How to fix Windows update error 0x80020010?

The code 0x80020010 shows up in two places. In Event Viewer, Reason Code: 0x80020010 means Windows restarted on purpose to finish an update, and nothing failed. In Windows Update history it is a real install failure, and the fix starts with a restart and a fresh try.

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

What 0x80020010 and Reason Code 0x80020010 mean

Windows uses the same eight digits for two unrelated things, and that is why the advice online is so confusing. Which one you have depends only on the window where you read the code.

Microsoft documents the shutdown reason codes in reason.h. 0x80000000 is the flag for a planned shutdown, 0x00020000 is the major reason "Operating system issue" and 0x00000010 is the minor reason "Service pack". Add them and you get 0x80020010.

Windows Update restarts carry this label because the system still files every update installation under the old service pack category. The planned flag also makes Windows write a System State Data file, which is a normal part of a planned restart.

What event 1074 with this code looks like (the program and the names differ on each PC):

The process <program> has initiated the restart of computer <PC name> on behalf of user <user> for the following reason: Operating System: Service pack (Planned)
Reason Code: 0x80020010
Shutdown Type: restart

Why 0x80020010 appears: causes ranked

Most people who search for this code found it in Event Viewer while looking for the reason their PC restarted. A smaller group has an update that keeps failing. The table puts the causes in that order and ties each one to a fix.

How to fix Windows update error 0x80020010

Fix 1 tells you which of the two codes you have, and for most readers it is the end of the job. Fix 2 keeps update restarts from catching you by surprise. Fix 3 to Fix 8 are for an update that really failed, from the quickest step to the repair reinstall.

Fix 1. Find out where 0x80020010 comes from in Event Viewer

2 to 5 minutesNo riskEveryone, first. Above all if you found the code while checking why the PC restarted.

Event 1074 names the program that asked for the restart and the reason. When the reason is Operating System: Service pack (Planned), you know the restart came from an update and was not a failure.

1. Press Win + R, type eventvwr.msc and press Enter.
2. In the left pane, open Windows Logs > System.
3. In the right pane, select Filter Current Log.
4. In the box that shows <All Event IDs>, type 1074 and select OK.
5. Select the event at the time of the restart and read the General tab: the program, the user and the line Reason Code.
6. If the reason reads Operating System: Service pack (Planned) and the code is 0x80020010, the restart was an update restart. Go on to Fix 2 only if the timing bothers you.

You can list the last ten restarts with their reasons in one go. Open Windows PowerShell or Terminal and run this command:

Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='System'; Id=1074} -MaxEvents 10 | Format-List TimeCreated, Message

Fix 2. Control when Windows restarts for updates

3 minutesNo riskThe planned update restarts in event 1074 happen while you work or leave apps closed.

The code itself is harmless, but an update restart at a bad moment is what makes people go looking for it. Active hours and a restart notice let you decide when the restart happens.

1. Windows 11: open Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options. Windows 10: open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
2. Set Active hours to the hours you use the PC. Windows 10 calls it Change active hours.
3. In Windows 11, turn on Notify me when a restart is required to finish updating.
4. When an update is waiting, restart yourself at a good moment from Start > Power > Update and restart.
5. Check Update history after the restart: the update should be listed as successfully installed.

Fix 3. Restart the PC and check for updates again

10 to 30 minutesNo riskUpdate history shows an update that failed with 0x80020010.

DISP_E_BADCALLEE means one part of the update client called another part that could not answer. A full restart closes every update process and finishes any half-done installation, so the next try starts clean.

1. Save your work and select Start > Power > Restart. Use Restart, not Shut down.
2. Open Settings > Windows Update (Windows 10: Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update).
3. Select Check for updates and install everything that is offered.
4. Restart again when Windows asks.
5. Open Update history and check whether the update that failed is now listed as successfully installed.

Fix 4. Run the Windows Update troubleshooter

5 to 10 minutesNo riskThe update failed again after a restart.

The troubleshooter checks the update services and settings that this COM error depends on and repairs what it can. On Windows 11 it runs in the Get Help app.

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 5. Reset the Windows Update components

10 minutesLow riskUpdates keep failing with 0x80020010, or the same update fails at the same point every time.

Resetting stops the update services, clears the download queue and renames the SoftwareDistribution and catroot2 folders, so Windows builds them again. It replaces the stuck parts the update client keeps calling.

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

Fix 6. Install the failed update by hand from the Microsoft Update Catalog

15 to 30 minutesLow riskOne KB number keeps failing while other updates install.

The catalog package installs outside the Windows Update client, so the part that returns DISP_E_BADCALLEE is not used at all.

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 7. Repair the system files with DISM and SFC

15 to 40 minutesNo riskThe earlier fixes did not help, or CBS.log names damaged files.

An update builds on the component store. When parts of it are damaged, the install fails at the same place each time. DISM repairs the store from Windows Update and SFC then repairs the files in use.

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 8. Reinstall Windows over itself and keep your files

1 to 2 hoursLow riskNothing above worked, or DISM could not repair the damage.

The reinstall lays a clean copy of your Windows version over the old one, with the newest update included, and keeps apps, files and settings. It replaces damaged update parts that smaller repairs cannot reach.

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.

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

• Back up the files you cannot lose first: Back up your files (Windows Backup, File History, Time Machine).
• Keep the PC plugged in and online for the whole reinstall.
• On Windows 10 the same job is done with the Media Creation Tool and Upgrade this PC now, which the old version of this guide described.

If 0x80020010 still appears

First make sure you are fixing the right thing. A new event 1074 with Reason Code 0x80020010 after every update is normal and will keep appearing for as long as Windows installs updates.

• The log to read: copy C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log to the Desktop, open the copy and search for error near the time of the failure.
• What to send to support: the exact code, the KB number, the OS build from winver, the date of the failure and CBS.log.
• Windows 10 left support on 14 October 2025. A Windows 10 PC that fails monthly updates gets them only through Extended Security Updates, so moving to Windows 11 is the lasting fix where the hardware allows it.

How to keep Windows updates from failing again

Frequently asked questions

What does Reason Code: 0x80020010 mean?

It means Windows restarted on purpose to install an update. Microsoft's table of shutdown reason codes builds 0x80020010 from three flags: planned (0x80000000), operating system (0x00020000) and service pack (0x00000010). Event Viewer shows it in event 1074 as Operating System: Service pack (Planned). It is a record of a normal update restart, not an error, and there is nothing to repair when the update shows as installed.

Why did my PC restart with reason code 0x80020010?

Because an update needed a restart to finish. Windows Update, or the servicing process that installs updates, asked for the restart and Windows logged the reason. If the PC was in use at that time, the restart happened outside your active hours or after a pending restart waited too long. Set active hours and turn on the restart notice, as Fix 2 shows, to choose the time yourself.

Is 0x80020010 an error I need to fix?

Only when it appears in Windows Update history next to a failed update. In that case Microsoft's error list names it DISP_E_BADCALLEE, Invalid callee, and the update did not install. Start with a restart and a new check for updates, then the troubleshooter and the component reset. When the code appears in event 1074 as a reason code, nothing failed and you do not need to do anything.

What is DISP_E_BADCALLEE?

It is the name Microsoft gives the error 0x80020010 in its list of HRESULT values, with the description Invalid callee. It comes from COM automation, the way Windows programs and scripts call each other. In Windows Update it means one part of the update client could not get a valid answer from another. A restart or a reset of the update components usually clears it.

Is 80020010 the same code as 0x80020010?

Yes. The 0x prefix only says that the number is written in hexadecimal. Some logs, tools and forum posts drop it and write 80020010. The meaning depends on where you read it, not on the spelling: a reason code in event 1074 is a planned update restart, and an error in Update history is a failed update.

Does event 1074 with 0x80020010 mean my PC crashed?

No. Event 1074 is written when a program or a user asks Windows to restart or shut down in an orderly way. A crash or a power loss leaves other events, such as Kernel-Power event 41 and event 6008, and no event 1074 at that time. If you also see those, the restart was not an update restart and needs a different guide.

Why does 0x80020010 say service pack when Windows has no service packs any more?

Because the reason codes are older than today's update system. Microsoft's list goes back to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, when big updates came as service packs. Windows still files update restarts under the service pack reason, so a monthly cumulative update on Windows 11 is logged with the same label.

Can I stop Windows from restarting with this reason code?

You can choose when it happens, but you should not stop it. Updates that need a restart are not finished until the PC restarts, and security fixes stay inactive until then. Set active hours, turn on the restart notice and restart yourself when an update waits. Do not disable the Windows Update service, because the PC would stop getting security fixes.

Can malware cause 0x80020010?

We found no link between this code and malware. Event 1074 with Reason Code 0x80020010 is written by Windows during a normal update restart, and the update error is a COM call failure in the update client. If you suspect an infection for other reasons, run a full scan with Microsoft Defender, but do not expect it to change this code.