Recently, many users reported getting an error 0x80070003 while updating their Windows 10 devices. The Error 0x80070003 appears only when the Windows Update tool fails to download or install the update on your device. Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn’t tell you anything about the error. The error appears and asks you to retry the Windows update again. If you have limited internet bandwidth, this error can drain all your data and leave you clueless.
Fix Windows Update Error 0x80070003
Hence, if you cannot update your Windows 10 computer due to Error 0x80070003, you have landed on the right page. Below, we have shared some of the best ways to fix Windows Update Error 0x80070003. Let’s get started.
1. Run the Update Troubleshooter
Windows 10 provides an update troubleshooter that claims to resolve various problems and errors that prevent you from updating Windows. You can run the Update troubleshooter to find and fix the problem automatically. Here’s what you need to do. To run the Windows Update Troubleshooter, click on the Windows Search and type in Control Panel. Next, open the Control Panel and select ‘System and Security’. On the System and security, click on the ‘Fix Problems with Windows Updates’ link.
This will run the Windows Update troubleshooter. You need to check the ‘Apply repairs automatically’ and click on the ‘Run as Administrator’ link. Once done, click on the Next button.
That’s it! Now Windows Update Troubleshooter will run and will attempt to update your device. If it finds any problem with the Windows Update tool, it will be fixed automatically.
2. Temporarily Disable the Windows Defender
Many users have claimed to fix the error 0x80070003 by disabling the Windows Defender. While you can’t fully turn off Windows defender, you can disable the firewall and real-time scanning options. Here’s how to disable Windows defender.
First, click on Windows Search and type Windows Security. Next, open the Windows Security app from the list of options.
On Windows Security, click on the Virus & threat protection option.
On the Virus & Threat Protection screen, click the ‘Manage Settings‘ link.
Next, disable the following options:
Real-time Protection Cloud-delivered Protection Automatic Sample Submission Tamper Protection
That’s it! After disabling the four options, you must run the Windows Update tool again. This time you won’t get Error 0x80070003.
3. Run SFC and DISM command
SFC and DISM commands scan and fix corrupted system installation files. The error Error 0x80070003 during Windows update can appear due to system file corruption as well. Hence, you can try running these two commands to fix the problem.
First, click on Windows search and type Command Prompt. Next, right-click on the Command Prompt and select ‘Run as administrator’.
When the Command Prompt opens, paste sfc /scannow and hit the Enter button.
The above command will run the System File Checker tool. This tool will scan and repair all corrupted system files.
If the SFC command returns an error, then execute the DISM command: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
That’s it! This is how you can run SFC and DISM commands on your Windows operating system to resolve the error 0x80070003.
4. Restart the Windows Update Components
Since your Windows 10 cannot install a specific update, you can restart the update components. It’s easy to restart the Windows Update components, so follow the steps below.
First, open the Command Prompt with administrative rights.
When the Command Prompt opens, execute the commands one by one
net stop wuauserv net stop cryptSvc net stop bits net stop msiserver Ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old Ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old net start wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver
- Once done, open the Windows Update and check for the updates again. This is how you can restart the update components on your Windows computer.
5. Install Windows Updates Manually
On Windows 10 and 11, you have the freedom to download & install the Windows updates manually. You could follow this approach if all methods failed to resolve the Windows Update Error 0x80070003. You just need to know the updated version (build, version, etc.), which is failing to download & install on your device. If you know it, you need to head to the Microsoft Update Catalog website and download the update package.
Once downloaded, you can install it directly on your device and restart it. We have already shared a detailed guide on how to download & install Windows Updates manually. Make sure to check that guide to know the steps. Also read: Download & Install Intel Unison on Windows 11 PC So, these are the few best and simple methods to fix Windows Update error 0x80070003. If you need more help fixing Error 0x80070003 on Windows, let us know in the comments. Also, if the article helped you, make sure to share it with your friends as well.
