windows updates download and apply on your computer.
Check your device has enough free disk space to download and install or apply the updates. Or move some files to an external device and run the disk cleanup tool.
Run Update Troubleshooter
Whenever you face Windows update installation problems the first thing you must Run the built-in Windows Update Troubleshooter. Run this tool to scan for problems that prevent Windows update to install, and Check Windows update and its related services if found anything wrong there the tool automatically try to resolve them.
- Firstly, go to the Start menu and click on the Settings menu from the list.
- Then select the System from the left pane and click on the Troubleshooter from the right-side menu.
- Click on other troubleshooters, This will display all available troubleshooters list, select Windows update then click on run.
- Windows Update troubleshooter can automatically detect and fix the problems if found any.
- Once done, restart your PC and check for updates again.
Run SFC Scan
Another effective solution to tackle the Windows Update not installing issue is running the SFC (System File Checker) tool to detect and repair corrupted system files. To do so,
- Firstly press the Windows key + S, type cmd in your search box, and open the Command Prompt screen as Administrator from the search result.
- Then on the black screen, type the command sfc /scannow and then press Enter key,
- This will scan the system for corrupted missing system files, if found the utility automatically replaces them with the correct ones.
Let the scanning process complete 100%, Once you executed the command, type the following command and press Enter to restore damaged files,
- DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
- DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
- DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Finally, restart the system and try to install the pending update.
Reset Windows Update components
Usually, windows update install problems occur when the Windows update agent-related services stop working, Windows 11 has an issue with the update cache, or some components get corrupted. In such situations reset Windows update components and clear the update cache to help fix Windows 11 update problems.
- Press Windows key + S type cmd, right-click on the command prompt select run as administrator
- Now type the following commands to stop Windows update and its related services Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) and
Cryptographic service
net stop bits
net stop wuauserv
net stop appidsvc
net stop cryptsvc
- Next Press the Windows key + E to open file explorer then navigate C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download
- Delete all files and folders inside the download folder to do so, press the Windows key + A to select all then hit the Del key.
- Now again open the command prompt and restart windows update and its related services using the following commands
net start bits
net start wuauserv
net start appidsvc
net start cryptsvc
Finally, close the command prompt and restart your computer and check for updates again.
Download and install the latest update manually
If you’re still failing to update Windows 11, let’s download and install the latest update manually. To do so,
- Navigate to the Microsoft Update Catalog, and search for the KB number of the security update that’s failing to install.
- For example KB5026446 (Till today this is the latest update for Windows 11)
- Save the update file to your computer, and run it after it finishes downloading.
- Finally, restart your computer to apply the update now run winver command. And check the build number should be Windows 11 version 22H2 build 22621.1702.
Switch Google DNS
In addition, a few users report changing the DNS address or switching to Google DNS to help them fix Windows 11 updates not downloading or failing to install issues. To do so,
- Press Windows key + R, type ncpa.cpl and click ok, to open the network connection window,
- Locate and right-click on your active network adapter, select properties,
- Select Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4) then click on properties,
- Select the radio button Use the following DNS server addresses and set preferred DNS server 8.8.8.8, Alternate DNS server 8.8.4.4
- Finally, click ok then apply to save the changes and restart your PC.
- Now check for updates again.
Did the above solutions help fix Windows 11 update failed to install or the Stuck download problem? Let us know in the comments below.
Also read:
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- Solved: NVIDIA Installer Failed issue on Windows 10 version 22H2
- Solved: WiFi Keeps Disconnecting after Windows 10 22H2 update
