Windows Update not working: doesn't search for or install updates

Symptom

In Settings → Windows Update, the search hangs at “Checking for updates…”, updates are not found, not downloaded or not installed. Microsoft Store app updates also often stall at the same time.

Typical causes

• Update services are disabled: most often they were disabled by an “optimizer” or by the user manually following a “disable the unnecessary” guide.
• Update policies or an update pause are set that cannot be lifted through the interface. How BoosterX manages updates and what the risk of fully disabling them is — in the article “Windows Update”; for a managed option there is “Pause Windows Updates”.
• Windows Update components or cache are corrupted after a failed update installation or a deep system cleanup.

Fix in BoosterX

Open BoosterX → “Fixes” (in the left menu) → in the search, enter the name of the card — Full recovery of “Windows Updates” → “Fix” → restart Windows. The fix restores the update services, lifts the configured update policies and pauses, and recreates the cache.

BoosterX can be downloaded from the official website boosterx.org.

How to verify

Win+I → Windows Update → “Check for updates”: the search should finish in a reasonable time — with an empty list or a list of available updates, without hanging or errors.

Manual alternative without BoosterX

1. Run the built-in troubleshooter: Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters → Windows Update → “Run” (on Windows 10: Settings → Update & Security → Troubleshoot).
2. Open services.msc, find the services wuauserv, BITS, dosvc and UsoSvc, set the startup type to “Automatic” and start them.

If it did not help

Update installation errors are usually visible in the event log: collect it via EventX and contact support.

Last checked: 2026-09-20. Full catalog of fixes.