How to remove pending install updates in Windows 10

You may notice Windows update Download the cumulative updates from the Microsoft server, But due to some reason (file corruption, compatibility, or unknown bugs.), the installation process gets stuck or fails to install. Even windows notify you there are some Windows updates pending for installation but it every time fails when you try to install them. Not only do these pending update files prevent new windows updates to install on your system but also take a huge amount of disk space. Where users report

Table of Contents Show

Where are the pending updates located?
Is it safe to delete pending updates?
Delete pending windows update files
Post navigation
How do I delete Windows 10 update that won't install?
How do I fix Windows Update stuck on pending Download?
Why are my Windows 10 updates pending install?
How do you remove pending install updates in Windows 11?

My C Drive Running out of space and when I check, the bulk is in the Temporary Files under Pending updates and preview builds which is 6.6gb. I’ve tried deleting unnecessary files using disk cleanup but it’s still the same. How can I reclaim this storage space?

Here this post we go through, How to Delete Pending updates on Windows 10 to fix Different Windows update installation-related errors include Free up Disk space.

Where are the pending updates located?

Basically, these Windows update files are located under C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download

Is it safe to delete pending updates?

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Yes, it’s completely safe to delete pending Windows updates. If after download cumulative updates the update installation Stuck, failed to install with different errors we recommend once run the Update troubleshooter, that automatically check and fix the problem prevent these updates install properly.

To run the Windows Update troubleshooter:

Open Settings, using keyboard shortcut Windows + I
Update & security
Troubleshoot
Click on Windows update
And Run the Troubleshooter.

After complete, the troubleshooting process, restart Windows and check for updates. Check this time updates are installed successfully, there are no more pending updates. If still there is a problem and updates are pending for update let’s manually remove them.

Delete pending windows update files

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To delete unfinished, pending Windows update files, First, we need to stop the Windows update service and its related services then from SoftwareDistribution folder we can found downloaded windows update files and delete them permanently. Let’s see how to do

First, open windows services using services.msc from windows search.
Scroll down and look for a service named Windows update,
Right-click on it and select Stop
Do the same (stop service) with BITS and Superfetch service.
Minimize the services window and navigate the following path

C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download

Inside the download, folder Select everything (Ctrl + A) and hit the Delete button.

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That’s all, either manually restarts the services, that you previously stopped.
Or restart Windows so that these services automatically start.
Now open Windows update from settings -> update & security -> windows update -> Check for updates. Let us know this time windows successfully install the cumulative updates.

Note: If you are looking to skip a particular windows update (such as kbxxxx etc), cause you can use the Show or hide updates tool to block particular windows update being installed on your system.

Did you have successfully deleted pending windows updates? let us know in the comments below, also read How To Fix Windows 10 upgrade assistant stuck at 99%.

Windows 10 is set to check for updates automatically unless you disable this feature manually. Sometimes you may have issues with installing updates, e.g. when some update gets stuck and prevents the OS from finishing the update process. In this case, you may want to delete pending updates.

When a new update becomes available, it may give issues due to unknown bugs, driver issues, or internal changes in the OS. It is not possible to test all existing device configurations, so these are reasons for plenty of users to cancel the pending update.

Windows 10 comes with a special service called "Windows Update" which periodically downloads update packages from Microsoft's servers and installs those updates except for metered connections. If it is not disabled in Windows 10, the user can manually check for updates at any moment.

Before proceeding, ensure that your user account has administrative privileges. Now, follow the instructions below.

To delete pending updates in Windows 10, do the following.

Open an elevated command prompt.
Type or copy-paste the following command:
```
net stop wuauserv
```
This command will stop the Windows Update service. See How To Start, Stop or Restart a Service in Windows 10.
Type or copy-paste the next command:
```
rd /s /q "%systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution\Download
```
This will remove all the downloaded updates.
Now, start the Windows Update service again:
```
net start wuauserv
```

You are done.

You can use the same method to clear the Windows Update history. See the article

Clear Windows Update History in Windows 10

Note: If you can prevent an update that gives you issues from being installed by hiding it. Use the "Show or hide updates" troubleshooter provided by Microsoft. It can be downloaded from here:

Download "Show or hide updates" troubleshooter

Opening wushowhide.diagcab will launch the troubleshooter. Then click Next to proceed and follow the instructions provided by the troubleshooter to hide the problematic driver or update.

How To Delay Windows 10 October 2018 Update Version 1809
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See Applied Windows Update Group Policies in Windows 10
Limit Windows Update Bandwidth in Windows 10

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How do I delete Windows 10 update that won't install?

1. Open File Explorer. 2. Go to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download, and delete all contents..

In Disk cleanup, select Clean up system files..

Select the file types to get rid of. To get a description of the file type, select it..

Select OK..

How do I fix Windows Update stuck on pending Download?

Click on the Advanced options button. Toggle the switch under the Download updates over metered connections option. This should turn it On or Off, depending on what you had it set to previously. Restart your computer and try to install Windows 10 updates again.

Why are my Windows 10 updates pending install?

If your updates are stuck on "Pending Download" or "Pending Install" Go to "Windows Update Settings" Go to "Advanced", there is a slider there "Allow updates to download over metered connections." If you slide this to "On." than the updates will begin to download and install properly.

How do you remove pending install updates in Windows 11?

To delete Windows 11 pending updates, use these steps: Open File Explorer on Windows 11. Select all the folders and files (Ctrl + A or choose the “Select all” option from the “See more” menu) inside the “Download” folder. Click the Delete button to delete pending updates on Windows 11.