How to Fix Windows Update Error 0x80070426 (2026)

By ErrorFix · Updated October 26, 2026 · 9 min read

What error 0x80070426 means

Behind the code, 0x80070426 is the HRESULT form of Windows system error 1062, officially named ERROR_SERVICE_NOT_ACTIVE: the service has not been started. Windows Update is not a single program — it relies on a small team of background services to check for updates, download them, verify their signatures, and install them. When one of those services is stopped or disabled, the update engine cannot even get started, so it aborts the whole attempt and reports 0x80070426 instead of downloading a partial update that could leave your system in a worse state.

You will usually see it on the Windows Update screen in Settings, next to a failed cumulative or feature update, along with a message that there were problems installing updates. Pressing Retry rarely helps on its own, because the same stopped service is still stopped the second time around. The same code can also appear when opening Windows Security or the Microsoft Store, since those also depend on background services being up and running — the fix is the same in each case: get the services running, make sure they stay running, and then clear out any damage the failed attempts left behind. Work through the steps in order; most people are fixed by step 3 or 4.

Common causes

• Stopped or disabled update service: Windows Update, Background Intelligent Transfer Service, or Cryptographic Services is stopped, so the update engine has nothing to work with.
• Startup type changed by another tool: an optimizer, debloating script, or failed update set a service to Manual or Disabled, so it never starts on its own after a restart.
• Corrupted Windows Update cache: the SoftwareDistribution or catroot2 folders contain half-downloaded or mismatched packages from an earlier interrupted update.
• Damaged system files or service registration: the files and registrations the update services depend on are corrupt, so a service starts and then stops again, or refuses to start at all.
• Third-party antivirus or security software: a security suite or tune-up tool blocks the update services from starting, or disables them to stop updates from running.

How to fix error 0x80070426 — step by step

Work through these fixes in order. Steps 1 through 3 are the core repair for this specific code; steps 4 and 5 clean up the damage underneath it.

1. Restart the Windows Update services in services.msc. Press Windows key + R, type services.msc, and press Enter. Find Windows Update, Background Intelligent Transfer Service, and Cryptographic Services. Right-click each one and choose Restart — if Restart is greyed out, choose Start instead. Then double-click each service, set Startup type to Automatic, click Apply, and click OK. A service set to Manual or Disabled is the most direct cause of 0x80070426, because Windows Update cannot run at all until these services are actually running. After restarting all three, go back to Settings, then Windows Update, and click Check for updates.
2. Run the Windows Update troubleshooter. Open Settings, go to System, then Troubleshoot, then Other troubleshooters. Click Run next to Windows Update and let the tool scan for stopped services, missing registrations, and stuck download jobs. On Windows 10 the path is Settings, then Update and Security, then Troubleshoot, then Additional troubleshooters, then Windows Update. The troubleshooter can restart services and repair their settings automatically, which is why it fixes this code outright in some cases. When it finishes, retry the update before moving on.
3. Set the update services to start automatically with the SC command. Right-click Start and choose Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin). Run these four commands, pressing Enter after each one: SC config wuauserv start= auto, SC config bits start= auto, SC config cryptSvc start= auto, and SC config trustedinstaller start= auto. Note the space after start= — the command fails without it. This step matters when a service keeps reverting to Manual or Disabled after a restart, for example after an optimizer tool or a failed update changed its startup type. Restart your PC afterward so the new startup settings take effect.
4. Reset the Windows Update components. Right-click Start and choose Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin). Stop the update services with net stop wuauserv, net stop cryptSvc, net stop bits, and net stop msiserver. Then rename the download cache folders so Windows rebuilds them cleanly: ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old and ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old. Restart the services with net start wuauserv, net start cryptSvc, net start bits, and net start msiserver. This clears a corrupted or half-downloaded update cache without deleting your files or your installed updates.
5. Repair the component store and system files. In the same admin terminal, run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and wait for it to finish — it usually takes 10 to 30 minutes and replaces damaged Windows components with clean copies. Then run sfc /scannow, which checks every protected system file and repairs anything broken, including the service files Windows Update depends on. Restart your PC afterward and retry the update from Settings, then Windows Update, then Check for updates. If DISM reports that it repaired the image, that was very likely the root cause.
6. Install the update manually or do an in-place upgrade. If automatic updates still fail with 0x80070426, note the KB number in Settings, then Windows Update, then Update history. Visit catalog.update.microsoft.com, search for that KB number, and install the .msu package matching your system — x64 for most Intel and AMD PCs. For a failed feature update, download the Windows 11 Installation Assistant from Microsoft's website and run it, or use the Media Creation Tool to make installation media, mount the ISO, and run setup.exe while choosing to keep personal files and apps. An in-place upgrade rebuilds the service and component set while preserving your files, so treat it as the last step, not the first.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• The failed update installs from Windows Update without 0x80070426
• Windows Update, Background Intelligent Transfer Service, and Cryptographic Services all show Running in services.msc
• sfc /scannow reports no integrity violations
• The next check for updates completes without the error returning

If 0x80070426 keeps coming back after all of this, look one layer deeper. A service that stops on its own within seconds of starting usually points to damaged service files or to another program actively stopping it. Temporarily uninstall third-party optimizer, cleaner, or debloating tools before retrying, and check the Windows Event Viewer (Windows Logs, then System) for service errors recorded at the exact time the update failed — the event details often name the service or file that failed. If the same update fails on a second PC on the same network, check whether a group policy or managed-device setting is disabling Windows Update services.