Quick fix: Open Terminal (Admin) and run this sequence: net stop wuauserv; net stop bits; net stop cryptsvc; ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old; ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old; net start wuauserv; net start bits; net start cryptsvc. Resets every Windows Update component without third-party tools.

Windows Update is broken — downloads fail, services won’t restart cleanly, history shows recurring errors. You don’t want to install Microsoft’s reset .bat from a third-party site or trust some random tool. The reset can be done with five built-in commands. Run them in order from an elevated prompt, reboot, and Windows Update rebuilds its state from scratch.

Symptom: Windows Update fails repeatedly; service-side issues; downloads stuck or failing.
Affects: Windows 11 (and Windows 10) Windows Update infrastructure.
Fix time: ~10 minutes.

What causes this

Windows Update depends on three core services: Windows Update (wuauserv) — orchestrates update detection and install. BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service) — handles the actual file downloads. Cryptographic Services (cryptsvc) — verifies digital signatures on update packages. Plus two state folders: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download (downloaded but not-yet-installed packages) and C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 (signature catalog cache). When any one becomes corrupted, Windows Update fails until reset.

Method 1: Reset all Windows Update components in one command sequence

The standard built-in fix.

Open Terminal (Admin) from the Start right-click menu.

Stop the services:

net stop wuauserv
net stop bits
net stop cryptsvc
net stop msiserver

Rename the state folders (renaming is safer than deletion — you can revert if needed):
```
Rename-Item C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution.old
Rename-Item C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 C:\Windows\System32\catroot2.old
```
If you get “Cannot rename because file is in use,” one of the services didn’t fully stop — wait 30 seconds and retry.

Restart the services:

net start wuauserv
net start bits
net start cryptsvc
net start msiserver

Reboot.
Open Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates. Windows rebuilds SoftwareDistribution and catroot2 from defaults. Downloads start fresh.
After successful updates, delete the .old folders to reclaim space.

This is the entire reset. No third-party tools needed.

Method 2: Reset Winsock and TCP/IP stack as well

Use when Method 1 doesn’t fully resolve Windows Update issues — sometimes the network stack is also corrupted.

Open Terminal (Admin).

Reset Winsock and TCP/IP:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /registerdns

Reboot.
Open Windows Update and retry.

The network reset catches cases where the underlying network stack (Winsock or IP) has issues that affect BITS downloads.

Method 3: Run DISM and sfc to repair the component store

Use when Method 1 succeeds but Windows Update still fails — the component store (WinSxS) is the underlying problem.

Open Terminal (Admin).
Run DISM stages:
```
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
```
RestoreHealth downloads replacement components from Windows Update servers. Takes 10-20 minutes. Requires internet.
Run sfc:
```
sfc /scannow
```
Reboot.
Open Windows Update and retry.

This pair repairs the component store that Windows Update writes into, fixing 0x80073712 and similar component-corruption errors.

How to verify the fix worked

Open Settings → Windows Update and click Check for updates. Detection completes without errors.
Pending updates download and install correctly. Update history shows successful entries with today’s date.
Run Get-Service wuauserv, bits, cryptsvc | Format-Table Name, Status, StartType in PowerShell. All three should be running with their default startup types (Manual for wuauserv and bits, Automatic for cryptsvc).
The new C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution folder is created with fresh content; the .old renamed folder can be safely deleted.

If none of these work

If Windows Update still fails after the reset, three causes remain. Antivirus interference: third-party AV sometimes blocks Windows Update operations. Temporarily disable real-time protection in your AV, retry, then re-enable. VPN or proxy: corporate VPNs or proxies can break BITS’ adaptive downloads. Disconnect VPN, retry. Group Policy block: managed PCs may have policies that prevent updates. Run gpresult /h C:\gpresult.html from elevated Terminal and search the resulting HTML for “Windows Update” — look for policies that disable or redirect updates. Contact IT if found. For chronic Windows Update failures despite all of this, the install’s servicing stack itself may be deeply corrupted — an in-place upgrade install (mount Windows 11 ISO, run setup.exe with Keep files and apps) replaces the entire servicing stack while preserving data.

Bottom line: Windows Update reset is six built-in commands — stop services, rename two folders, start services. No third-party tools, no .bat downloads. Reboot, retry, done.