How to Revert Pending Windows Updates February 17, 2025

This article explains how to revert pending Windows updates. Doing this will help resolve system instability, software conflicts, or boot failures caused by incomplete or problematic updates.

If you want to revert or cancel Windows pending updates, you can follow these steps:

Method 1: Use the Windows Update Troubleshooter

1. Open Settings: Press Win + I to open the Settings menu.
2. Go to Troubleshoot:
   1.  Click on Update & Security.
      
   2. Select Troubleshoot on the left sidebar.
      
   3. Then, click on Additional troubleshooters.
      
3. Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter:
   1. Scroll down and select Windows Update.
      
   2. Click Run the troubleshooter and follow the on-screen instructions.
      
   3. The troubleshooter will attempt to fix any issues with pending updates.

Method 2: Uninstall Pending Updates (If Possible)

1. Open Control Panel:
   Press Win + R, type control, and press Enter to open the Control Panel.
   
2. Go to Programs:
   Click Programs > View installed updates.
   
3. Find Updates:
   1.  Scroll through the list to find any updates that have been installed recently or are still pending.
   2. Right-click on the update and select Uninstall if it has been installed but you want to remove it.
      
4. Stop Pending Updates:
   If an update is stuck or pending, you might not be able to uninstall it directly, but you can try pausing updates for a period (covered in the next method).

Method 3: Pause Windows Updates

1. Open Settings: Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Navigate to Update & Security:
   Go to Update & Security > Windows Update.
   
3. Pause Updates:
   1.  Click on Advanced options.
      
   2. Under the Pause updates section, select a date to pause updates temporarily.
      

Method 4: Manually Clear the SoftwareDistribution Folder

1. Stop Windows Update Service:
   1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter.
      
   2. Locate Windows Update in the list of services.
   3. Right-click and choose Stop.
      
2. Delete Files in the SoftwareDistribution Folder:
   1.  Go to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download.
      
   2. Delete all files and folders in this directory.
3. Restart Windows Update Service:
   1.  Go back to the Windows Update service (in services.msc).
   2. Right-click and choose Start.
      

Method 5: Use Command Prompt to Revert Updates

You can use the command line to reset the update components:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
   Search for Command Prompt in the Start menu, right-click, and choose Run as Administrator.
2. Run the Following Commands:
   net stop wuauserv
   net stop bits
   del %windir%\SoftwareDistribution\Download\*.*
   net start wuauserv
   net start bits
3. This will stop the update services, delete pending updates, and restart the services.

After performing these steps, Windows should no longer be stuck on pending updates, and you can try rerunning the updates if necessary.

For updating Plesk after managing Windows updates, check out our guide on How to install or update Plesk