Fix Error Code 0x80040154 on Windows 11

Recently, many people who have tried update Windows 11 on their computers, they have encountered a rather annoying problem. It is the error code 0x80040154 which prevents updates from installing correctly.

In many of the cases reported by those affected, this usually happens when system update components stop working or when third-party applications prevent updates from completing due to some interference.

Whatever the reason, in this post we are going to show you what you can do to resolve error code 0x80040154.

How to fix error code 0x80040154 on Windows 11?

In case you didn't know, many of the updates to Windows are an essential part of your operating systemThe reason for this is that such updates carry necessary and important security patches along with stability and bug fixes to improve your overall experience.

In addition to this, new features are usually added through updates, for this reason, updating your operating system is necessary, especially if you update Windows 11.

As we have been telling you, this problem is caused by third party software that are running in the background of your system. To help you better understand this situation, we are going to discuss the different methods you can apply to fix this error code.

Use Windows Update troubleshooter

One of the first things you can try to fix error code 0x80040154 is to run your operating system's update troubleshooter. Just so you know, one of the unique things about Windows is that it has a wide variety of built-in tools that allow you to fix the various problems that may arise.

It is precisely one of these troubleshooters that is designed to look for any flaws present in Windows updates.

So, you can try running the update troubleshooter to see if it can detect and resolve the problem. You just need to make sure that you follow each of the recommendations that we will give you right now to achieve this:

• First, open the Settings app. Windows pressing the Windows key + I on your keyboard.

• Then, in the System tab, scroll down and click on the option Solve problems provided.

• Now on the Troubleshoot screen, you have to click on the option Other troubleshooters.

• There, you will see a list of the different troubleshooters that are available to you.
• Search Windows Update and click on the button Run.

• Wait for the troubleshooter to finish and then see if the problem is resolved.

Reset Windows Update components

There are many services that Windows puts into practice when downloading and installing operating system updates on your computer. For this reason, if any of these components responsible for updating your system does not work as expected, the updates will not be installed. The result of this is error code 0x80040154.

In this scenario, it is best to reset your system's update components. Generally speaking, this allows the services to restart, so if one of them is not working properly, it should now do so correctly. In order to successfully reset these update components, you just need to follow each of these steps:

• To get started, open the start menu and search cmd. Right-click on the result displayed and from the drop-down menu, choose the option Run as administrator.

• This allows the so-called to start symbol of the system as administrator.
• Once you've done that, enter the following commands one by one:

net stop bits

net stop wuauerv

net stop appidsvc

net stop cryptsvc

• This allows each of the Windows Update services to be stopped.
• After that, you will need to delete all the files qmgr *.dat created by the BITS service. Now, you have to enter this command inside the command prompt window:

From «%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader\*. *»

• Write Y and then press Enter in the next message.

• Once you've done that, we'll rename some folders where downloaded updates are stored. Do this by entering the following commands one by one:

Ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old Ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old

• Once you do the above, you just need to restart each of the services. To do this, you need to make sure to enter these commands one by one:

net start wuauserv

net start cryptSvc

net start bits

net start msiserver

• Once the services are back up, try updating your system again to see if the issue persists.

Install the update manually

Another option that may work for you is to manually install the update that is causing the error. Although this is not exactly a repair method, it is an alternative that can successfully eliminate the error.

In case you didn't know, Microsoft has a web portal from where you can download each of the updates released so far. With such a robust update catalog, you can download any update that is causing you problems and then install it manually. To do this, just take note of the following recommendations:

• First, head over to the Microsoft Update Catalog website by clicking here 

• There, search for the update through the search bar provided. You can search for the update by providing the value of KB.
• After that, download the update for your respective system by clicking on the button Download provided.
• Once the update has downloaded, run the file to install the update on your system.

Perform a clean boot

As we have mentioned, one of the causes that can trigger this error code is interference from third-party applications that tend to run in the background. This can include the third-party security program you have installed on your system or anything in general. The really difficult part is finding the application that is causing this error.

Therefore, to make sure that the problem is caused by a third-party application, you can perform a clean boot. Boot Clean basically starts Windows with only the required services running in the background, meaning all third-party applications are disabled.

You can try updating your system in a clean boot to see if that works. Follow the steps below:

• First, you need to open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R on your keyboard.
• Inside the Run dialog box, you have to type the command msconfig and then press the Enter key.
• This will open the System Configuration window. There, switch to the Services.
• On the Services tab, check the checkbox Hide all Microsoft services provided.
• Follow that by clicking on the option Disable all and then press the button Apply.
• After doing that, switch to the tab Home and click on the option Open Task Manager.
• In the Task Manager option, select the applications one by one and then click on the button Deactivate provided.
• Once you've successfully done this, go ahead and reboot your system.
• After your PC starts up, try running the updates again to see if the problem persists.