Fix Windows Update Error 0x80070005 ("Access Denied")

This guide is specifically for error 0x80070005 shown by Windows Update. Microsoft documents that Windows Update reports this code as 0x80070005 (E_ACCESSDENIED) when the update process cannot access a required file, folder or registry entry. The code identifies an access failure, but it does not identify the blocked item by itself. Follow the steps below in order; if the code appears in Microsoft Store, Activation or another app, use the matching support path in the table instead. See Microsoft's dedicated Windows Update 0x80070005 procedure.

Quick checklist

Confirm the error is in Windows Update, then restart
Run the Windows Update troubleshooter in Get Help
Confirm the system drive has working space
Review Protection History without allowing unknown items
Reset all three Windows Update services and cache folders
Repair the component store with DISM, then check with SFC
Retry the exact update and record its KB number

First confirm where the code appears

Where 0x80070005 appears	Use this path	Do not assume
Settings > Windows Update	Use this page and Microsoft's 0x80070005 update procedure	The code alone does not prove that antivirus, your account or one particular folder caused it.
Microsoft Store	Use Microsoft's Store app troubleshooting guide	Do not use this Windows Update component-reset sequence for a Store-only failure.
Windows activation	Use the Windows Activation troubleshooter	Do not change file permissions based on an Update guide.
A third-party application	Use that application's support instructions	0x80070005 is a general access-denied code, not one single diagnosis.

Before advanced repair: save your work and back up important personal files. Run the troubleshooter and restart first. The manual commands require an elevated Command Prompt; type them exactly, keep %windir% unchanged, and do not grant yourself new folder or registry permissions.

What error 0x80070005 means

For the Windows Update case, Microsoft identifies 0x80070005 as E_ACCESSDENIED. Its dedicated article lists incorrect permissions on update-related resources and interference from security or management software among the possible causes. You still need the location and context of the error before choosing a repair. Low storage is worth checking because updates need working space, but 0x80070005 alone does not prove that storage is the cause.

The 7 steps

Restart and retry

Confirm that 0x80070005 appears in Settings > Windows Update, save your work, then restart before changing update components.

Save your work and fully restart your PC (choose Restart, not Shut down).
Go to Settings → Windows Update and click Retry or Check for updates.
If it fails again, note the error code, failed update name and KB number shown in Update history.

Run the Windows Update troubleshooter in Get Help

On Windows 11, Microsoft's current first step is the automated Windows Update troubleshooter in the Get Help app. It runs diagnostics and may offer relevant actions; it does not guarantee a repair.

Open Start, search for Get Help, open it, and search for Windows Update troubleshooter.
Follow the prompts, restart when it finishes, then retry the same update.
If Get Help is unavailable, open Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters and select Run next to Windows Update if that option is present.

Microsoft reference: Windows Update Troubleshooter.

Confirm there is enough working space

Windows needs free space to download and install updates. Treat this as a prerequisite check: a low-space warning is useful evidence, but error 0x80070005 by itself does not prove that the drive is full.

Go to Settings → System → Storage and check your free space.
If Windows Update reports that more space is required, follow that prompt. You can also review Cleanup recommendations, but check every category before removing files.
Retry the update.

Microsoft reference: Free up drive space in Windows.

Review Protection History safely

A security product may have recorded a block or quarantine event near the failure time. Review the evidence without disabling protection or restoring an item you do not recognize.

Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Protection history, or the event/history page in your third-party security product.
Match the event time to the failed update shown in Settings > Windows Update > Update history.
Viewing threat details may require administrator privileges. If you are unsure about an item, leave it quarantined; do not choose Allow on device, restore it or create an exclusion.
If an event clearly names a Windows update file, verify it with Microsoft and your security vendor before taking any action.

Microsoft reference: Protection History in the Windows Security app.

Reset the Windows Update components

Microsoft's dedicated 0x80070005 procedure stops the Windows Update, Background Intelligent Transfer and Cryptographic services, then renames the two update-cache folders so Windows can create fresh ones.

Click Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt → Run as administrator.
Run the following commands one line at a time, in this order:
net stop wuauserv
net stop bits
net stop cryptSvc

ren %windir%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren %windir%\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old

net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start wuauserv
Close Command Prompt, restart your PC, and retry the update.
If a command returns an error, record the exact command and message. Do not delete these folders or run an unrelated permissions script to force the step.

Source: Step 3 of Microsoft's Windows Update error 0x80070005 procedure.

Run DISM, then check system files with SFC

Microsoft's 0x80070005 sequence repairs the Windows component store with DISM first. If the update still fails, SFC checks protected system-file integrity.

Open Command Prompt as administrator and run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth.
Let DISM finish. Restart the PC and retry the update.
If the same update still fails, open an elevated Command Prompt again, run sfc /scannow, and wait for verification to complete.
Read the final SFC message, restart, and retry the update. If DISM cannot find repair files, do not substitute an unverified download; use Microsoft's repair-source guidance or support.

Microsoft references: the dedicated 0x80070005 steps and the official DISM/SFC procedure.

Retry the exact update and escalate with evidence

If the update still reports 0x80070005, stop repeating the component reset. Record the exact failure so Get Help, your device administrator or Microsoft Support can follow the correct branch.

Open Settings → Windows Update → Update history and write down the failed update name, KB number, error code and approximate failure time.
Open Get Help, enter Windows Update 0x80070005, and provide those details when prompted.
If this is a work or school device, contact its IT administrator because policy or management software may control update access.
Do not take ownership of Windows folders, change registry permissions or disable security software based on a generic online script.

Primary Microsoft sources reviewed August 3, 2026: Windows Update error 0x80070005, Windows Update Troubleshooter, Troubleshoot problems updating Windows, Protection History, and the DISM/SFC procedure. This page deliberately limits itself to the Windows Update form of 0x80070005.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to rename the SoftwareDistribution folder?

Microsoft's 0x80070005 procedure renames the folder rather than deleting it, then Windows creates a fresh cache. This does not uninstall an already installed update, although the local Windows Update history display may be rebuilt. Use the exact %windir% commands in step 5 and stop if a command returns an error.

I see 0x80070005 in the Microsoft Store, not Windows Update. Do these help?

Do not use this page as the repair sequence for a Store-only failure. The code can appear in different products, but the correct workflow depends on where it appears. Use Microsoft's Fix problems with apps from Microsoft Store guide.

What if SFC says it couldn't fix some files?

Confirm that DISM in step 6 completed successfully before running sfc /scannow again. If DISM failed or SFC still reports files it could not repair, keep the exact final message and follow Microsoft's system-file repair guidance rather than downloading replacement system files.

Do I need to be an administrator for these fixes?

The manual commands in steps 5 and 6 require an elevated Command Prompt. That requirement does not prove that your account caused the original error. If you do not control an administrator account, ask the device owner or IT administrator to perform the advanced steps; do not change permissions to bypass them.

If an update is followed by Bad Image error 0xc0000020, a Start menu that will not open, or a taskbar that stopped working, follow the guide matching the visible symptom; do not apply all three branches.

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