As we all know Windows 10 is one of the best Windows releases, like any other Windows version, Windows 10 is not left alone from bugs and errors. One such common issue is what we are going to discuss in today’s article is “Windows 10 Check for Updates not Working”. This issue forced several users to roll back to the previous version or stop trying to update their Windows 10.
There might be several reasons behind the same issue, as like several reasons there are more solutions as well to erase this issue from your system. However, it is not possible to stop Windows 10 from downloading updates, so in this article we have compiled some reliable solutions to get rid of this issue. Have a look:
Table of Contents
Fix 1: Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter:
Before moving to any other solution, first you can try running the troubleshooter. Several affected users reported that running the update troubleshooter, they can update their Windows without any issues. To do so, you can follow these below steps,
- First of all, in the taskbar search box, type troubleshoot and from the search result select Troubleshoot settings.
- Then select the option Additional troubleshooters tab.
- Now in the newly opened window, select Windows Update and then click on the Run the Troubleshooter option.
Once done the process, check for the issue, if the issue is not solved move to the next fix.
Fix 2: Install a Fresh Windows Version:
As per some users, reinstalling Windows freshly using Microsoft Windows 10 Install Drive helped them to solve the “Windows 10 Check for Updates not Working” issue within no time. Hence, we recommend you to do the same here.
Note: Before installing a fresh version create a backup of your personal data to an external drive because re-installation might erase all of your data. Along with this, keep the product ID in a safer place to use it in future. If you are not interested in the manual installation process, then there are some best online backup software available to install the latest Windows version.
Fix 3: System Restore
If the above fix did not work for you, then try the System Restore procedure. This process helped several affected users and solved the “Windows 10 Check for Updates not Working” issue for them. The System Restore process take back your system to the previous state where the issue did not exist, for doing so, you can follow these below steps,
- Firstly, in the desktop search bar, type Settings, and the setting window will open for you.
- In the Settings window click on Update and Security option.
- Then in the newly opened window click on the View update history tab and go to the last successful update installed on your system.
- Here you can see a list of updates. Then at the top of the window click on Uninstall updates tab.
- Now a new window will pop up on the screen that shows new updates installed in your system.
- You can uninstall any of the updates from the list, but keep in mind that any critical update uninstalled may lead to bugs and errors.
- After the procedure your system works fine.
Fix 4: Change the DNS:
As per some suffered users, Windows Update not working issue occurs due to problems with the DNS. In this scenario, changing the DNS will help to resolve the “Windows 10 Check for Updates not Working” issue easily. To do so, you can follow these below steps,
- Firstly, right-click on the Network icon in the bottom right corner of your desktop. Then select the option Open Network and Sharing Center.
- Then in the next window select the option Change adapter settings.
- Now find your network connection and right-click on it and choose the option Properties from the drop-down menu.
- In the properties window select Internet Protocol Version 4(TCP/IPv4) and click on its Properties.
- Then go to the Use the following DNS server addresses option and change the Preferred DNS server as 8.8.8.8 and change the Alternate DNS server as 8.8.4.4
- if the process is completed the said issue will be solved and Windows Update will start working again smoothly.
Fix 5: Delete all files from the Software Distribution directory:
Using two methods you can delete all the files from the software Distribution directory. Here we give the two methods in detail. You can follow any of the methods as per your convenience.
Method 1: Using the Windows service:
- Firstly, press windows key + R altogether to open the RUN prompt. In the RUN prompt type services.msc and press Enter.
- In the services window find the option Background Intelligent Transfer Service and right-click on it, then from the drop-down menu select Stop option.
- You can Follow the same above step for the Windows Update service as well.
- Once you disabled these services, move to the C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution folder. Then select all the files in the SoftwareDistribution directory and click on Delete.
- Finally, again go to the Services window and Start the services that stopped earlier, that is Windows Update service and Background Intelligent Transfer Service.
- Once you are done, trying again to update the Windows, the issue might be resolved now.
Method 2: Using the Command prompt:
- In the Desktop search bar type cmd and click on OK. It will launch the command prompt window. Make sure you open the command prompt with Administrator access.
- In the command prompt window type the following commands and run them one by one,
net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver
ren C:WindowsSoftwareDistributionSoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:WindowsSystem32catroot2catroot2.old
net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver
pause
Exit
- Once you run the commands, the issue gets solved now.
If you are the one who is suffering from the “Windows 10 Check for Updates not Working” issue, then you can follow the above mentioned solutions. The fixes are reliable and easy to follow, no need for any technical hands.
Along with all the fixes mentioned above, you can check your system is free from Malware. To make sure your system is neat and clean, scan your system with a security program. However, if you have any queries or doubts after reading this article, then please leave a comment in the below-given comment box.
