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Fix Disk Cleanup stuck on Windows Update Cleanup in Windows 10

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If the disk Cleanup Utility stuck at cleaning Windows Update Cleanup in Windows 10, try this to fasten the process.

You may be using third-party PC Optimization tools to wipe junk files and browser history, but sometimes, you need to turn to Windows built-in Disk Cleanup utility to clean crucial system files such as Windows Update and Previous Windows installation files.

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Fix Disk Cleanup stuck on Windows Update Cleanup in Windows 10

If you’ve ran Disk Cleanup and selected C drive to clean up the System files and checked ‘Windows Update cleanup’ for deletion, the utility may get stuck at some point and does not progress further, then you’ve to do the below things.

I. Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter:

  1. Open Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot
  2. Select ‘Windows Update’ and ‘Run the Troubleshooter’ and allow Windows Update to download and install the updates in the background if any that are pending.

After running the Windows Update Troubleshooter, check if Disk Cleanup process completes or not.

II. Visit ‘C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution’ folder and delete all the files and folders in it.

III. Wait for the Disk Cleanup to complete cleaning the Windows Update files.

Disk Cleanup in Windows 10 reports Windows Update Cleanup of 3.99 TB size

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Agga says

    Which folder do i delete files from??
    Datastore?
    Download?
    Postreboot?
    SLS?
    4 hours 25 min of searching to find that if i type in google fix for win 10 it gives me post priorities from 2013 pretty sure win 10 wasnt out in 2013
    Which folder do i delete frm plz
    I think the only fix is get rid of win 10 it annoying

  2. D.V.N. Sarma says

    Is it safe to remove all the files and folders in ‘C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution?
    There will be no problems later on?

  3. oofty says

    Even the troubleshooter hangs (hang on “initlaizing the diagnostic”)
    What should i DO?

    • Venkat says

      Have you tried to follow the next steps mentioned in the article to see disk cleanup to complete.

      • THGhost says

        My disk cleanup hanged, the troubleshooter hanged and deleting everything in C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution did nothing. After starting the disk cleanup again it now says that the Windows Update Clean-Up was deleted (all 8GB of it), by the free space on my C drive hasn’t changed. What’s going on?

  5. asd says

    probably windows.old was an empty folder, hence space wasn’t added when it was deleted finally.

  7. Eva Natas says

    It doesn’t stuck. It just can take very long time to accomplish. Go to make some coffee or .. When you get back on your PC you see the clean-up is done.

  8. Dominic Anfiteatro says

    Before you can delete “C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution” the Windows Update service and the BITS service has to be stopped because these lock the folder. Open a command prompt as Administrator by typing CMD in the search pane next to the Start icon in the taskbar. Right click the CMD and choose “Open as Administrator”. In the command window type the following two commands one after the other:
    net stop wuauserv (press enter)
    net stop bits (press enter)

    Now you can delete the “C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution” folder.
    Next you need to restart the two serves you stopped with the following commands:
    net start wuauserv (press enter)
    net start bits (press enter)