“Windows Update Cannot Currently Check for Updates” is the message that Windows Update shows on some PCs running Windows 10 when there is a problem with the Windows Update service. This can also be caused by the SoftwareDistribution folder that temporarily stores the files needed to install new updates. In this article we will see how to solve the “Windows Update Cannot Currently Check for Update” error message showing when installing Windows Updates.
To fix “Windows Update Cannot Currently Check for Updates”, Go to Services and restart the Windows Update service and try downloading Windows updates again.
1. FIX “Windows Update Cannot Currently Check for Updates” Using Windows Troubleshooter
Windows has integrated with Windows 10 a troubleshooter to solve the problems encountered with Windows updates.
To solve the “Windows Update Cannot Currently Check For Updates ” problem, run Windows Update Troubleshooter by following these steps:
- Go to Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot
- Click on “Windows Update“
- Click on “Run the troubleshooter“
- Wait for the Windows troubleshooter to solve the problem.
Most of the time, the Windows Update troubleshooter will diagnosis your system and find the reason behind the “Windows Update Cannot Currently Check For Updates” message problem and fix it for you. after the process has ended, try updating your system again to see if the problem has been solved.
2. Fix “Windows Update Cannot Currently Check For Updates” By Restarting Service
Usually, the “Windows Update Cannot Currently Check for Updates” error message is caused by a problem with the Windows Update service. To solve this problem, restart the Windows Update service by following the steps below:
- Press the Windows Key on your keyboard and start typing “Services“
- Open Services
- Find the Windows Update service and right click on it
- Click on “Restart“
After restarting the Windows Update service, retry installing Windows updates to see if the problem is resolved.
3. Clear SoftwareDistribution To Fix “Windows Update Cannot Currently Check for Updates” Error
The “SoftwareDistribution” folder contains the temporary update files needed to install Windows Updates. Usually, you don’t need to touch this folder, but if you have problems with Windows Update like the “Windows Update Cannot Currently Check For Updates” message that appears every time you try to download and install updates, one solution is to clear the content of the “SoftwareDistribution” folder in order to download the necessary update files.
Follow the steps below to clear the SoftwareDistribution folder to fix the “Windows Update Cannot Currently Check for Updates” error message:
- Open Start menu.
- Type CMD, right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
- Type net stop wuauserv command in CMD Window and hit Enter
- Without closing the CMD Windows, navigate to C:\Windows
- Rename the folder SoftwareDistribution to SoftwareDistribution.Old
- Type net start wuauserv in Command Prompt Window and hit to start Windows Update Service again.
After restarting the Windows Update service, it will automatically recreate the SoftwareDistribution folder from scratch. try to download and install Windows updates again to see if the “Windows Update Cannot Currently Check For Updates” problem is solved.
4. Restart You Computer
Sometimes a simple reboot of your computer is enough to solve Windows update problems such as the “Windows Update Cannot Currently Check For Updates” error.
After restarting your computer, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and click on Check For Updates to download Windows updates
5. Disable your antivirus
Sometimes, a bug or a bad configuration of your antivirus can prevent you from downloading the updates of Windows by blocking the download addresses of the files of Microsoft. Thus preventing you from connecting to the servers of Microsoft to download the files of update.
To avoid this problem, temporarily disable your antivirus to make sure your connection is not restricted.
Do not forget to enable again your antivirus after downloading Windows updates.
5. Check Your Internet Connection
It seems obvious, but many users have problems downloading Windows updates because of simple internet connection problems.
Make sure you are connected to the Internet on your computer and that your firewall is not blocking your connection to the Microsoft server.
If you are on a limited connection, switch to a cable connection and restart the Windows update installation.
See also: How To Start Windows 10 In Safe Mode If Your Computer Is Not Booting
