The Windows Update service (wuauserv
) enables the detection, download, and installation of updates for Windows and other programs. If this service is disabled, users of this computer will not be able to use Windows Update or its automatic updating feature, and programs will not be able to use the Windows Update Agent (WUA) API.
If the Windows Update service is missing in the Services MMC console in your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer, use the registry fix in this article to restore it.