Windows Update Keeps Turning Off: Here’s The Fix

It is essential to keep the system updated. Windows Update can help the users to keep the computer up-to-date. Such updates come with different fixes and advanced security features. 

But, some users report that the Windows update keeps turning off. It may happen randomly and automatically. If you are also stuck with the same issue, you can go through the section hereunder to solve this problem.

Probable Causes for Windows Automatic Update Keeps Turning Off

The major reason for this issue is Windows Update and antivirus program. It can happen due to weird compatibility or false positivities issues. There are antivirus programs that can create issues like these. 

If the Windows Update service is not getting started properly, then you can also face this issue. Furthermore, if there are any corrupted system files in the Windows Update folder, you may also get this error. 

Effective Ways to Solve Windows Update Keeps Turning Off

There are several troubleshooting hacks to solve this issue. Here, we are going to discuss the most recommendable ones. You can perform the hacks provided below: 

Fix 1: Disable the Antivirus Program

As we mentioned earlier, the antivirus program is one of the major causes behind this problem, so, you can solve it easily by disabling it. To do this, locate the antivirus program icon on the system tray of the taskbar. 

If you are unable to get that, find it in the hidden tray. Right-click on the antivirus icon and choose the option to disable (this option depends on the antivirus program that you are using). 

Now, you will be prompted to choose the appropriate time period to disable the antivirus. It is recommended to choose the ‘Disable Permanently’ option because Windows Updates gets turn off on a restart. 

Once you do this, check for the latest updates. Turn the Windows Update On. If you see it is running well, then restart the system. Wait for a few seconds to check if the Windows Updates turn off or not. 

If you see that the problem is still not resolved, you can move on to the other ways described below. 

Fix 2: Change the Registry

You can make some changes to the registry to solve this issue. To do this, you can perform the steps as follows:

1. First, open the Start menu and type “command prompt” in the search bar. 
2. Then, right-click on the ‘Command Prompt’ option and choose the ‘Run as administrator’ option from the list. 
3. Type the command “reg add “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Auto Update”/v AUOptions /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f” in the command line. 
4. Hit the Enter key from the keyboard to run it. 
5. Afterward, run the command “sc config wuauserv start= auto.”

Now, you can wait for a few seconds and check if the problem is solved. Else, you can continue with the further ways stated below. 

Fix 3: Reset the Windows Components

You also can solve the ‘Windows update keeps turning off’ issue by resettings the Windows components. To do this, open the Command Prompt with admin privilege by performing the first two steps from the previous solution. 

Afterward, you can type the commands mentioned below: 

1st: net stop bits

2nd: net stop wuauserv 

3rd: net stop appidsvc 

4th: net stop cryptsvc

5th: Ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old 

6th: Ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old 

7th: net start bits

8th: net start wuauserv

9th: net start appidsvc

Press the Enter key after each command to execute them. Once you complete this, you can exit from the Command Prompt window and restart the system to apply the changes. Otherwise, you can change the logon account for the Windows Update Service.

Fix 4: Change the Logon Account for Windows Update Service

Windows OS has the ability to re-enable the wuauserv service automatically, even if it is disabled by the admin. Windows OS uses Admin credentials to confirm that it can re-enable Windows Update every time when it is in a disabled state. 

So, you can prevent this service from running by changing the Admin credentials used to run the service. To do this, follow the steps stated below: 

1. First and foremost, press the Win key and R both at the same time from the keyboard to invoke the Run Command box. 
2. Then, type “services.msc” in the input field. Click on the OK button to open the list of services. 
3. Now, search for the ‘Windows Update’ service and click twice on it. Once it opens the Properties, tap on the Stop button. It will stop the service. 
4. Afterward, navigate to the Log On tab and then choose the ‘Log on as ‘.\Guest’ (This is the Guest account). 
5. You can leave the password box empty and tap on the Apply button to complete the process. 

Now, restart the system and check whether the issue is fixed. Else, you can disable the Task Scheduler settings to solve it. 

Fix 5: Perform a Clean Boot

According to some users, they have fixed this issue by performing a clean boot of the system. Here’s how to do this: 

• At first, open the Run Command box and then type “mscconfig” in the Run box. Press the Enter key from the keyboard to continue. 
• Once it opens the System Configuration window, go to the Services tab. Now, tick the ‘Hide all Microsoft services’ box and then tap on the ‘Disable all’ button. 
• Next, go to the Startup tab and then tap on the ‘Open Task Manager’ option. On the next screen, you will see several startup items listed there. 
• Click on the Disable button once again and go back to the System Configuration window. 
• Lastly, tap on the Apply and then OK button to complete the process. 

Now, you can restart the system and then check whether the issue is resolved. 

These 5 are the most probable ways to solve the ‘Windows update keeps turning off’ issue. If you apply the above ways in their respective order, then it will help you to get rid of this issue.

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