Problem:
On Windows 10/11, Windows Update may freeze at 0%, 100%, or fail repeatedly. Restarting doesn’t help, and many users consider reinstalling Windows unnecessarily.

Solution:
Reset the Windows Update components entirely in PowerShell.

Steps

1. Run PowerShell as Administrator

• Press Win + X → Windows PowerShell (Admin)

• Or search PowerShell, right-click → Run as administrator

2. Stop update-related services

3. Rename update cache folders

(Renaming is safer than deleting — Windows will recreate these folders automatically)

4. Restart services

5. Trigger a new update check

Why this works

• SoftwareDistribution and catroot2 contain cached update files.

• If they’re corrupted, updates get stuck.

• Resetting them forces Windows to download fresh update data.

Extra for sysadmins (automation)

Save this script as Reset-WindowsUpdate.ps1 and push it with Intune, SCCM, or GPO: