How to Manually Reinstall & Fix Windows Update

Techwalla may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.

Windows Update Agent is a program on your Windows operating system responsible for downloading and installing Windows updates directly from Microsoft's servers. If Update Agent gets damaged, a manual-install file is available from Microsoft to replace it. A few steps must be taken before it can be installed on a computer that already has an up-to-date version of Agent, as Windows will not install it if it detects the original installation.

Advertisement

Step 1

Download the Windows Update Agent install package from the Microsoft website in one of two versions, the x86 or x64 (see Resources for links). If you are running 32-bit Windows, download the x86 version; 64-bit users should download the x64 version.

Video of the Day

Step 2

Open the Start menu.

Advertisement

Step 3

Type "WindowsUpdateAgent20-ABC.exe /wuforce" in the Windows Search box, replacing "ABC" with either "x86" or "x64," depending on what version you downloaded. The "/wuforce" entry forces Windows to reinstall the Windows Update Agent regardless of the version currently installed.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Step 4

Press "Enter" to start the installation process. Once the process is finished, the Windows Automatic Update Agent will be fully repaired and restored.

Video of the Day

Advertisement

Advertisement

references & resources

Report an Issue

screenshot of the current page

Screenshot loading...