In this post, I will show you how to fix the Windows Update error 0x80070643 that occurs when you attempt to install the latest updates on Windows 11/10 devices. The error 0x80070643 can be resolved using different methods, which will be covered in this guide.
I ran across issue 0x80070643 on my Windows 11 PC when I was downloading the most recent updates. The update was stuck installing for a few minutes and finally resulted in error 0x80070643.
In the screenshot below, you can see the 0x80070643 error appears while installing the Windows Defender antivirus definition updates. The complete error message is as follows: “There were some problems installing updates, but we’ll try again later. If you keep seeing this and want to search the web or contact support for information, this may help: (0x80070643).”
Many users on Reddit and Microsoft forums also reported the error Failed to install on [specific date] – 0x80070643 while installing the cumulative and security updates on their Windows 10 and 11 PCs.
To be honest, there are numerous reasons why you may encounter this error, but the error code is crucial to figuring out what’s wrong. Not to worry, I’ll outline some crucial steps you can take to resolve error 0x80070643.
Resolving Windows Update Error 0x80070643
The Windows update error 0x80070643 (-2147023293) translates to a fatal error during installation. This error can occur when system files are corrupted, a Microsoft .NET Framework installation is corrupted, or there are problems with the Windows Defender component.
Now that you know why the error code 0x80070643 occurs on a Windows PC while installing the updates, let’s go through some solutions that can help you resolve this issue.
Solution 1: Retry Updates Installation
It is advised to attempt installing the failed update again if you encounter a 0x80070643 error when installing updates.
In the screenshot below, we see the update failed to install, resulting in error code 0x80070643. Click on the Retry button and see if Windows is successful in installing the update. If this doesn’t work, proceed to the next solution.
Solution 2: Update the .NET Framework
.NET Framework corruption is one of the common reasons why you may encounter error 0x80070643 on a Windows device. In such cases, you can either repair .NET Framework components using a repair utility or manually download and install the latest .NET version.
In general, you should not uninstall any versions of the .NET Framework that are installed on your computer because an application you use may depend on a specific version of the Dot NET Framework.
To update the .NET framework on your computer, follow these steps:
- Browse to the .NET Framework website and download the latest version.
- Run the Dot Net Framework setup and complete the installation.
- Restart your computer, as it is required.
- Now, run the update again, and it should be successfully installed without displaying the error code 0x80070643.
Also Read: Deploy Dot Net Framework 3.5 using ConfigMgr
Solution 3: Run Windows Update Troubleshooter
Using Windows Troubleshooter is another option to address error code 0x80070643. This utility will run on your computer and notify you of any problems with Windows update components.
You can run the Windows update troubleshooter on your Windows 11 computer with the following steps:
- Right-click the taskbar’s Start icon to select Settings.
- Scroll down on the System tab to select Troubleshoot.
- Click Other Troubleshooters to view the troubleshooters.
- Then select the Run option for Windows Update.
The Windows update troubleshooter scans for issues related to Windows updates and attempts to fix them. The troubleshooter can identify the errors, such as 0x80070643 and resolve them. Normally, a restart is recommended after running the Windows update troubleshooter.
Solution 4: Run SFC Scan
The SFC (System File Checker) scan locates the corrupted files and fixes them after scanning. If you are encountering Windows update error code 0x80070643, I recommend using the System File Checker to scan Windows and restore your files.  Moreover, running this can also assist in fixing the mentioned update error.
To run the SFC scan on the computer with error code 0x80070643, follow the steps below:
- Click Start, type “Command Prompt” and select Run as administrator.
- Enter the command sfc /scannow.
- The sfc /scannow command will scan all protected system files and replace corrupted files with a cached copy that is located in a compressed folder at %WinDir%\System32\dllcache.
On my Windows PC, after running the SFC scan, it found the errors and fixed them. The SFC scan output had the following message: “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.”
After the sfc scan is completed, restart your computer; the error 0x80070643 should now be resolved.
Solution 5: 0x80070643 – ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE
Installing the KB5034441 update on Windows 10 with a Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) partition that’s too small fails with error 0x80070643 – ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE.
The update requires 250 MB of free space in the recovery partition to install successfully. If the recovery partition does not have sufficient free space, this update will fail with error code 0x80070643.
This is a known issue that occurs on Windows 10 versions 21H2 and 22H2. To avoid this error, Microsoft recommends manually resizing your partition before installing the WinRE update. Refer to the following article by Microsoft that contains the instructions to manually resize your partition to install the WinRE update.
Solution 6: Reset Windows Security
At the beginning of the post, I mentioned that the 0x80070643 error appears while installing the Windows security app updates. This is correct; in some cases, the Windows Security app may prevent the installation of updates, resulting in error code 0x80070643. Because you cannot uninstall the Windows security app, you can instead reset it to resolve the update error.
The Windows Security module is a built-in component in Windows 10 and 11. You can reset the app with a few easy steps.
Click Start and launch the Settings app. Navigate to System > System Components. In the search box, type “Windows Security” to locate the app. Click on the three-dot menu button, and select Advanced Options.
Scroll down to the Reset section and click on the Repair button. This action will repair the Windows Security component files and resolve the issues.
Once the process is complete, close the Settings app and rerun Windows Update.
Solution 7: Manually cleanup the SoftwareDistribution folder
If Windows Update isn’t working, and you are experiencing error 0x80070643, it could be caused by a problem with the SoftwareDistribution folder, and I will show you how to clean up the SoftwareDistribution folder on your Windows PC.
The Software Distribution folder contains several files related to Windows updates. Whenever the components or files get corrupt, you may encounter errors while downloading new updates. Deleting certain folders in the SoftwareDistribution folder will resolve these issues.
Perform the following steps to clear the SoftwareDistribution folder on a Windows PC:
- Launch File Explorer by pressing the Windows+E keys on your keyboard.
- Press Ctrl+L at the same time to access the Address Bar, type in %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution, then press the enter key. This will open the SoftwareDistribution folder.
- Inside it, locate the DataStore and Download folders and delete the contents of both folders.
- Reboot your computer, and the update installation should work properly.
Solution 8: Reset Windows Update Components
If none of the above solutions work, you can try resetting the Windows Update components. To accomplish this, open an elevated command prompt and run the following commands:
net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver
ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old
net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver
After running these commands, try installing the update again. I hope this permanently fixes the error 0x80070643.
