Sometimes updates will error out, or sometimes Windows Update may just get stuck “searching for updates” forever. This can happen on Windows 7, 8, 10, or 11, but it’s become especially common with Windows 7. If all else fails, download updates manually using the WSUS Offline Update tool.If that doesn’t help, you can try deleting Windows Update’s cache by booting into Safe Mode, stopping the wuauserv service, and deleting the files in C:\Windows\Software\Distribution.Try running the Windows Update Troubleshooter, which you can search for in the Start menu.Here’s how to fix Windows Update when it gets stuck or frozen.
But sometimes it breaks and stops working. It downloads updates automatically, installs the ones it can, and saves others to install when you restart Windows. For the most part, Windows Update works silently in the background.
