How to fix error 0x80240008 in Microsoft Store and Windows Update

Error 0x80240008 comes from the Windows Update client, which Microsoft lists as WU_E_ITEMNOTFOUND: the key for the item it looked up could not be found. You see it when a Microsoft Store app will not download or update, or as Download error - 0x80240008 in Windows Update. Reset the update cache first, then repair the Store.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2.

What error 0x80240008 means

Microsoft's Windows Update error code list gives 0x80240008 the name WU_E_ITEMNOTFOUND and the description: "The key for the item queried couldn't be found." The update client keeps a small database of every update and package it knows about. When it asks that database for one item by its key and gets nothing back, it stops and returns this code.

So if you asked "lỗi này là lỗi gì" (what error is this): it is a lookup that failed inside Windows Update, not a broken app and not a hardware fault. The Store shows it too because, as Microsoft's support staff put it, Windows Update and Microsoft Store use the same component.

Why the update client cannot find the item

Microsoft gives the meaning of the code but no list of causes. The causes below follow from that meaning and from the answer Microsoft's support staff gave a reader with this error, ranked by how often they explain what readers see.

How to fix error 0x80240008

Fix 1 works for both Microsoft Store and Windows Update and is the one to try first. Fix 2 is for the Store only. Fixes 3 and 4 are for Windows Update. Fixes 5 and 6 repair Windows itself.

Fix 1. Reset the Windows Update components and cache

15 minutesLow riskEveryone with 0x80240008, in Microsoft Store or in Settings > Windows Update.

The update client keeps its records in C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore and its downloads next to them. When those records are stale or damaged, the client looks for an item that is not there and returns 0x80240008. Renaming the folders makes Windows build fresh records on the next check.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator. Type cmd in the search box, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator. Select Yes when Windows asks for permission.
2. Stop the update services. Type the commands below and press Enter after each one. If Windows says that other services depend on Cryptographic Services, it stops them too. A message that a service is not started is fine.

   net stop wuauserv
   net stop bits
   net stop cryptsvc

3. Delete the download queue files. This clears the list of downloads that the Background Intelligent Transfer Service keeps. If Windows says it cannot find the files, continue.

   del "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader\qmgr*.dat"

4. Rename the update cache folders. Renaming keeps a copy in case you need it; Windows creates new, empty folders when the services start again. If you get Access is denied, a service is still running: repeat the previous step.

   ren %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
   ren %systemroot%\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old

5. Start the services again. Type the commands below and press Enter after each one. The requested service has already been started is fine: Windows started it on its own.

   net start cryptsvc
   net start bits
   net start wuauserv

6. Restart and check for updates. Restart the PC. Then select Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates. The first check can take longer than usual because everything is downloaded again.

These steps were written for Windows 11 and Windows 10 (the steps are the same). The full page with the other versions and what each result means: Reset Windows Update components

Restart the PC, open Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates. Then open Microsoft Store and try the download again.

Fix 2. Clear the Store cache, then repair or reset Microsoft Store

5 minutesLow riskMicrosoft Store still shows 0x80240008 after Fix 1, and Windows Update works.

The Store keeps its own cache of what it asked the update client for. If that cache still points at the old records, the Store repeats the failed lookup. The wsreset command clears that cache. Repair fixes the Store app and keeps its data, and Reset deletes the Store's data on this PC while your apps and purchases stay.

1. Clear the Store cache. Press Windows + R, type wsreset.exe and select OK. A blank Command Prompt window opens; after a short while it closes and Microsoft Store opens by itself.
2. Open System components. If the problem stays, select Start > Settings > System > System components. Next to Microsoft Store, select the three dots and Advanced options. If Microsoft Store is not listed there, look for it in Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
3. Repair first. Scroll to Reset and select Repair. Repair keeps the app's data. Open the Store and check whether it works.
4. Reset if Repair did not help. Select Reset and confirm. This deletes the Store app's data on this PC; your purchases stay in your Microsoft account. Open the Store and sign in again.

These steps were written for Windows 11 26H2 (build 26300). The full page with the other versions and what each result means: Reset the Microsoft Store

Fix 3. Run the Windows Update troubleshooter

5 minutesNo riskSettings > Windows Update still fails after Fix 1, or you prefer an automatic check first.

Microsoft's support staff suggest it for this code because Windows Update and Microsoft Store use the same component. It checks the update services and their settings, which the manual reset in Fix 1 does not change.

1. Open Troubleshoot settings. Select Start > Settings > System > Troubleshoot.
2. Open the list of troubleshooters. Select Other troubleshooters.
3. Run the Windows Update troubleshooter. Under Most frequent, select Run next to Windows Update. The Get Help app opens and starts the checks.
4. Read the result. Wait until Get Help finishes. If it found and fixed a problem, it says so and asks whether this solved the problem. Answer the question so it can offer the next step.
5. Restart the PC. Restart when the troubleshooter finishes, even if it does not ask you to.
6. Check for updates again. Select Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates, and install the updates it finds.

These steps were written for Windows 11 (screenshots: 26H2). The full page with the other versions and what each result means: Run the Windows Update troubleshooter

Fix 4. Install the failing update by hand from the Microsoft Update Catalog

10 to 20 minutesLow riskSettings > Windows Update shows Download error - 0x80240008 next to one update with a KB number.

A manual install does not need the update client to find the item in its records. The Windows Update Standalone Installer takes the package straight from the file, so the failed lookup is skipped.

1. In Settings > Windows Update, write down the KB number of the update that shows the error.
2. Press Win + R, type winver and press Enter. Note the version and OS build.
3. Download the file for that KB, your version and your processor from the Microsoft Update Catalog, and run it.

1. Check your Windows version. Press Windows key + R, type winver and press Enter. Note the version (for example 25H2) and the OS build.
2. Find the KB number. Open Settings > Windows Update. A failed or pending update is listed with its KB number; earlier ones are under Update history.
3. Check the processor type. Open Settings > System > About and look at System type: an x64-based PC needs the x64 file, an ARM-based PC (for example Snapdragon) needs the arm64 file.
4. Search the catalog. Open the Microsoft Update Catalog at catalog.update.microsoft.com in your browser, type the KB number (for example KB5124010) in the search box and press Enter.
5. Pick the right row. Find the row whose title names your Windows version and your processor type (x64-based or arm64-based) and select Download on that row.
6. Download every file listed. A window lists one or more .msu links. Download all of them into one empty folder, for example C:\packages. On Windows 11 24H2 and later the list can include earlier checkpoint updates that the new one needs.
7. Install a single file. If there is only one file, double-click it and confirm the installation in the Windows Update Standalone Installer.
8. Install several files with DISM. If there are several files, open an elevated Terminal or Command Prompt and run DISM with the newest file. DISM finds the other files in the same folder and installs them in the right order.

   DISM /Online /Add-Package /PackagePath:C:\packages\<newest-file>.msu

9. Restart. Restart the PC when the installation finishes, then run winver again: the OS build should have changed.

These steps were written for Windows 11 24H2 and later; Windows 10 22H2. The full page with the other versions and what each result means: Install an update from the Microsoft Update Catalog

Fix 5. Repair system files with SFC and DISM

20 to 30 minutesLow riskSeveral updates or Store apps fail, also with other codes, or Fixes 1 to 4 did not help.

DISM repairs the component store that updates install into, and SFC repairs protected system files. Microsoft's support staff name damaged system files as one cause of 0x80240008.

1. Open an elevated command window. Right-click Start and select Terminal (Admin), or type cmd in the search box, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator. Select Yes when Windows asks for permission.

   

2. Run DISM first. Type the command below and press Enter. DISM downloads clean copies of damaged components from Windows Update, so it can take several minutes. Wait until it says The operation completed successfully.

   DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

   

3. Run System File Checker. In the same window, type the command below and press Enter. Do not close the window until the verification reaches 100%.

   sfc /scannow

   

4. Read the result and restart. Compare the last message with the table below this guide, then restart the PC so that repaired files are loaded.

   

These steps were written for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2. The full page with the other versions and what each result means: Run DISM and SFC to repair Windows system files

Fix 6. Repair-install Windows and keep your files and apps

45 to 90 minutesRead the warningNothing above worked, and the Store or Windows Update keeps failing with 0x80240008.

A repair install puts a fresh copy of every update component in place at once, while it keeps your files, apps and most settings. Microsoft's support staff call it a non-destructive repair for this error.

1. Open Recovery in Settings. Open Settings > System > Recovery. Next to Fix problems using Windows Update, select Reinstall now. This keeps your apps, files and settings.
2. Start the reinstall. Choose whether the PC may restart on its own 15 minutes after the installation, then select OK.
3. Wait and restart. Windows Update downloads and installs a repair copy of your current Windows version. Keep the PC plugged in and online, and restart it when asked.
4. If that did not help: Reset PC. Back in Settings > System > Recovery, next to Reset this PC, select Reset PC. This keeps your personal files but removes installed apps and settings.
5. Choose Keep my files. Select Keep my files. Do not select Remove everything.
6. Choose where Windows comes from. Select Cloud download to download a fresh copy of Windows, or Local reinstall to use the files already on the PC (faster, but may not include the latest updates).
7. Reset. Review the summary and select Reset. The PC restarts several times.

These steps were written for Windows 11 22H2 and later. The full page with the other versions and what each result means: Reinstall Windows without losing files

If error 0x80240008 is still there

The Windows Update log shows which item the client could not find. Open PowerShell and run the command below. It builds a readable WindowsUpdate.log on your desktop from the trace files.

Get-WindowsUpdateLog

If you ask Microsoft Support or your administrator for help, send your Windows version and build from winver, the app name or KB number, and the log lines around the code. This is not a hardware fault: the code is about a lookup in the update client's records.

How to keep error 0x80240008 from coming back

If Windows Update shows 0x8024000B instead, the operation was cancelled rather than not found. That one has its own guide: error 0x8024000B.

Frequently asked questions

What does error 0x80240008 mean?

It means the Windows Update client looked up an item and could not find it. Microsoft's Windows Update error code list names it WU_E_ITEMNOTFOUND, with the description "The key for the item queried couldn't be found." The item is usually an update or an app package in the client's own records. Those records live in the SoftwareDistribution folder, and when they are stale or damaged the lookup fails. Resetting them with Fix 1 is the first step, in the Store and in Windows Update alike.

What should I do in this situation (что делать в такой ситуации)?

Start with the reset of the Windows Update components in Fix 1. It renames the cache folders, so Windows builds fresh records, and it fixes both Microsoft Store and Windows Update downloads. Restart, then try the download again. If only the Store still fails, clear its cache and repair it with Fix 2. If one update still fails, install it by hand with Fix 4. Your files and apps stay safe during all three.

What does Download error - 0x80240008 in Windows Update mean?

It means Windows Update tried to download one update and could not find that update in its own records. The word Download only tells you at which stage it failed. Reset the update components (Fix 1), restart and select Check for updates again. If the same update fails, run the troubleshooter (Fix 3), then download that KB from the Microsoft Update Catalog and install it by hand (Fix 4). The manual install does not need the failed lookup.

Why does Microsoft Store show a Windows Update error code?

Because the Store hands many of its downloads to the Windows Update client. The 0x8024 part of the code marks that client. Microsoft's support staff say it plainly in their answer to this error: Windows Update and Microsoft Store use the same component. That is why Fix 1 resets Windows Update even if you only saw the error in the Store. Fix 2 then clears and repairs the Store itself.

What is 0x80240008(-2145124344)?

It is the same error printed with its signed decimal value. Windows error codes are 32-bit numbers, and some logs and tools show them as negative decimals: 0x80240008 is -2145124344. So the meaning does not change. It is WU_E_ITEMNOTFOUND, a lookup that failed inside the update client. Use the same fixes, starting with Fix 1. In a log, the lines above the code usually name the update or package the client could not find.

Will resetting Microsoft Store or the update cache delete my apps?

No. Clearing the Store cache with wsreset and repairing the Store keep everything. Reset deletes only the Store app's own data on this PC, so you may need to sign in again. Installed apps stay, and purchases stay in your Microsoft account. Resetting the Windows Update cache renames two folders. Installed updates stay on the PC, but Update history may look empty afterwards, because only the list was cleared.

Can I get 0x80240008 in the Xbox app?

Yes, users report the same code when the Xbox app on PC installs or updates a game. The Xbox app installs PC games through the Microsoft Store and its services, so the same lookup in the update client can fail. Use the same order: reset the update components (Fix 1), then clear and repair Microsoft Store (Fix 2), restart and start the download again from the Xbox app.

What do 0x80240007 and 0x80240009 mean?

They are neighbours of 0x80240008 in Microsoft's Windows Update list. 0x80240007 is WU_E_INVALIDINDEX: the index to a collection was invalid. 0x80240009 is WU_E_OPERATIONINPROGRESS: another conflicting operation was in progress, for example a second install at the same time. For 0x80240009, wait for the running update to finish and restart. For 0x80240007, the update cache reset in Fix 1 is the usual first step.

Is error 0x80240008 a hardware fault?

No. The code is about a lookup in the records of the update client, not about a part of the PC. The same PC downloads normally once those records are rebuilt. If the PC also freezes, restarts by itself or shows disk errors, check the drive with Check a disk for errors (chkdsk), because that is a separate problem. If several updates fail with different codes, repair Windows with Fix 5 and Fix 6.