What is Windows 11 KB5026446 Update Error & How to Fix It?

About Windows 11 KB5026446 update

Windows 11 KB5026446 update addresses various issues and provides improvements such as security patches, bug fixes, and sometimes feature enhancements, especially provides the total amount of storage capacity of all your Microsoft OneDrive subscriptions, and adds Bluetooth LE Audio.

Why Windows 11 KB5026446 update error happen?

Some users have reported an update error associated with this particular update, known as the Windows 11 KB5026446 update error. This error can manifest in different ways, including the update failing to install, an endless reboot loop, or system crashes.

There can be several reasons why this update error occurs:

1. Incompatible hardware or software
Certain hardware configurations or outdated device drivers may conflict with the update, preventing it from installing successfully. Similarly, certain third-party software applications may interfere with the update process.

2. Corrupted system files
If there are corrupted system files on your computer, it can cause issues with the update process, including the KB5026446 update error.

3. Insufficient disk space
The update process requires sufficient free space on your system drive (usually the C: drive). If there isn't enough space available, the update may fail to install.

4. Network or connection issues
Interruptions in internet connectivity or proxy server settings can affect the download and installation of the update, leading to errors.

8 ways to fix Windows 11 KB5026446 update error

No matter what reason makes your Windows 11 have KB5026446 update error, the most important thing is how to fix this issue to make sure your system can complete this update.

Keeping your Windows 11 operating system up to date is crucial for maintaining system stability and security. By default, Windows Update is set to automatically download and install updates to ensure your device remains safe and performs optimally.

Way 1. Perform Windows update troubleshooter

If you encounter issues with the Windows 11 KB5026446 update, restart your computer Sometimes, a simple restart can resolve temporary glitches and refresh the operating system, potentially fixing common problems. After restarting, check for updates again.

Step 1. Press the Windows key + X and select "Settings."

Step 2. Click on "System," then select "Troubleshooting" from the right pane.

Step 3. Navigate to "Additional Troubleshooters" and locate "Windows Update."

Step 4. Click "Run" to initiate the troubleshooter, which will automatically detect and resolve update-related issues on your computer.

Way 2. Check your Internet connection

Ensure your PC has a stable internet connection to download Windows 11 update files from Microsoft servers. Try restarting your wireless router or modem to resolve any network connectivity issues.

Step 1. Check your WiFi signal strength, and move your laptop closer to the router if needed.

Step 2. Verify that your Ethernet cable is connected securely.

Additionally, you can reset your network adapter to resolve any network-related issues:

Step 1. Go to "Settings" and select "Network and Internet."

Step 2. Click on "Advanced network settings."

Step 3. Select "Network reset" and then click on the "Reset now" button.

Step 4. Confirm by clicking "Yes."

Way 3. Release storage space on system disk

Insufficient storage space is a common issue that can cause Windows update installations to get stuck or fail. If your system drive doesn't have enough available space, you may encounter errors when trying to update Windows 11. To resolve this, freeing up hard drive space is necessary.

To efficiently increase your hard drive space, we recommend using AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. This powerful tool offers a simple and fast solution to extend your system drive using unallocated space from another drive including the ability to resize, move, and merge partitions without data loss. And you can scan your disk to clean all unneeded files to reclaim more space.

With its user-friendly interface, you can easily manage your disk partitions and ensure you have sufficient space for Windows 11 updates.

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Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional (PA Pro). The fresh interface displays the conditions of the physical disk.

Step 2. As we can see from the graphic view, there is enough unused space on D drive, so we’d like to allocate free space from D drive to C drive. Right-click D drive and select "Allocate Free Space".

Step 3. In the pop-up window, we could specify the free space to be allocated, and the destination partition that the free space will be added to.

Step 4. View "Pending Operations" on the sidebar in case of corrections and then click "Apply" on the toolbar to execute pending operations.

In addition to extending your system drive, AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional provides a range of other useful features, such as moving installed apps to release space on C drive, disk cloning to upgrade disk without reinstalling system, and migrating your operating system to a new drive. These tools can help you optimize your disk space and improve overall system performance.

Way 4. Repair system files

If the system files on your computer become corrupted, it can lead to Windows Update failures. Running SFC and DISM commands can help you identify and replace any corrupted files on your PC.

Step 1. Press the Windows key, type cmd in the search bar, and click it to run as administrator,

Step 2. Run the DISM restore health command DISM/Online/Cleanup-Image/RestoreHealth

Step 3. After completing 100% scan command execution, run the System File Checker command sfc /scannow.

Step 4. Restart your PC when done, and try installing the Windows 11 update again.

Way 5. Clean boot Windows 11

Starting Windows 11 in clean boot mode eliminates any potential conflicts between startup software and services, ensuring a smooth update process.

Step 1. Press Windows key + R, type msconfig, and click OK.

Step 2. Navigate to the Services tab in the System Configuration window.

Step 3. Choose the box next to Hide all Microsoft services and click the Disable All button.

Step 4. Then, navigate to the Startup option and click on Task Manager.

Step 5. In the Startup tab, click on each entry and disable them individually.

Step 6. Exit Task Manager and return to the Startup tab in the System Configuration window, then select OK.

Way 6. Restart the Windows Update Service

Ensure that the Windows Update and its associated services are running properly. If the update service fails to start or unexpectedly stops running, it could potentially cause issues when attempting to install updates for Windows 11.

Step 1. Press the Windows + R, and type services.msc in the Run box. To launch the Windows Services console, click OK.

Step 2. Locate the Windows Update service, right-click it, and select Restart.

Step 3. If the service is not started, double-click the Windows update service to open its properties.

Step 4. Here, select automatic in the startup type option, and then press start.

Step 5. To save the changes, click Apply and then OK.

Way 7. Reset Windows Update components

Another thing to fix this problem is that you can reset the Windows update components on your PC.

Step 1. Open and run Command Prompt (CMD) as administrator. Then, type the following command lines:

• net stop bits
• net stop wuauserv
• net stop appidsvc
• net stop cryptsvc

The above command stops Windows Update and its related services.

Step 2. Now press Windows key + E to open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution.

Step 3. Open the Downloads folder and then delete all files and folders inside the Downloads folder. (To delete them, you can press ctrl + A to select all, then press Del.)

These are updated cache files; Windows Update will download new files from Microsoft servers the next time you check for updates.

Step 3. Now restart Windows Update and its related services by running the following command:

• net start bits
• net start wuauserv
• net start appidsvc
• net start cryptsvc

Step 4. Afterward, restart Windows 11 and try to install the update again.

Way 8. Manually install Windows 11 updates

You have the option to download offline installer packages for Windows Updates from the Microsoft Update Catalog. This allows you to install updates directly from there. If you're still experiencing difficulties with the installation of the update, we would recommend attempting a manual download and installation.

Step 1. Press Windows key + X and select Settings.

Step 2. Go to Windows Update, then click Check for Updates for Windows Updates that are not installed, and note the KB numbers of the updates you find.

Step 3. Download Windows 11 KB5026446.

Step 4. Now open one of your browsers and navigate to the Microsoft Update Catalog.

Step 5. Search for the specific security update with the error, and click Download.

Step 6. Then find the downloaded update file and run it as administrator.

Conclusion

In this article, we list some solutions for you to solve the Windows 11 KB5026446 update error. Among these errors, running the Windows Update troubleshooter is the fastest way to troubleshoot Windows 11 KB5026446 update installation issues. Also, you need to ensure free storage space on your C drive and internet connection speed to download updated files from Microsoft servers. Running DISM Recovery Health and a System File Checker scan to find and repair system files may resolve the issue.