How to Fix Windows Updates Taking Forever to Install

Microsoft releases a lot of Windows updates to fix problems or to add new features to the Windows. Although these Windows updates are very useful in keeping the system updated it might become a headache as well. Some of these Windows updates, especially on Windows 10, might take a really long time to complete. The time it takes for an update depends on a lot of factors including the age of your machine and the speed of your internet connection. Even though it might take a couple of hours for some users, but for a lot of users, it takes more than 24 hours despite having a good internet connection and a high-end machine. Even after 24 hours, it might seem like the update is stuck around 90% or 80%. You might continue to see a loading screen for 3-4 hours without any progress even at this stage. Since the computer might start updating automatically, it will be a huge annoyance because you will have to wait so many hours just for an update.

The reason behind the long wait of the Windows update isn’t clear. As mentioned earlier, some of the users do get the update fairly quickly while others have to go through 24 hours or even longer update periods. In most of these cases, the update seems to be stuck at a certain percentage but it actually isn’t. This is the time required for the majority of these updates and there is not a lot you can do to reduce this time. Fortunately, there are some cases where the update seems stuck and restarting the machine resolves that issue. In a minority of the cases, the update might actually be stuck or frozen because of antivirus or some other program conflicting with the update.

But, whatever may be the reason, there are a couple of things that you can do to check whether the update is actually stuck or the update is simply taking a lot of time. In some cases, the update might fail to install.

Tip

Make sure you have enough space available for the update to install. If there isn’t enough space for the Windows update to install, it might get stuck at a certain percentage

Method 1: Restart the Computer

Before you follow the instructions in this method, keep in mind that this can go either way. For some people, restarting solved the Windows update stuck issue while the Windows reverted back to its original state for other users. So, if you have waited 20+ hours for the update to get to 90% and it seems stuck, reboot the system at your own risk. You might lose all the progress. You might have to reinitiate the update and go through the 20+ hour wait all over again.

But, if you are willing to take the risk or if you are sure that the update is stuck i.e. you are seeing the loading icon for 4-5 hours, then reboot. Once the system is rebooted, the installation will finish without any issues.

Method 2: Hard Reboot

If you believe the update really is stuck and you want to try something else then hard reboot is your option. Once you have performed a hard reboot, retrying the Windows Update might work for you. You might be skeptical about this method because Windows explicitly tells you not to restart the PC and wait for the Windows to update. But, if the Windows really is stuck or hung at the stage then you really have no other option than to restart the PC. However, it still is your choice and you can choose not to reboot. You can wait an hour or 2 more to confirm.

Note: Performing the steps given below will make you lose all the update progress. You will have to start the Windows update again and you will have to wait lots of hours again. So, try this if you are willing to wait or if you are sure your Windows update is stuck

Here are the steps for performing the hard reboot

1. Press and hold the power button until your PC turns off. You can do this from the Windows update screen (where the update is stuck)
2. Wait for 45 seconds
3. Disconnect the power supply If you have a laptop, take out the battery as well
4. Press and hold the power button for at least 15 seconds.
5. Wait 5 minutes
6. Put the battery back in the laptop and connect the power supply in case of a desktop computer
7. Turn on your computer

Once you log in, try to update the Windows and see if it works.

Note: Once you have done the reboot, you might see the Advanced Boot Options screen instead of the regular log in screen. There are also cases where you might see the Startup Settings screen. If you see one of these screens, simply select the Safe Mode with Networking and try to update the Windows again.

Method 3: Windows Update in Clean Boot

Note: Performing the steps given below will make you lose all the update progress. You will have to start the Windows update again and you will have to wait lots of hours again. So, try this if you are willing to wait or if you are sure your Windows update is stuck

If the problem is caused by a conflict with another application or program then starting your computer in a Clean Boot state will solve the issue. Even if it doesn’t solve the issue, it most certainly will rule out the possibility of a third party application conflicting with the update.

1. Press the power button and hold it until your PC turns off
2. Press the power button again to start your PC
3. Once you are logged in the Windows successfully, Hold Windows key and press R
4. Type msconfig and press Enter

1. Click the Services tab
2. Check the option Hide All Microsoft Services
3. Click the button Disable All

1. Click the Startup tab
2. Click Open Task Manager

1. Make sure the Startup tab is selected
2. Select the first service in the list and click Disable

1. Repeat step 11 for all the items in the list
2. Once done, close the Task Manager
3. Click Apply then select Ok
4. Reboot

Retry Windows Update once the system is rebooted.

Method 4: Reset Windows Update Components

Note: Performing the steps given below will make you lose all the update progress. You will have to start the Windows update again and you will have to wait lots of hours again. So, try this if you are willing to wait or if you are sure your Windows update is stuck

If nothing else worked, try to reset the Windows Update Components manually and try to install the Windows Update again.

Here are the steps for resetting the Windows Update Components

1. Press the power button and hold it until your PC turns off
2. Press the power button again to start your PC
3. Once you are logged in the Windows successfully, press Windows key once
4. Type cmd in the Start Search
5. Right-click the command prompt from the search results and select run as administrator

1. Type the following commands and press Enter

1. Type the following command and press “Enter”.
2. Type the following command and press “Enter”.
3. Type

Close the command prompt and reboot. Retry Windows update once the system is successfully rebooted.

Note: Navigate to this website, download and run the executable for your specific Windows version and architecture.

How Long Does Windows 10 Update Take? Windows 10 Update Taking Forever Fixes

A low-speedВ internet connectionВ or simultaneous downloads; Microsoft is constantly adding. Full steps

Workable Solutions	Step-by-step Troubleshooting
How Long Does Windows 10 Update Take 2018 /2019/ 2020/2021	It may take between 10 and 20 minutes to update Windows 10 on a modern PC with solid-state storage. Full steps
Why Does Windows 10 Update Take So Long
6 Useful Fixes for Windows 10 Update Taking Forever Issue	Optimize network, free up space, run Windows Update troubleshooter, disable startup programs. Full steps

Windows 10 Update Taking Too Long

Windows 10 pushes a lot of regular updates, with some improvement in stability and performance, and critical updates as well, mainly about bug fixes and shiny new features. Windows 10 update is quite normal and frequent, like twice each month. That’s the point! You seem to reach the frustrating moment again, where Windows 10 updates are taking hours and hours downloading and installing itself correctly on your PC. How long does windows update take? How are you going to skip such long waiting?

How Long Does Windows 10 Update Take

Between 10 and 20 minutes

It may takeВ between 10В and 20 minutes to update Windows 10В on a modern PC with solid-state storage. The installation process may take longer on a conventional hard drive.В Besides, the size of the update also affects the time it takes. Some updates are small, and you might not even notice them installing, others are massive and take a good chunk of time to install.В

Why DoesВ Windows 10 Update Take So LongВ

The amount of time Windows updates can be affected by multiple factors.

• A low-speedВ internet connectionВ or simultaneous downloads
• An old hard disk drive on your computer bursting with data
• Too many fragments cause Windows 10 update slow
• Microsoft’s servers are getting slammed with many people all trying to download at the same time
• Windows update components might be broken
• The software might be conflicting with Windows update

5 Effective Fixes for Windows 10 Update Taking Forever Problem

Do you see Windows 10 taking forever in every 2018 update? Like one of the most seen blue screen loop, saying «getting Windows ready, don’t turn off your computer». Be prepared. Your computer is now slowing down, plodding, frozen and stuck! Let’s try the following methods to fix Windows 10 update slow issue.

Method 1. Optimize Your NetworkВ

A faster internet connection may solve your problem and decrease the update speed. You can change to another faster connection by upgradingВ to a fiber-optic connection or purchasing more bandwidth from your internet service provider. You can also try a brandwidth management tool to ensure sufficient network resources are reserved for Windows 10 updates.

Method 2. Free Up Hard DriveВ Space by Cleaning Large and Junk Files

Windows 10 updates often take up a lot of hard drive space, so you need to make sure there is enough room for them to speed up the installation. This means deletingВ junkВ files and unnecessary large files. If there are a lot of files waiting for removing, manual deletion can be cumbersome and time-consuming. In this case, you can use EaseUS Tools M to help delete large amounts of files at once automatically.

Now, download this powerful disk management tool to fix the slow Windows 10 update issue.

Step 1. оњљ DOWNLOAD EaseUS Tools M for free and install it on your computer.

Step 2. Launch EaseUS Tools M in Windows PC. Select «Large File Cleanup» on the main screen.

Step 3. Select the drive and click «Scan» to let the program locate, find all large files on your disk.

Step 4. Identify and select useless large files and click «Delete» to remove those files from your PC or laptop. A message pops up and tells you this process will permanently delete the files. Click «Yes» to start the process.

Method 3. Fix Windows Update Errors with Windows Update Troubleshooter

Excluding the internal hardware factors, it’s probably just the system bugs that throw your computer onto a blue screen where Windows 10 works on an infinite update.

The Windows own little program called Windows Update Troubleshooter can fix the broken components that might break the update progress.

Method 4. Disable Startup Programs That Conflict with the Update

You never know that third-party applications always conflict with the update because they happen to start at the same time. Along with applications, services and drivers are making the same effect. So, if you feel certain that the problem does not come from a poor internet connection or hard drive bad performance, consider this factor, and you may try performing a clean boot of Windows 10 before attempting to get the new update.

Step 1. Press Windows + R keys to open Run.

StepВ 2. Type msconfig in the Run box and click OK.

StepВ 3. In the System Configuration, click the «Services» tab.

StepВ 4. Check the box Hide all Microsoft services.

StepВ 5. Click «Disable all».

StepВ 6. Next, return and go on with the Startup tab.

StepВ 7.В Click Open Task Manager.

StepВ 8. Click any startup program that is suspicious in conflicting with the update and click «Disable».

Repeat the previous step until all the startup programs in question were disabled.

StepВ 9. Close the Task Manager and click «OK» in the System Configuration window.

StepВ 10.В Restart your PC and get the new update for the second time.

Method 5.В Schedule Updates for Low-Traffic Periods

Massive Windows 10 updates with long installation can happen at any time. But your Internet connection may not be fast all day long. You can disable auto-updates and schedule it for after-hours when your computers and office network aren’t in use. Open the Windows Update window and specify when you prefer updates to be installed. В В

Most of the time, people receive a Windows 10 unwillingly because Microsoft turns on an automatic update on our computers by default. To avoid receiving any problematic update in the future, you can always try to disable Windows 10 update for permanent.

By the way, whenever you suffer from a slow boot or startup issue after Windows 10 update, find solutions on this page.В

To Sum Up

This tutorial demonstrates how long does Windows 10 update take and why is Windows 10 update taking so long. The most six useful solutions here can help you fix Windows 10 update taking forever problems. Among them, freeing up storage space and defragmenting your hard drive is very useful. You can complete the job with the assistance of EaseUS Partition Master Free.

This free disk management program makes complex hard drive organization easier than ever, such as convert MBR to GPT, convert FAT to NTFS, convert a logical partition to primary or primary partition to logical, etc..

Windows 10 Update Taking ForeverВ FAQs

1.В How long does Windows 10 update take 2019?

Major updatesВ to the Windows OS come about every six months, with the most recent being the November 2019 update. Major updates may take a little longer.В The regular version only takes 7 to 17 minutes to install.

2. Why do Windows 10 updates take so long?

Why does Windows 10 update take so long? Windows 10 updates take so long to complete because Microsoft is constantly adding larger files and features to them. The biggest updates, released in the spring and fall of every year, usually take upwards of four hours to install.В Besides, it’s also relevant to the small available space, hard drive fragments, software conflicts, and other factors.

3. Can I stop a Windows 10 update in progress?

You can stop Windows 10 updatesВ in progress in the services.

Step 1. Open the Search windows box and type Services in Windows 10.В Right-click Services and select «Run as Administrator».В

Step 2. In the Services window, you will find out the list of all the services running in the background. You need to find the Windows Update service.

Step 3. Right-click «Windows Update», and from the context menu, select «Stop». Alternatively, you can click on the «Stop» link available under the Windows update option on the top left side of the window.

3. How long does it take to update Windows 10 1903?

It depends. On different devices, in different network situations, the time spent is different. The installingВ of Windows 10 1903В takes about 30 minutes.В Configuring, and restartingВ may takeВ a few times. In short, you’ll probably upgrade to Windows 10 1903В in an hour.В