Windows 11 upgrade failed? These are my 4 most powerful troubleshooting secrets

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When Home windows decides that it’s not thinking about finishing an improve, it may be maddeningly unhelpful, spitting out error codes and cryptic messages that may depart even consultants scratching their heads.

Additionally: Find out how to improve your ‘incompatible’ Home windows 10 PC to Home windows 11 – at no cost

That may occur with a routine Home windows 11 characteristic replace, but it surely’s particularly irritating once you’re attempting to put in Home windows 11 on an older PC earlier than Home windows 10 help ends.

Through the years, I’ve had a number of follow with this kind of factor, together with a whole lot of e-mail periods with readers attempting to determine why their improve is not working. The troubleshooting course of can generally be tedious, however there’s normally a solution.

1. Examine for lacking updates, particularly firmware

I’ve heard from a number of readers who encountered points with upgrading that had been resolved after they tracked down some essential driver and firmware/BIOS updates.

Additionally: Microsoft mentioned these 400 readers could not improve to Home windows 11. They did it anyway

That is an particularly helpful piece of recommendation for those who’re working with an older PC. These firmware and BIOS updates can usually resolve all kinds of issues — large and small.

2. Search for recognized points

It is all the time a good suggestion to do that earlier than you begin the improve. However for those who forgot that step, the second-best time is once you run into an error message whereas upgrading.

Microsoft retains an inventory of recognized points for every main replace at its Home windows launch info dashboard. Develop every entry on the left to see the listing of recognized and resolved points for supported releases of Home windows.

Additionally: Cannot improve your Home windows 10 PC? You’ve 5 choices – and simply weeks to behave

Recognized points are probably to look within the first few months after the discharge of a brand new characteristic replace. Incompatibilities with software program and {hardware} can lead Microsoft to impose momentary compatibility blocks (generally known as “safeguard holds”) for methods with these explicit configurations.

You would possibly be capable of bypass one in every of these blocks by updating or uninstalling an incompatible program, otherwise you would possibly need to defer that replace till the blocking challenge is resolved. You may discover a wonderful dialogue of the problems concerned with safeguard holds on this web page. Though it is nominally about one particular safeguard maintain, the 4 options it describes are common.

3. Attempt once more!

That is dangerously near “Have you ever tried rebooting?” However this trick has labored so many instances that it will probably’t be ignored.

First, test Home windows Replace on your at present put in model of Home windows. If any updates are pending, set up them and restart earlier than persevering with.

Additionally: Find out how to get free Home windows 10 safety updates by October 2026: Two methods

Subsequent, briefly uninstall any unneeded software program that could possibly be getting in the way in which. Pay particular consideration to low-level system instruments similar to antivirus software program, disk administration instruments, and so forth. Within the case of antivirus software program, you would possibly have to obtain a instrument from the developer to utterly take away this system.

Disconnect all non-essential peripheral gadgets, particularly exterior exhausting drives and USB flash drives that you just’re not utilizing to run Setup.

After doing all that, restart your PC and attempt to improve once more. On the opening web page, click on “Change how Setup downloads updates,’ then click on “Not proper now.”

If that does not get issues transferring, it is time to get away the large weapons.

4. Use the SetupDiag instrument to trace down an error

Home windows creates detailed log information every time it makes an attempt an improve. These logs aren’t designed to be decoded by mere mortals, which is why Microsoft created a diagnostic utility to do this job for you.

SetupDiag locates and inspects these log information, then makes use of a algorithm to create a readable report flagging the probably reason for the failure. You may have to run a number of instructions from a terminal window to get that report, however the course of is not tough and the outcomes are definitely worth the effort. Here is use it.

1. Obtain this system from right here: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=870142.

2. Create a folder referred to as C:SetupDiag and duplicate the SetupDiag.exe program you simply downloaded to that folder.

3. Subsequent, open an elevated command immediate window. Click on Begin, sort cmd, after which click on Run As Administrator. In that command immediate window, sort cd c:setupdiag and press Enter to change to the folder you simply created

4. Run the command SetupDiag.exe /Output:C:SetupDiagResults.log. The output of that command is a plain textual content file that’s saved in the identical folder as this system file. As its last step, the app opens the outcomes file in Notepad, permitting you to look at its output and determine what to do subsequent.

Do not anticipate plain-English recommendation, however the outcomes, particularly any error codes, needs to be helpful enter for any searches to establish others who’ve had the identical challenge.

Here is a pattern from a SetupDiag log a reader just lately despatched me.

The final merchandise on that web page usually identifies the error. On this case, it is an “abrupt down-level failure,” which implies one thing went unsuitable within the supply OS, earlier than Setup even obtained to the goal OS. The error code, 0xC1900209, is listed in this detailed help doc: “The consumer has chosen to cancel as a result of the system doesn’t cross the compat scan to put in the replace.”

The repair was to inform Setup to not obtain updates and drivers; after making that change, the improve accomplished with out error. As soon as Home windows 11 was put in, the required updates put in with out challenge.

You may discover full directions for utilizing SetupDiag on this web page.

Word: This text was initially printed in 2020 and lined Home windows 10 improve points. It was utterly rewritten to cowl Home windows 11 improve situations and republished in September 2025.