How to Fix Windows Update Error 0x8024402C

By ErrorFix · Updated October 20, 2026 · 8 min read

What error 0x8024402C means

Error 0x8024402C is a Windows Update connection error. Microsoft’s support documentation describes it as a communication issue between the Windows Update client and the update server: your PC simply cannot reach Microsoft’s servers, so the update process fails before any real work begins. You’ll typically see it alongside a message like “There were some problems installing updates” or “An unexpected error occurred.”

The important thing to understand is that this is a connection problem, not a content problem. Nothing about the update itself is broken — the files never made it to your PC, so there is nothing damaged to repair. That is why Microsoft’s own guidance for this code points at the things sitting between your PC and the internet: proxy servers, firewalls, antivirus programs, antispyware tools, and web accelerators. Something in that chain is stopping the Windows Update service from getting online.

This error loves to appear after something changed on your machine. The classic triggers: you uninstalled a VPN that left its proxy configuration behind, a third-party security suite updated itself with stricter firewall rules, you brought the laptop home from an office that used a corporate proxy, or a malware cleanup left your network stack in a weird state. If updates worked fine last week and now they all fail with 0x8024402C, think about what changed in between — the culprit is almost always there.

Common causes

• Proxy settings blocking the update service: a manual proxy entry — often a leftover from an uninstalled VPN or old work-network settings — routes Windows Update traffic into a dead end.
• Third-party firewall or antivirus blocking the connection: Microsoft documents that firewalls, antivirus, antispyware, and web accelerators can prevent the Windows Update service (SVCHOST) from accessing the internet.
• Corrupted DNS cache or bad DNS server: your PC can’t resolve the names of Microsoft’s update servers, so every connection attempt fails before it starts.
• Damaged network stack: corrupted Winsock settings or a broken WinHTTP proxy configuration leave the underlying connection machinery unusable.
• Corrupted Windows Update components: the update service’s own caches and registrations are tangled, so even a working connection can’t complete the download handshake.

How to fix error 0x8024402C — step by step

Work through these fixes in order. Steps 1 through 3 resolve the majority of 0x8024402C cases because the root cause is almost always on the network side.

1. Confirm you are actually online and retry the update. Before changing anything, rule out the simple explanation. Open your browser and load a couple of websites to confirm your connection is really working — a flaky connection that drops every few minutes can produce this exact error. Then press Windows + I, go to Windows Update, and click Check for updates or Retry. Microsoft’s message for this error family says Windows will try again later, and sometimes the Microsoft server was just overloaded. If it fails immediately, wait an hour and retry once more before moving on to Step 2.
2. Turn off the proxy settings blocking the connection. Press Windows + I and go to Network & internet, then Proxy. Under Manual proxy setup, turn off Use a proxy server and make sure the Address and Port fields are empty — leftover entries here are the single most common cause of 0x8024402C, often abandoned by a VPN you already uninstalled or by old office-network settings. Also review the “Automatically detect settings” toggle: on a home network it can usually stay on, but if it’s misbehaving, try turning it off. Then head back to Windows Update and check for updates again.
3. Flush DNS and reset the network stack. Right-click the Start button and choose Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin). Run these commands one at a time, pressing Enter after each:
   ipconfig /flushdns
netsh winsock reset
netsh winhttp reset proxy
   The first clears the corrupted DNS cache that can prevent your PC from finding Microsoft’s servers, the second repairs the Windows network plumbing, and the third removes any system-wide proxy that could be overriding your Settings page. Restart your PC after these commands — the reset only takes effect with a reboot. Then try Windows Update again.
4. Temporarily disable third-party security software. Microsoft’s documentation for 8024402C specifically calls out programs that can prevent the Windows Update service from accessing the internet: third-party firewalls, antivirus, antispyware tools, web accelerators, and internet-security suites. Temporarily turn them off and try the update while they are disabled. The official advice is to turn them back on right after updating your computer — while security software is off and you’re connected to the internet, your PC is exposed, so don’t browse around during this window. If you only use Microsoft Defender, you can usually leave it on; third-party suites are the usual troublemakers.
5. Reset the Windows Update components. Right-click the Start button and choose Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin). Run these commands one at a time to stop the update services:
   net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver
   Then rename the two tangled download caches with:
   ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old
   Restart the services with:
   net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver
   This clears the corrupted update cache and lets Windows rebuild it fresh. Go back to Settings, then Windows Update, and check for updates again.
6. Run the Windows Update troubleshooter. Press Windows + I, go to System, then Troubleshoot, then Other troubleshooters. Find Windows Update in the list and click Run. Follow the on-screen prompts and let it apply any recommended repairs, then restart your PC and retry the update. This built-in tool detects stuck update states, broken service registrations, and missing dependencies automatically — it catches the rarer causes that Steps 1 through 5 missed.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• Windows Update downloads and installs without error 0x8024402C
• The failed update now shows as installed in Update history
• Proxy settings show no proxy (or the correct corporate settings if you’re at work)
• Your third-party security software is re-enabled after the successful update

One thing people get wrong about this error: they assume the update files are corrupt and go hunting for the update on unofficial download sites. Don’t. The error means the files never arrived — the delivery failed, not the package — so side-loading the update from a random site fixes nothing and introduces real malware risk. And keep Microsoft’s own guidance in mind: while your antivirus is temporarily off, don’t browse the web — just run the update and turn protection back on immediately after. If the error repeats across multiple days after all six steps, the issue may be upstream (an ISP outage or a corporate firewall you can’t change), and that’s a call to your ISP or IT department, not more command-line surgery.