When you try to update Windows 11 through Update Center, you may receive an error “Installation could not be completed because the update service is shutting down”, which is related to the failure of the Update Service service or the shutdown of this service.
How to Fix “We could not complete the installation because an update service was shutting down” error in Windows 11
1. Troubleshooting
Microsoft has a unique tool that checks and fixes update-related services. Go to the Microsoft site and download “Windows Update Troubleshooter”. After starting the device, do all steps in order.
2. Restarting the WU service
Press Win + R and then type services.msc to open services. At the very bottom, find the Windows Update service and double-click on it. Make sure the startup type is Automatic, then click Start if possible. If it is already running, stop and restart it.
3. Third-party antivirus
If you use third-party antivirus software, disable it for a while and check if the system is updated. In addition, the best thing is to remove the third-party antivirus since the firewall built into the antivirus can work even when the mode is disabled and block the connection to the Microsoft servers.
4. Fix WU base
Run Command Prompt as administrator and enter the commands below by pressing Enter after each one. Next, restart your PC and see if the “Installation could not be completed because the update service is shutting down” error has been resolved.
net stop wuauserv net stop cryptSvc net stop bits net stop msiserver Ren C: \ Windows \ SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.mvp Ren C: \ Windows \ System32 \ catroot2 Catroot2.mvp net start wuauservnet start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver
5. Checking system files
We will restore damaged system files, if any. To do this, run a command prompt as administrator and enter the commands below, waiting for each process’s end.
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sfc /scannow
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DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
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DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
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DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
6. Update with MediaCreationTool
You can update your system using the MediaCreationTool by downloading it from the Microsoft website. Click “Download Tool Now” and run the utility. Select “Update this PC now”, and the system will be updated to the latest version, thus avoiding the error.
