How to Delete Downloaded Windows Update Files in Windows 10. If you are running into issues with Updates, you can try to delete downloaded Windows Update files.

Here is how to delete the downloaded Windows Update files that Windows 10 doesn’t delete itself.

Windows 10 checks for updates automatically unless you disable this feature manually. The operating system comes with the Windows Update service, which automatically downloads and installs the updates from Microsoft.

There are certain reasons for having corrupted Windows Update files. It can be an improper shutdown, OS crash, power failure, or something gone wrong with your Registry.

The OS may fail to check for updates, or fail to install them. Sometimes, the Windows Update page in Settings cannot be opened.

To fix most of the Windows Update issues in Windows 10, usually it is enough to run the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter. When you run into issues though with updates, you may spend hours or even days figuring out what is going wrong.

The SoftwareDistribution folder contains files related to updates obtained via Windows Update, it is present on all versions of Windows. It could have a couple of hundreds megabytes of size.

Restart Windows 10 and check for updates. See if this fixed your issues.

You are done. Now restart the PC and check for available updates.

Next, the cd command switches the current folder to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution. The del command erases the contents of the Download folder and its subfolders.

To save your time, you can download this ready-to-use batch file. Download the file.

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If your computers C: drive is running low on free disk space and you don’t feel that you have anything you can delete on your local drive, this tip might help you. If your computer is running low on free disk space on the local C: drive, but you have a D: drive with plenty of free disk space this tricks might be a good solution for you.

Now you might experience that your get warnings that your are running low on disk space and maybe you are not able to install new updates to your Windows 10 installation. When you computer run low on free diskspace is begins to run slow.

Even that your D: drive is not very fast it does not matter much. Windows download often happens in the background while you are doing other stuff, so it doesn’t matter much how long it takes to download these updates.

D:\WindowsUpdate\ This will be the new location for files downloaded by the Windows Update Service. Now you will have to stop the Windows Update service in order to change the location.

In order to be able to stop the service you will have to be an administrator on your computer.

Next step is to rename the current Windows Update download folder. The default location is: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\ you can rename the folder to e.g.

The name is not that important, because we will delete the folder in step 7.

A symbolic link is a kind of redirection of a folder location. To make the symbolic link we will need to start a command prompt as administrator.

From the command prompt we will type: Where D:\WindowsUpdate is the new location where we want to download files from Windows Update in the future.

Now it is time to start the Windows Update service again. Just liked when we stopped the service: Start the services console with an administrator account and start the services as show below:

If the service started successfully in the step above it is time to test that Windows Update is working correct after we moved the download location. Go to Settings -> Update & Security and click on “Check for updates”.

No that we know that the operation was successful. We can go ahead and delete the old folder on the C: drive that we in my example, renamed to: C:\Windows\Old_SoftwareDistribution.

How much free disk space on your C: drive this tips will release is hard to say. The size of the Windows Download folders will be variable depending on how many updates is pending for download.

This example on how to release disk space from the system drive on your computer, is just one out of many things you can do. If you are using cloud services, like OneDrive, Dropbox or Google Drive you might also want to change the default storage location away from your C: Drive.

There can be many GB to spare on your local system drive by moving these files to another drive.

Hi Brink, You recall in Windows 7 where in the Windows Event logs how it would show “Scheduled Windows Update” and give the timestamp on the scheduled update as to when it will attempt to install. I cannot find this entry in my event logs.

I see “found update” and “downloaded” but not “scheduled”. We have a WSUS Server and setup our Configure Updates to number 4 “autodownload and schedule update”.

What am I missing. I looked at the logs from this thread.

Hi Brink, You recall in Windows 7 where in the Windows Event logs how it would show “Scheduled Windows Update” and give the timestamp on the scheduled update as to when it will attempt to install. I cannot find this entry in my event logs.

I see “found update” and “downloaded” but not “scheduled”. We have a WSUS Server and setup our Configure Updates to number 4 “autodownload and schedule update”.

What am I missing. I looked at the logs from this thread.

When Windows installs a new version, it leaves behind temporary files. These leftover files take space and can affect the installation of Windows Updates.

The operation is also an effective troubleshooting fix for Windows Update installation issues. This tutorial covers different methods to delete old Windows Update files on Windows 11 and Windows 10 computers.

Personal files aren’t deleted, either. It’s a safe process.

A good rule of thumb is to delete Windows Update files only when: There are multiple ways to remove Windows Updates files on Windows computers.

Likewise, you can also manually locate and delete temporary Windows Updates files. We highlight four ways to get rid of Window Update files below.

Windows 11 and Windows 10 computers have a “Windows Update Cleanup” tool in the Settings menu. Follow the steps below to use the tool to delete old Windows Update files.

The files allow your computer to exchange Windows Updates information with devices on your local network. Although Windows automatically deletes Delivery Optimization files after a short period, manually removing them from your computer is safe.

Note: For Windows 10, go to Settings > System > Storage > This PC > Temporary files > Previous version of Windows, and select Remove files. Disk Cleanup is a built-in app for freeing disk space on Windows devices.

You can use Disk Cleanup to delete temporary app files, empty your PC’s Recycle Bin, redundant internet files, etc. Follow the steps below to use the Disk Cleanup app:

If you don’t see the “Windows Update Cleanup” option, you didn’t open Disk Cleanup with administrative privileges. Tap the Clean up system files button to unlock all Disk Cleanup features.

First, you need to stop the Windows Update service—the background service that detects, downloads, and installs updates for Windows and other programs. That’ll open the SoftwareDistribution folder—where Windows stores temporary installation files needed to update your computer’s operating system.

You can move the files to an external storage device if you don’t want to delete them. The final step is restarting the Windows Update service.

The Windows Update temporary files are often large. If your PC is low on storage space, empty the folder after every Windows Update installation.

This command instructs Windows to stop the Windows Update service. Proceed to the next step when Command Prompt displays a “The WIndows Updater service was stopped successfully” message.

The process might take a couple of minutes, depending on the size of the Windows Update files. Proceed to the next section when you get a success message.

The four methods listed above will remove all downloaded Windows Update files on your PC. We recommend that you reboot your computer after deleting the files.

On Windows 10, installing cumulative updates can sometimes cause problems, such as failure to install due to file corruption, compatibility, or unknown bugs. Whatever the reason, if you have problems installing an update or users report issues with a particular rollout, you can delete pending updates to download the package again or skip the update entirely.

This guide will teach you the steps to delete the files for pending updates on Windows 10. To delete Windows 10 updates pending installation, use these steps:

Type the following path in the address bar and press Enter: Select all the folders and files (“Ctrl + A” or click the “Select all” option in the “Home” tab) inside the “Download” folder.

Click the Delete button from the “Home” tab. Once you complete the steps, the Windows 10 update installation files will be deleted from the computer.

Although we focus on cumulative updates, these steps should also work to remove pending feature updates.

On Windows 10, you can use “update history” to see a list of updates installed on the device when you want to check if a new update was installed successfully or failed to apply. The Windows 10 update history can also come in handy when you know more about a recently installed quality update.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to view the update history of Windows 10 using the Settings app, Command Prompt, and PowerShell. To view the Windows 10 update history, use these steps:

Click on Update & Security. Click on Windows Update.

Check the recent history of updates installed on your computer, including quality updates, drivers, definition updates (Microsoft Defender Antivirus), and optional updates.

If an update fails to install, you will notice an error code message, which you can use to research online to determine the reason and the steps to fix the problem. If you click the link for each update, it will open on the Microsoft support website, which will offer more insights about the changes, improvements, and known issues (if any) about that particular update.

To view the history list of Windows 10 updates using Command Prompt:. Open Start.

Type the following command to view the update history and press Enter: If you want to find a specific update, you can use the KB number, typing the following command and pressing Enter:

After you complete the steps, you will get a list with links to the Microsoft support website to know the contents of the updates. You’ll also see the installation date, description, hotfixid (KB number), and more.

Remember to change “5015807” with the KB number for the update you want to uninstall. Alternatively, you can use the Microsoft PSWindowsUpdate module to manage updates through PowerShell.

Open Start. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

Type A to accept and install the module and press Enter. Type the following command to view a list of the 20 most recent updates and press Enter:

Once you complete the steps, the device may need to restart to complete the process. You can always change 20 for the number of updates you want to see in the command.

Windows Update is an excellent way to bring security improvements and new features to your PC. However, after installing the latest Windows version, many temporary files will be left behind.

To bring out the best performance of your computer, some users have raised questions: Is it safe to delete Windows update files.

Moreover, how do I clean up Windows 10 update files.

The only drawback is that you may fail to restore your previous versions of Windows.

Please get four feasible fixes below. Windows Settings is a part of Microsoft Windows.

Please refer to the following steps to delete Windows Update files using it. Step 1.

Then click Update & Security > Windows Update > View update history.

Click the “Uninstall updates” button.

Right-click on your unwanted Windows update version and click the “Uninstall” button.

To free up the limited storage space, it’s time for you to delete Windows 10 update files after finding temporary files. Step 1.

Then click the “System” button.

Under the Storage tab, click the “Temporary files” button and open it.

Select “Windows Update Cleanup” and “Delivery Optimization Files” in the Temporary Files folder. Then click “Remove files” > “Continue” to delete Windows Update files.

Let’s show how it works. Step 1.

Then click This PC > the local C drive.

Right-click on your C drive and select the “Properties” option. Then click the “Disk Cleanup” button.

Step 3. Tick “Delivery Optimization Files” and click the “OK” button.

Step 4. After scanning, under File to delete, tick “Windows Update Cleanup” > OK.

Windows OS will automatically save all the downloaded Windows Updates files in the SoftwareDistribution folder. Thus, you can delete Windows 10/11 update files from this folder.

Go to This PC > C drive > Windows > SoftwareDistribution > Download.

If you’re familiar with CMD, you can type net stop wuauserv in the command prompt windows and press Enter to begin the process. 🌟Tip：.

But it is not easy to operate if you are not familiar with computer knowledge. Varied error codes are components of Windows Update issues.

Apart from that, there’s a typical Windows Update issue, files missing after Windows 10 update. If there’re no hidden files, your missing files are probably in a deletion state.

Download MyRecover on your Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, or Windows Server computers to restore your deleted temp files.

Run MyRecover on your PC, and select the partition that includes your desired files. Then click the “Start Scan” button.

Step 2. Quickly locate your needed files by Name, Date, Type, Size, or Path.

You can locate files with Filter and it’s faster. Here are 3 options in the following:

Step 3. Go to the Deleted Files/Other Missing Files folder, and click “Recover x files” to get your selected files back.

Please save recoverable files in a new location to avoid data overwriting.

Please get an overview of Windows Update files first and get four feasible methods to delete Windows Update files. For the deleted files, there’s no better way than using a third-party tool to get them back because tools could exempt you from necessary backups and do their best to recover files.

Not to mention using any backup tools. If you want to prevent data loss at the source, please utilize free backup software for Windows to back up files, folders, partitions, disks, or the system regularly.

Microsoft regularly releases updates to address specific issues with Windows, provide protection against malicious attacks, and even add new features to the operating system. The latest Windows 10 version is version 22H2.

In general, Windows 10 automatically downloads and installs updates to make sure your device is secure and up to date. Auto update is typically a good thing.

To avoid possible issues, there are users who would like to stay with their current stable operating system. They refuse to update Windows 10 even just because they are used to everything they are using now.

● What is the Windows Registry. ● Important: backup before disabling Windows Update via Regedit ● 2 solutions to disable Windows 10 update via Registry 👉 Solution 1: Turn off automatic updates with Registry 👉 Solution 2: Configure automatic updates using Registry ● 2 extra solutions to disable Windows Update on Windows 10 👉 Solution 1: Disable Windows Update by Windows Settings 👉 Solution 2: Disable Windows 10 Update service.

Windows Registry refers to a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options for both the operating system and installed software. It serves as a central repository for system configuration data, user preferences, and application settings.

The main hives include: Registry is an effective Windows 10 update disable tool.

Therefore, it’s important to backup the system before major operations, such as disabling Windows 10 update via Registry. Also, as mentioned before, many users encounter problems after Windows 10 update.

In order to protect your system and data, it is strongly recommended that you perform a system backup or important file backup before the update.

✦ It enables you to do System/Disk/Partition/File Backup as per your need. ✦ You can save backup images to various backup storage devices, such as USB flash drive, external hard drive, and NAS device.

Download this freeware and follow the intuitive wizard to backup your system immediately.

There are two solutions you can choose from. ✎ Note: Although the Registry Editor is present in Windows 10 Home edition, following solutions are not applicable to Home edition.

Follow the instructions below: 1.

Type regedit and press Enter or click “OK” to open the Registry Editor. 2.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows. 3.

Name the new key WindowsUpdate (no space between Windows and Update).

Right click the WindowsUpdate key, select New and then Key. Set the new key’s name as AU.

Click on the AU key, and right click on the empty space at the right-hand pane. Select New, and click on DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Double click on NoAutoUpdate and set its value data as 1. Click “OK” to apply the change.

✍ Tips: You can set two numbers here: 0 – to enable automatic updates, 1 – to turn off automatic updates. 7.

If you don’t want to completely turn off automatic updates but want to control how the updates are installed, then learn how to stop Windows 10 auto update using below directions: 1.

Click on the AU key, and right click on the empty space at the right-hand pane. Select New, and click on DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Double click on AUOptions and set its value data as 2. Click “OK” to apply the change.

✍ Tips: You can set four numbers here: 2 – notify before downloading and installing updates, 3 – auto download updates and notify for install, 4 – auto download updates and schedule the install, 5 – allow local admin to choose setting. 4.

Besides Registry, there are other Windows built-in tools that can help you disable Windows Update: Windows Settings and Windows Update service. Read on to get details.

Use Windows + I to open Windows Settings, and click the Update & Security option. 2.

Find the Pause updates section, and click the option to select a date. In the expanded menu, the duration of the pause update can be up to 35 days.

Use Windows + R to open the Run window, enter services.msc and press Enter. 2.

On the General tab, change the Startup type to Disabled and click the OK button.

Besides Registry, you can also disable Windows Update from Windows Settings and Windows Update service. To get prepared for possible errors, you should backup system via AOMEI Backupper before editing Registry.

If you are looking for portable backup software that can help you create backups on any computer, pick AOMEI Backupper Technician or Technician Plus edition. Get this tool right now to discover more.

Microsoft releases new security updates for its products at least once a month. In most cases, the Windows Update service does an excellent job of downloading and installing Windows updates automatically.

For example, on computers with the wususerv service disabled, on disconnected environments (if you are not using a WSUS server where you can manually test and approve Windows updates), on a local network with a metered connection, etc.

You can check the date of the recent updates installed on your computer using the following PowerShell command: gwmi win32_quickfixengineering |sort installedon -desc.

This screenshot shows that the last security update was installed on this computer on February 9, 2022. Get-WUHistory|Where-Object {$_.Title -like “KB*”} |Sort-Object date -desc.

Next, you need to find out the version and build number of your Windows. Use the following PowerShell command:

In my case, I need to download the latest security updates for Windows 10 20H2 x64. You can manually download the recent updates for Microsoft products from the Microsoft Update Catalog — You can find any update for all supported Windows versions (the direct import of updates via WSUS console is also supported).

If you don’t know the number of KB you need to install, it’s pretty hard to find and download the right MSU update package. Let’s take a look at how to make a correct query to find updates for your Windows version in the Microsoft Update Catalog.

In our case, to search for March 2022 security updates for Windows 10 20H2 x64, copy the following search query and paste it into the search field in the right upper corner: windows 10 20h2 x64 3/%/2022.

Microsoft Update Catalog has returned a list of 3 updates. How can you decide which of these updates you need to download and install.

Since Microsoft uses cumulative updates, you just need to download and install the latest Cumulative Security Update for your OS version. There is only one large (over 600MB) cumulative update available for my Windows 10 build:

In the next window with update info, go to the Package Details tab. This tab shows which updates this update replaces (This update replaces the following updates) and which update it replaces in turn (This update has been replaced by the following updates).

As you can see, it has no replacement: This update has been replaced by the following updates: n/a. It means that it is the most recent cumulative security update for your version of Windows 10.

Download the file and save it on your local drive.

The first entry refers to a knowledge base article (KB) with the latest cumulative update for the selected Windows version. In our example, this is March 8, 2022—KB5011487 (OS Builds 19042.1586, 19043.1586, and 19044.1586.

Then download the latest available Windows 10 Servicing Stack Update (SSU). This update can also be found in the Windows Update Catalog using the key phrase: servicing stack windows 10 20h2.

Be sure to install the Servicing Stack Update before installing the cumulative Windows security update. To manually download MSU update files from the Microsoft Update Catalog, you can use the Save-KBFile cmdlet from the KBUpdate module (KB Viewer, Saver, Installer and Uninstaller) Install the module from the PowerShell Gallery:

To download specific update files, run the following PowerShell command: Save-KBFile -Name KB5011487, 5005260 -Architecture x64 -Path C:\Distr\Updates.

To do it, double-click the MSU file and follow the prompts of the Windows Update Standalone Installer.

After the installation of the update package is complete, restart your computer (if you experience any problems with the OS or apps, you can uninstall the update according to the guide). You can also install Windows update from the command prompt in the quiet mode using the built-in wusa.exe tool (Windows Update Standalone Installer).

wusa C:\updates\windows10.0-kb5011487-x64_8bc93fe5c681ddf741120602899a730c65c155d6 /quiet /norestart. start /wait DISM.exe /Online /Add-Package /PackagePath: c:\updates\KB5011487\Windows10.0-KB5011487-x64.cab /Quiet /NoRestart.

If you have built-in Windows Defender Antivirus enabled on your Windows device, you can manually update its signatures. An update with the new signature set can be downloaded from the Microsoft Update Catalog, or (easier) from this page Download the offline installation file for your version of Window.

Run and install the file fpam-fe.exe to update the antivirus definitions. You can also manually update your Windows 10 build (Feature Update).

To do this, go to and click the Update Now button.

This update requires an Internet connection. To perform an offline upgrade of a Windows 10 build, create an installation ISO image with a new Windows 10 build using the Media Citation Tool (which allows you to create an ISO image or bootable Windows 10 USB flash drive).

Follow the steps of the Windows Update Wizard. This is described in more detail in the article about upgrading a Windows 10 build from the command prompt.

First, keep in mind that it is very important to keep your system up-to-date. However, if you want to disable or stop automatic Windows Updates, you can use this smart utility.

With this simple tool you can permanently disable Windows Updates and re-enable Windows Updates when you want.

With this program you can enable again Windows Updates when you want.

Click on ”Check for Windows Updates” to open the Windows Update App.

While Windows Updates are disabled our tool can keep Windows Defender up-to-date.

The program is digitally signed supporting SHA-256 code signing certificate.