Windows 10 Setup Stuck at 46? Follow the Guide to Fix It!

Windows 10 Setup Stuck at 46

Windows 10 is the latest Windows operating system and many people choose to use it. However, it’s not perfect. You will also encounter many problems when using it, especially when you update the system, such as Windows 10 update stuck on restarting, Windows 10 stuck on loading screen, Windows update stuck at 100, etc.

Today, we are talking about another issue – Windows 10 setup stuck at 46. Let’s see the case that users have met.

Ahh, Windows 10. I have tried to install Windows 10 twice. Both times the install hung at 46% with installing features and drivers at 37%. I spoke with Microsoft technical support and was told once to “let the install run”. After 13 hours I rebooted, and tried again, I was told I need the Windows Updates. The second install went identical to the first, hanging at the same percentages.                                   from answers.microsoft.com

Now, it’s time to see how to fix the “Windows 10 setup stuck at 46%” issue with the below-listed troubleshooting guide.

How to Fix Windows 10 Setup Stuck at 46

Before you try the following solutions, you had better remove any external device connected to the PC and disconnect any device connected via USB like mouse or keyboard, portable hard disk, etc.

Since your PC is stuck on the setup screen, you should restart your computer in Safe Mode before you do any operations. Windows 10 recovery bootable media like a DVD/USB bootable drive can be used to enter WinRE to enter into Safe Mode. Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Insert the Windows installation CD/DVD or USB bootable drive to your computer, and start your PC.

Step 2: Enter the BIOS. 

Step 3: Choose the DVD or USB flash drive as the first boot device and boot your PC from the device.

Step 4: Click Repair your computer to enter into WinRE successfully.

Now, you can continue to enter Safe Mode.

Step 1: From the Choose an option screen, click Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings.

Step 2: Then, click the Restart button. Now, there are multiple options for the startup. You need to press the F4 key to enable Safe Mode.

Now your PC will restart in Safe Mode. Then, you can try the methods to fix the “Windows 10 setup checking for updates stuck at 46” issue.

Fix 1: Turn off Antivirus Software

The antivirus software can cause the “Windows 10 setup getting updates stuck at 46” error. Thus, you need to turn off Windows Defender Firewall and third-party antivirus software. Now, let’s see how to turn off Windows Defender Firewall.

Step 1: Open the Run application on Windows and input firewall.cpl, then click OK to open Windows Defender Firewall.

Step 2: Click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off to open the Customize Settings.

Step 3: Choose both the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall(not recommended) options and press the OK button.

Then you need to disable third-party antivirus software, like Avast. Follow this post – Best Ways to Disable Avast for PC and Mac Temporarily/Completely to disable it.

After that, you can run the Windows update again and check if the “Windows 10 setup stuck at 46” issue has been fixed. If not, try the next solution.

Fix 2: Free up Space

Windows updates could use a lot of disk space. Thus, you can fix the “Windows 10 setup stuck at 46” issue by freeing up hard drive space. Here is how to do it:

Step 1: Search for Control Panel in the Search box. Click the Programs and Features section.

Step 2: Right-click the program that you want to uninstall to select Uninstall. Then follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the program to get more space.

This could help free up lots of space if you have many unused programs on your computer. Then, check to see if the “Windows 10 setup stuck at 46 getting updates” issue has been fixed.

Also see: 10 Ways to Free up Disk Space in Windows 10 

Fix 3: Perform a Clean Boot

Software conflict can also cause the issue. Thus, you can perform a clean boot to get rid of the issue. To perform a clean boot, you need to do:

Step 1: Type msconfig in the Run box, and click OK.

Step 2: Then go to the Services tab. Check the Hide All Microsoft Services box.

Step 3: Now, click the Disable all button, and click Apply to save the change.

Step 4: Navigate to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.

Step 5: In the Task Manager tab, select the first enabled application and click Disable. Here you need to disable all enabled applications one by one. After disabling all programs, close Task Manager and click OK.

Then, you can restart the computer to update Windows again. If the “Windows 10 setup stuck at 46” error doesn’t occur in a clean boot state, then it indicates that one of the programs was causing the error.

Fix 4: Run Windows Update Troubleshooter

If the “Windows 10 setup checking for updates stuck at 46” error still appears, you can use the Windows Update Troubleshooter. You can refer to the step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Press the Windows key and I key together to open the Settings application.

Step 2: Then go to the Troubleshoot tab and choose Windows Update.

Step 3: Click Run the troubleshooter to continue. Then the Windows Update Troubleshooter will start detecting problems. It may take some time.

Step 4: Then click Apply this fix.

Then Windows Update Troubleshooter will continue detecting and fixing the problem. When the whole process is finished, you are required to reboot your computer to take effect and run Windows update again to check whether the issue is solved.

Fix 5: Rename SoftwareDistribution Folder

The next method for you is to rename the SoftwareDistribution folder. Here is how to do that:

Step 1: Type Command Prompt in the Search box, then right-click the first result to choose Run as administrator.

Step 2: Now type the following commands one by one to stop Windows Update Services and then press Enter after each one:

net stop wuauserv

net stop cryptSvc

net stop bits

net stop msiserver

Step 3: Next, type the following command to rename SoftwareDistribution Folder and then press Enter:

ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old

Step 4: Finally, type the following commands one by one to start Windows Update Services and press Enter after each one:

net start wuauserv

net start cryptSvc

net start bits

net start msiserver

Reboot your PC and check if the “Windows 10 setup stuck at 46” issue has gone.

Fix 6: Repair Corrupted System Files

If the methods above are not working, you can use SFC (System File Checker) and DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) to fix your Windows system files to get rid of the “Windows 10 setup getting updates stuck at 46” error.

SFC is a tool that can scan your system and repair any corrupted files. However, when SFC isn’t able to get the errors, DISM can help you do this work. It will perform a thorough search of your system and fix the corrupted files.

Here is how to use SFC to fix corrupt system files:

Step 1: Input Command Prompt in the search bar and click Run as administrator from the context menu.

Step 2: Type the following command and press Enter.

sfc /scannow

After the verification is 100% completed, you can check the scan results to see if there are some errors found.

If SFC cannot fix the issue, you can use DISM to fix the corrupted system files, read this post – Repair Windows 10 Image with DISM and Other Useful Tips for DISM.

That is all the information on how to fix the “Windows 10 setup stuck at 46” issue. Watch this video if you are seeking for a more intuitive guide:

My Windows 10 setup stuck at 46 and I didn’t know how to fix it. Thanks to this post, it helped me solve the issue. I’d like to share it with more friends. Click to Tweet

Back up System

After getting rid of the“Windows 10 setup stuck at 46” issue, what should you do? It’s recommended to create a system image to restore your system when it crashes.

Referring to create a system image, there is a piece of fantastic and professional backup software for you – MiniTool ShadowMaker. It is pretty easy and safe to back up and restore your system. In addition to backing up your operating system, you can also use MiniTool ShadowMaker to back up files and folders, disks, and partitions.

Now, you can download it and have a try.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Here is how to back up your system with MiniTool ShadowMaker:

Step 1: Launch MiniTool ShadowMaker and click Keep Trial to continue.

Step 2: After you enter its main interface, go to the Backup page.

Step 3: MiniTool ShadowMaker selects system related items by default. Thus, you just need to choose the backup destination.

Step 4: Go to the Backup page. Click Back up Now to start creating a system image.

Step 5: Wait for MiniTool ShadowMaker to finish backing up the operating system.

Bottom Line

To sum up, this post has introduced 6 solutions to fix the “Windows 10 setup stuck at 46” issue. If you come across the same issue, try these solutions. If you have any better solution to fix the issue, you can share it in the comment zone.

After fixing this problem, it is recommended you create a system image. If you have any problem when using the MiniTool program, please feel free to contact us via the email [email protected] and we will reply to you as soon as possible.

Windows 10 Setup Stuck at 46 FAQ