Windows Update Error 0x80070002 Fix – Simple Steps

You're trying to update Windows and you get error 0x80070002. It says something went wrong, but doesn't tell you what. I've seen this hundreds of times. The fix is usually simple.

The error means Windows Update can't find a file it downloaded earlier. Maybe the file got deleted or corrupted. Don't panic — here's how to fix it starting with the most common cause.

1. Clear the Update Cache (SoftwareDistribution Folder)

This is the #1 fix. Windows stores update files in a folder called SoftwareDistribution. When that folder gets cluttered or a file goes missing, you get error 0x80070002. We'll delete the folder contents. Don't worry, Windows rebuilds it automatically.

1. Press the Windows key. Type Command Prompt. Right-click it and choose Run as administrator. Click Yes if it asks.
2. In the black window, type these commands one at a time, pressing Enter after each:
   

   net stop wuauserv
   net stop cryptSvc
   net stop bits
   net stop msiserver

   You'll see "The service is stopping" or "stopped successfully" for each. That's normal.
3. Now open File Explorer. Go to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution. Delete everything inside that folder. You might get a message that some files are in use — that's fine, skip those. Delete the rest.
4. Go back to the Command Prompt window. Type these commands to restart the services:
   

   net start wuauserv
   net start cryptSvc
   net start bits
   net start msiserver

   Each one should say "The service started successfully."
5. Close the Command Prompt. Restart your computer. Then try Windows Update again.

After restart, check for updates. If the error is gone, you're done. If not, move to the next fix.

2. Run System File Checker (SFC) and DISM

Sometimes the problem isn't the update cache — it's corrupted system files. Windows has built-in tools to fix these. Run them in order.

Step 1: Run SFC Scan

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator again (same as above).
2. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter. This takes 15-20 minutes. Don't close the window.
3. When it finishes, you'll see one of three messages:
   • "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations" — good, no corrupted files.
   • "Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them" — great, it fixed the issue.
   • "Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them" — run DISM next.

Step 2: Run DISM

1. In the same Command Prompt, type this and press Enter:
   

   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

   This downloads healthy system files from Windows Update. It takes 20-30 minutes. Let it finish.
2. When it says "The operation completed successfully," restart your computer.
3. Run sfc /scannow one more time to fix anything DISM missed.

After that, try Windows Update again. This fixes about 80% of remaining cases.

3. Manually Reset Windows Update Components

If the first two steps didn't work, we need to do a deeper reset. This is a bit more hands-on but still safe.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Run these commands to stop services (same as step 1):
   

   net stop wuauserv
   net stop cryptSvc
   net stop bits
   net stop msiserver

3. Rename the SoftwareDistribution folder (instead of deleting, in case you need it back):
   

   ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old

4. Rename the Catroot2 folder too (this is for update signing):
   

   ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old

5. Now reset the BITS service and Windows Update service to default settings:
   

   sc.exe sdset bits D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU)
   sc.exe sdset wuauserv D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU)

6. Re-register the update DLLs. Type each line and press Enter:
   

   regsvr32.exe /s atl.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s urlmon.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s mshtml.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s shdocvw.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s browseui.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s jscript.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s vbscript.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s scrrun.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s msxml.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s msxml3.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s msxml6.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s actxprxy.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s softpub.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s wintrust.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s dssenh.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s rsaenh.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s gpkcsp.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s sccbase.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s slbcsp.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s cryptdlg.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s oleaut32.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s ole32.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s shell32.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s initpki.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s wuapi.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s wuaueng.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s wuaueng1.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s wucltui.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s wups.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s wups2.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s wuweb.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s qmgr.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s qmgrprxy.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s wucltux.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s muweb.dll
   regsvr32.exe /s wuwebv.dll

7. Finally, restart the services:
   

   net start wuauserv
   net start cryptSvc
   net start bits
   net start msiserver

8. Restart your computer. Try Windows Update one more time.

Quick-Reference Summary Table

I've used these steps on Windows 10 and Windows 11. They work the same on both. If none of these fix it, you might have a bigger problem like a failing hard drive or a corrupted Windows image. In that case, back up your files and consider a repair install using the Windows Media Creation Tool.

But honestly — 9 times out of 10, step 1 does the trick. Start there. You got this.