How to clear your update cache on Windows 10 & 11

An update that hangs at 35% and rolls itself back and a 0x8007000d error that shows up every time you retry are two moments an admin has to decide whether the problem is worth digging into or worth just clearing out. Corrupted update cache files are one of the most common culprits behind stuck installs, and fixing it doesn’t usually require a repair, clean install, or a rebuild.

The catch is knowing when clearing the cache is actually the right move, since doing it while an update is mid-install can turn a recoverable problem into a genuinely broken one.

» Here’s how to reinstall Windows 11 and use the Windows 11 creation tool

When clearing the update cache is actually necessary

Windows Update failures aren’t a reason to reach straight for the cache. Microsoft’s own troubleshooting guidance for update problems starts with running the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter, not clearing files by hand.

When the troubleshooter comes up empty and the error points specifically at corrupted or missing update files, that’s when you need to clear the update cache. These are the codes to watch for:

• 0x80246007: Missing download, or required update files are unavailable.
• 0x800705b4: Update took too long to install, or was interrupted.
• 0x8007000d: Update files are corrupted or invalid (Windows 11).
• 0x80070570: Windows can’t read or process files required to install an update.

Most of these happen because of an interrupted download, such as a connection drop, a forced shutdown, or a reboot mid-transfer leaving partial or truncated update files sitting in the cache. Underlying system volume corruption, whether from a failing drive or file system errors, can produce the same result even when the download itself completed cleanly.

» Did you know you can disable Windows updates and then manually re-enable Windows update

When to leave the cache alone

Don’t clear the cache while an update is actively staged or pending install and restart. The files sitting in SoftwareDistribution and catroot2 at that point are still being referenced by the in-progress install, and deleting them mid-process will interrupt it, leaving the system in a worse state than the one you started troubleshooting.

In effect, you’d be manually recreating the exact corruption scenario the cache clear is meant to fix. Let a pending update finish or fail on its own before you touch the cache.

» Here’s how to stop a Windows update in progress

3 Ways to clear the Windows update cache

Once the diagnosis points to a corrupted cache, the fix comes down to clearing two locations and restarting the services that lock them. Both directories and all three services are identical on Windows 10 and 11, so everything below applies to either OS without modification.

Where the cache lives:

• %systemroot%SoftwareDistribution (typically C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution ): Holds the downloaded update files themselves.
• %systemroot%System32catroot2 (typically C:WindowsSystem32catroot2 ): Holds update signature validations.

Method 1: Disk Cleanup or Storage Sense

Use this method for a single device where you want a guided cleanup without opening the command line. Both tools stop the dependent services internally, so there’s no manual prep step.

Disk Cleanup:

1. Open Disk Cleanup
2. Click Clean up system files (requires elevated privileges)
3. Check the Windows Update Cleanup category

4. Click OK, then Delete Files in the confirmation prompt

   

» Confused? See our guide to using Disk Cleanup in Windows 11

Storage Sense:

1. Press Win + I to open Settings, then go to System > Storage

2. Select Temporary Files

   

3. Check the Windows Update Cleanup category

4. Click Remove files

   

Method 2: Command Prompt or File Explorer

Use this method when Disk Cleanup doesn’t show the option, which is common once the cache has grown unusually large or when you want direct control over the process. The services need to stop first regardless of which tool you use to delete the files.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator

2. Stop the dependent services with these commands: net stop bits, net stop wuauserv, and net stop cryptsvc. Skipping this step produces an “Access is denied” or “file in use” error on the next step, no matter which deletion method you use

3. Delete the cache contents using either option:

• Command Prompt: Rename the folders rather than deleting them outright, so you can roll back if something goes wrong: ren %systemroot%softwaredistribution softwaredistribution.bak and ren %systemroot%system32catroot2 catroot2.bak. Once you’ve confirmed updates install normally again, delete the renamed folders: rmdir /s /q C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution.bak and rmdir /s /q C:WindowsSystem32catroot2.bak

• File Explorer: Navigate to C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution, select everything inside the folder (not the folder itself), and delete it

• Repeat for C:WindowsSystem32catroot2

4. Restart the services with net start bits, net start wuauserv, net start cryptsvc

» Did you know you can clear cache in Edge?

Method 3: PowerShell script

Use this method when you’re clearing the cache across more than a handful of machines and want a repeatable, one-command process instead of running the same sequence manually each time.

Here’s a script you can use:

# requires Administrator privileges
Write-Host "Stopping dependent services..." -ForegroundColor White

$services = @(
"wuauserv", # Windows Update
"bits", # Background Intelligent Transfer Service
"cryptsvc" # Cryptographic Services
)

foreach ($service in $services) {
if (Get-Service -Name $service -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
Stop-Service -Name $service -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
Start-Sleep -Seconds 5

Write-Host "Removing Windows Update cache..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
$folders = @(
"C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution",
"C:WindowsSystem32catroot2"
)

foreach ($folder in $folders) {
if (Test-Path $folder) {
try {
Remove-Item "$folder*" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction Stop
Write-Host "Cleared: $folder" -ForegroundColor Green
}
catch {
Write-Warning "Failed to clear $folder"
Write-Warning $_.Exception.Message
}
}
}

Write-Host "Restarting services..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
foreach ($service in $services) {
if (Get-Service -Name $service -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
Start-Service -Name $service -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}

Write-Host "Windows Update cache has been cleared." -ForegroundColor Green

To use this script:

1. Save the script as clearUpdateCache.ps1 in a text document somewhere where all endpoints on the network can access it

   

2. Open PowerShell (Terminal) as administrator

   

3. Navigate to the script’s location with cd C:PathToScript
4. Run it with .clearUpdateCache.ps1

If you hit an execution policy error, run Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process Bypass and confirm with Y to allow the script to run for the current session only.

Pro tip: It might seem overwhelming, but you don’t need to know anything about coding to use PowerShell. With Atera, AI Copilot can generate the script you need for you from simple natural language queries, and you can then deploy that script remotely to all endpoints on your network with the RMM platform.

Clearing the cache is a fix, not a first resort

Stuck updates are rarely a mystery once you know what to look for. The error codes point to corruption, the fix is a handful of commands, and the process is the same on Windows 10 and 11. What matters is diagnosing before you act, since clearing a cache that isn’t actually the problem just adds a step to your troubleshooting instead of skipping one.

Atera’s RMM platform gives technicians the remote access and scripting tools to run this exact fix, including the PowerShell route, across any endpoint in the fleet without a site visit, and to catch failed updates through automated patch management and deployment before they turn into a stuck-update ticket in the first place.

» Interested? Try Atera for free