What is WU-0x80070020?
Windows Update Error 0x80070020 is a medium-severity Windows operating system issue. The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process. This occurs when Windows Update attempts to modify or copy critical system files that are locked by a background program or third-party security software. The steps below are ordered to resolve this efficiently.
Common Causes
- Third-party antivirus or real-time protection suites locking temporary update folder components.
- Stale update installation processes still running in the background and locking log directories.
- Disk indexing services or search assistants actively locking system folders during the installation phase.
Step-by-Step Fix Guide
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1
Restart your PC in a Clean Boot state to disable third-party startup program locks.
This step, "Restart your PC in a Clean Boot state to disable third-party startup program locks.", specifically rules out third-party antivirus or real-time protection suites locking temporary update folder components.
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2
Temporarily disable real-time protection shields of your third-party antivirus client.
If earlier steps didn't help, "Temporarily disable real-time protection shields of your third-party antivirus client." directly addresses third-party antivirus or real-time protection suites locking temporary update folder components.
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3
Stop background update installer services and restart the update process.
"Stop background update installer services and restart the update process." targets third-party antivirus or real-time protection suites locking temporary update folder components, one of the documented causes of WU-0x80070020.
Commands & Diagnostics
net stop wuauserv
taskkill /f /im trustedinstaller.exe
net start wuauserv
Frequently Asked Questions
In most cases, third-party antivirus or real-time protection suites locking temporary update folder components is behind WU-0x80070020. Stale update installation processes still running in the background and locking log directories and disk indexing services or search assistants actively locking system folders during the installation phase can trigger it too.
Try "Restart your PC in a Clean Boot state to disable third-party startup program locks" first — it resolves most WU-0x80070020 cases on its own. Only work through the rest of the guide above if it comes back.
As a medium-severity issue, WU-0x80070020 is more of a stability annoyance than a hardware risk — the steps above should clear it up.
Usually. WU-0x80070020 is fixable with the steps above; a full Windows reinstall is rarely necessary unless everything else has failed.
Sometimes. Microsoft regularly releases patches that fix known BSOD triggers including WU-0x80070020. Make sure Windows is fully up to date via Settings → Windows Update before attempting more advanced fixes.
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