It is common for a Windows user to encounter Windows update errors from time to time. No specific error appears while using the Windows Update tool; depending on the cause, your computer may show you different errors from time to time.
Recently, many users reported that they got an error 0x80070003 while updating their Windows 10 devices. The error 0x80070003 appears only when the Windows Update tool is unable to download or install the update on your device.
Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn’t tell you about the error. The error pops up and asks you to try the Windows update again. If you have limited internet bandwidth, this error can exhaust all your data and leave you clueless.
Fix Windows Update Error 0x80070003
So if you are unable to 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 it Windows Update error 0x80070003. Let’s start.
1. Run the update troubleshooter
Windows 10 offers an update troubleshooter that claims to fix various issues and errors that prevent you from updating Windows. You can run the update troubleshooter to find and fix the problem automatically. Here’s what to do.
To run the Windows Update troubleshooter, click Windows Search and type Control Panel. Then open Control Panel and select ‘System and security’. Click System and Security on the “Troubleshoot Windows Updates” link.
This will run the Windows Update troubleshooter. You must have theApply repairs automatically’ and click the ‘Run as administrator’ link. When you are done, click the Next button.
That is it! Now the Windows Update troubleshooter will run and try to update your device. If it finds a problem with the Windows Update tool, it fixes it automatically.
2. Temporarily disable Windows Defender
Many users have claimed to solve the error 0x80070003 by disabling Windows Defender. While you cannot disable Windows Defender completely, you can disable the firewall and real-time scanning options. Here’s how to disable Windows Defender.
1. First click on Windows Search and type Windows security. Then open the Windows Security app from the list of options.
2. In Windows Security, click the Protection against viruses and threats option.
3. On the Virus & Threat Protection screen, click the ‘Manage settings‘ link.
4. Then uncheck the following options:
- Real-time protection
- Cloud-delivered protection
- Automatic sample transmission
- Tamper protection
That is it! After unchecking the four options, you need to run the Windows Update tool again. This time you will not get Error 0x80070003.
3. Run the SFC and DISM command
SFC and DISM commands scan and repair damaged system installation files. The Error 0x80070003 error during Windows update can also appear due to system file corruption. Therefore, you can try running these two commands to fix the problem.
1. First click on Find Windows and type Command Prompt. Then right-click on Command Prompt and select ‘Run as administrator’.
2. When the command prompt opens, paste sfc /scannow and press Enter.
3. The above command will run the System File Checker tool. This tool scans and repairs all corrupted system files.
4. If the SFC command returns an error, run the DISM command:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
That is it! This is how you can run SFC and DISM commands on your Windows OS to fix the error 0x80070003.
4. Restart the Windows Update components
Since your Windows 10 is unable to install a specific update, you can restart the update components. It’s easy to restart the Windows Update components, so follow the steps below.
1. First, open Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
2. When the command prompt opens, run the commands one by one
- just stop wuauserv
- net stop cryptSvc
- net stop bits
- net stop msiserver
- Run C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
- Run C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old
- just start wuauserv
- just start cryptSvc
- net start bits
- net start msi server
3. When done, open Windows Update and check for updates again.
This will allow you to restart the update components on your Windows computer.
5. Install Windows Updates manually
On Windows 10 and 11, you have the freedom to manually download and install the Windows updates. You could follow this approach if all the methods failed to fix the Windows Update error 0x80070003.
You only need to know the updated version (build, version, etc.) that cannot be downloaded and installed on your device. If you know, you need to go to the Microsoft Update Catalog website and download the update package.
Once downloaded, you can install it directly on your device and launch it again. We have already shared a detailed guide on how to download and install Windows Updates manually. Make sure to check that guide to know the steps.
Also Read: Download and Install Intel Unison on Windows 11 PC
So, these are the few best and easy methods to fix Windows Update error 0x80070003. If you need more help fixing error 0x80070003 on Windows, let us know in the comments. And if the article helped you, please share it with your friends as well.
