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Glitchary
the field guide to failure
0x800704226 troubleshooting stepsWindows Update

Windows error 0x80070422: the Windows Update service is off

0x80070422 is ERROR_SERVICE_DISABLED: the service cannot start because it is disabled. Nothing is corrupt — Windows Update has been switched off, usually by a policy, a tune-up tool or a deliberate change.

The short version

  1. 01Press Win+R, type services.msc and press Enter.
  2. 02Find Windows Update, right-click it and choose Properties.
  3. 03Set Startup type to Manual, select Start, then select OK.
  4. 04Check Background Intelligent Transfer Service the same way if it still fails.
  5. 05On a managed PC, check the policy that turns off access to Windows Update features.
  6. 06Stop and hand it to your administrator if the setting reverts after a restart.

Raw message

0x80070422 — ERROR_SERVICE_DISABLED

Likely causes

  • The Windows Update service set to Disabled rather than Manual or Automatic.
  • A “debloat” or tune-up script that disabled the service to stop updates.
  • A Group Policy turning off access to all Windows Update features.
  • The DisableWindowsUpdateAccess policy value set to 1 in the registry.
  • A dependency such as the Background Intelligent Transfer Service also disabled.
  • A managed device where updates are deliberately controlled elsewhere.

Tags

windowswindows-updateservicesgroup-policyerror-code