Applies to Windows 8, Windows RT

How to solve connection problems with Windows Update

To keep your PC up to date, Windows Update needs to connect to the Internet. When there's a problem with this connection, you'll see an error saying that updates can't be downloaded. Here are some things you can do to try to solve this problem.

Check your Internet connection

Before you try anything else, you should make sure that your PC is connected to the Internet. You can use a troubleshooter that will automatically fix some common problems with going online.

Open the Network troubleshooter by swiping in from the right edge of the screen, tapping Search (or if you're using a mouse, pointing to the upper-right corner of the screen, moving the mouse pointer down, and then clicking Search), entering network troubleshooter in the search box, tapping or clicking Settings, and then tapping or clicking Identify and repair network problems.

To learn more about going online, see Connecting to the Internet.

Wait a few minutes and try again

Many connection errors are caused by temporary issues on the Internet. Wait a few minutes and then try running Windows Update again. You can also wait and let Windows Update just run on schedule if you've turned on automatic updating. For more info about automatic updating, see Windows automatic updating: Frequently asked questions.

Open Windows Update in Control Panel by swiping in from the right edge of the screen, tapping Search (or, if you're using a mouse, pointing to the upper-right corner of the screen, moving the mouse pointer down, and then clicking Search), entering Windows Update in the search box, tapping or clicking Settings, and then tapping or clicking Install optional updates.

Run a troubleshooter

If you're still having trouble, you can run another troubleshooter that will automatically fix some common problems with Windows Update.

Open the Windows Update troubleshooter by swiping in from the right edge of the screen, tapping Search (or if you're using a mouse, pointing to the upper-right corner of the screen, moving the mouse pointer down, and then clicking Search), entering Troubleshooting in the search box, tapping or clicking Settings, and then tapping or clicking Troubleshooting. Under System and Security, tap or click Fix problems with Windows Update.