How to fix Windows update error 0xc1900401?

Error 0xc1900401 means Windows found nothing in the update that it can install on this PC. Microsoft lists it as MOSETUP_E_UA_NO_PACKAGES_TO_DOWNLOAD, "No packages to be downloaded." Check first whether your PC already has a newer update, because then there is nothing to fix.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2 monthly and out-of-band updates, Windows 10 22H2.

What error 0xc1900401 means

Microsoft's table of modern setup error codes gives 0xc1900401 one line: MOSETUP_E_UA_NO_PACKAGES_TO_DOWNLOAD, "No packages to be downloaded." An update is a bundle of packages, one for each Windows version and system type. Windows looked into the bundle, found no package that fits this PC in its current state, and stopped.

Why Windows shows 0xc1900401

The code is about applicability, not damage. So the useful question is not "what is broken" but "why does this update not fit my PC". Each cause below points to a fix.

Where the logs show what failed

You do not need the logs for Fix 1 and Fix 2. Read them when the error appears in Windows Update without a file you opened, or when you ask for help.

Help forums such as Sysnative ask for CBS.log and the Windows Update log before they look at a failing update. Collect them before you try again, because new attempts add to them.

How to fix Windows update error 0xc1900401

Fix 1 and Fix 2 answer the cause Microsoft's name points to: the update does not fit the PC. Fix 3 and Fix 4 repair Windows Update when the error shows there. Fix 5 installs a new Windows version without the stored offer. Fix 6 and Fix 7 repair Windows itself and come last.

Fix 1. Check whether you need the update at all: compare your build with the update

5 minutesNo riskEveryone who got the error from an .msu file, and anyone who installs an older or out-of-band update by hand.

Monthly cumulative updates carry the fixes of the earlier ones. If your PC already has a newer one, the older update has no package left to install, and Windows reports exactly that with 0xc1900401.

1. Press Win + R, type winver and press Enter.
2. Note the line OS Build, for example 26200.8655. The number before the dot is the version family, the number after it is the update level.
3. Open the support page of the update that failed. Search for its KB number on support.microsoft.com.
4. Read the OS builds in the page title, for example "OS Builds 26200.8655 and 26100.8655".
5. If the number before the dot matches and your number after the dot is the same or higher, your PC already has this update or a newer one.
6. Open Settings > Windows Update > Update history and check that the latest cumulative update is listed as installed.

Fix 2. Download the file that matches your Windows version and system type

15 minutesLow riskYour build is older than the update, or you are not sure which line of the Catalog you downloaded.

The Update Catalog lists one file per Windows version and per system type. A 24H2 file on a 25H2 PC, or an arm64 file on an x64 PC, contains no package for it, and the standalone installer stops with 0xc1900401.

1. Open Settings > System > About. Note System type (x64-based or ARM-based) under Device specifications.
2. Scroll to Windows specifications and note Version, for example 25H2.
3. Open the Microsoft Update Catalog and search for the KB number.
4. Pick the line whose title names your version and your system type, and select Download.
5. Restart the PC, then double-click the new .msu file and select Yes.

With screenshots of the Catalog: Install an update from the Microsoft Update Catalog

Fix 3. Reset the Windows Update cache so it checks again from zero

10 minutesLow riskUpdate history lists 0xc1900401, or the update fails both from Settings and from the file.

Windows Update keeps what it found and downloaded in C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution. When that record no longer matches the PC, it keeps offering an update with nothing to install. Renaming the folder, together with catroot2, makes Windows scan and download again.

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 after the services are started again.
• Open Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates.

Fix 4. Run the Windows Update troubleshooter

5 minutesNo riskFix 3 did not help, or you would rather let Windows check its update services first.

The troubleshooter checks the update services, their startup settings and pending operations, which a cache reset does not. It was the first step a Microsoft Q&A answer suggested for 0xc1900401 in Update history.

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. Install the new Windows version with the Installation Assistant or the ISO

1 to 2 hoursLow riskThe failing item is a feature update, a new Windows 11 version, and Fix 3 and Fix 4 did not help.

Both tools download the whole version as one package for your PC and run Setup from it. They do not depend on the package list that Windows Update says it cannot find.

1. Back up your important files first: Back up your files (Windows Backup, File History, Time Machine).
2. Open Microsoft's Download Windows 11 page.
3. Under Windows 11 Installation Assistant, select Download Now and run the file. Or download the Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO).
4. For the ISO, right-click it, select Mount, and double-click setup.exe.
5. Choose to keep personal files and apps, and keep the PC plugged in until Setup finishes.
6. After the last restart, open Settings > Windows Update and install what is left.

Fix 6. Repair the component store and system files with DISM and SFC

20 to 40 minutesLow riskSeveral different updates fail, not only one.

Windows decides which package applies from its component store. If the store's record of what is installed is wrong, updates can look as if they do not apply. DISM repairs the store; SFC then repairs system files from it. SFC alone, as the reader found, does not touch the store.

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 7. Reinstall the current Windows 11 version with Fix problems using Windows Update

1 hour or moreLow riskWindows 11, and updates still fail after Fix 1 to Fix 6.

This recovery option downloads a fresh copy of the version you run and reinstalls it, keeping apps, files and settings. It rebuilds the servicing records that decide which update packages apply.

1. Open Settings > System > Recovery.
2. Next to Fix problems using Windows Update, select Reinstall now.
3. Choose whether the PC may restart on its own, then select OK.
4. Keep the PC plugged in and online until it finishes.
5. Open Settings > Windows Update and check for updates.

More options, including Reset this PC: Reinstall Windows without losing files

If error 0xc1900401 is still there

First ask whether it is still a problem. If your build is current and Update history shows the latest cumulative update as installed, an old failed entry with 0xc1900401 can stay in the list and needs no action.

• What to send: the code 0xc1900401, the KB number or version that failed, and your OS build from winver.
• Say whether you opened an .msu file or the error came from Windows Update.
• Attach WindowsUpdate.log from Get-WindowsUpdateLog and C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log, and list the fixes you tried.

How to keep 0xc1900401 from coming back

Frequently asked questions

What does error 0xc1900401 mean?

It means Windows found no package in the update that it can install on this PC. Microsoft's setup error table names it MOSETUP_E_UA_NO_PACKAGES_TO_DOWNLOAD with the description "No packages to be downloaded." Most often the update is already included in a newer cumulative update on the PC, or the file is for another Windows version or system type. Nothing on the PC is damaged. Compare your build with the update's build first (Fix 1).

Why does the installer say it encountered an error 0xc1900401?

That message comes from the Windows Update Standalone Installer, which opens when you double-click an .msu file. It tells you the file holds no package for this PC. Run winver and compare your OS build with the builds on the update's support page. If yours is the same or newer, you do not need the file. If yours is older, download the Catalog line that names your version and system type (Fix 2).

What is the Windows Update Standalone Installer error 0xc1900401?

It is the same code shown by wusa.exe, the program that installs .msu files outside Windows Update. The installer reads the file, asks Windows which of its packages apply, and stops when none do. A common case is an out-of-band update installed by hand after a newer monthly update, as in a June 2026 Sysnative thread about KB5077744 on Windows 11 25H2. Check Fix 1 before anything else.

Is 0xc1900401 a Windows 11 or a Windows 10 error?

Both. The code comes from the same update engine and has the same meaning on Windows 11 and Windows 10 22H2. On Windows 10 it often appears when someone installs a Windows 11 file, or an old KB, by hand. Remember that Windows 10 22H2 is the last Windows 10 version and left support on 14 October 2025, so a PC that can run Windows 11 is better moved to it (Fix 5).

Why did SFC find nothing?

Because 0xc1900401 is not caused by damaged system files. SFC checks protected Windows files and repairs them from the component store. The error says only that the update had nothing to install for this PC, so SFC has nothing to find, which matches the reader's experience above. DISM in Fix 6 can help when several updates fail, because it repairs the component store, but for one update the build check in Fix 1 matters more.

Is it safe to ignore 0xc1900401?

Yes, when your PC already has a newer cumulative update. Check with winver and Update history: if the latest monthly update is installed, the failed one is not needed and the entry can stay in the list. It is not safe to ignore when your build is older than the update and no newer update is installed, because then the PC is missing security fixes. In that case use Fix 2 or Fix 3.

How do I know if I have x64 or arm64 Windows?

Open Settings > System > About and read System type under Device specifications. It says x64-based processor for most desktop PCs and laptops with Intel or AMD chips, and ARM-based processor for PCs with Snapdragon chips. The Microsoft Update Catalog lists both for most updates, and they are easy to mix up in the list. A file for the wrong type always fails, often with 0xc1900401.

Is it the same as error 0x1900401 or oxc1900401?

Yes. Both are typos of 0xc1900401: one drops the c, the other uses the letter o instead of the zero. The real code always starts with 0x, then C19, which marks Windows setup and update errors. If your screen shows 0xC1900101 or 0xC1900200, those are different codes with different meanings: a rollback during setup and a PC that does not meet the requirements.

I searched in another language. Does this page apply to me?

Yes. The error code is the same in every language of Windows; only the words around it are translated. If you asked "what is this error" or "how do I fix it", the short answer is: the update has nothing to install on your PC. Check your build with winver (Fix 1). If you run Windows 10, the same steps apply, with the Windows 10 paths given in Fix 4.