Error 0x80070002: The System Cannot Find the File Specified

What Error 0x80070002 Means in Plain English

Error 0x80070002 looks alarming because Windows says, 'The system cannot find the file specified.' In this case, the missing file is not one of yours. Windows Update went to open a download or cache file it expected to find, could not find it, and stopped the update.

Your photos, documents, and other personal files are not deleted or damaged by this error. Windows is missing a file from its own update system, so your folders are not the problem and you do not need to search them. That worrying wording is about Windows Update's own files.

This usually happens after a download was interrupted or did not finish completely. It can also happen when a file in the update cache folder is damaged, so the set of files Windows has no longer matches the set it expects.

That is why the fix on this page is a cache reset, not a hunt for the missing file. The reset clears out the incomplete set and lets Windows Update download a fresh, complete set. If an update failed with this code, you are in the right place.

Before You Reset Anything: Three Quick Checks

Restart your PC once, make sure you're back online, then open Windows Update in Settings and select Check for updates. A fresh attempt sometimes clears a stalled download, so wait for this check to finish. If the update installs this time, you don't need to do the reset.

Next, write down the KB number shown beside the failed update. It starts with KB and is followed by numbers, so copy it exactly as it appears. Keep the note handy after the PC restarts. You'll use it later to confirm whether that same update installed.

Before you start, plug the PC in and plan to leave it on. A laptop should stay connected to power, and the PC should not be shut down while you work or while Windows downloads fresh files. Don't close the lid or force a shutdown during that download.

Reset the Update Cache on Windows 11: Step by Step

Reset the Update Cache on Windows 11: Step by Step

If your PC runs Windows 11, follow this section. The hands-on work takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The fresh download afterward can take 15 to 45 minutes, depending on the update and your connection.

Work through the steps in order and do not skip the service stops. If you rename the folders while the services are still running, Windows may block the change or keep using the damaged update cache.

1. Select the Start button, type Services, and select Run as administrator. Select Yes if Windows asks for permission.
2. Find Windows Update in the list and double-click it. Select Stop, then wait until the Service status line no longer says Running.
3. Do the same for Background Intelligent Transfer Service, often shortened to BITS. Also stop Cryptographic Services, because Windows will not let you rename the Catroot2 folder while it is running.
4. Open File Explorer and go to C:\Windows. Find the SoftwareDistribution folder, right-click it, select Rename, and change its name to SoftwareDistribution.old. Select Continue if you are asked for permission.
5. Next, go to C:\Windows\System32 and rename the catroot2 folder to catroot2.old. Renaming deletes nothing personal and can be undone. The old folders stay in place, beside the clean copies Windows creates later.
6. If Windows says a folder is in use, close File Explorer, return to Services, and check that all three services above are stopped. Then try the rename again.
7. Return to the Services window. Start Cryptographic Services, Background Intelligent Transfer Service, and Windows Update, in that order. To start each one, double-click its name and select Start.
8. Close both windows, then restart the PC. Select Start, then Power, then Restart. Sign in again when the restart finishes.
9. Open Settings, select Windows Update, and select Check for updates. Windows will create clean SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders and download the update files again from the start.
10. Watch for the KB number you noted earlier. Let it download and install, and select Restart now if Windows asks. The percentage may pause for several minutes. That is normal.

Success looks like this: Windows Update no longer shows error 0x80070002, and the message changes to You're up to date. To confirm it, check Settings, then Windows Update, then Update history, where the KB should be listed as successfully installed.

Reset the Update Cache on Windows 10 With ESU: Step by Step

Follow this section if your PC runs Windows 10 and gets its security updates through the Extended Security Updates program, called ESU for short. Use these steps instead of the Windows 11 steps. Doing both sets will not help, and the screens are in different places.

If you're not sure which version you have, press the Windows key + R, type winver, and press Enter. The window that opens shows Windows 10 or Windows 11 near the top. Close it, then follow only the section that matches yours.

1. Type services in the search box on the taskbar, and open the Services app. Find Windows Update, Background Intelligent Transfer Service, and Cryptographic Services in the list.
2. Right-click each of those three services, one at a time, and select Stop. Leave the Services app open. You'll come back to it in step 4.
3. Open File Explorer and go to C:\Windows. Right-click the SoftwareDistribution folder, select Rename, and change its name to SoftwareDistribution.old. Then go to C:\Windows\System32, and rename the catroot2 folder to catroot2.old. Select Continue or Yes if Windows asks for permission.
4. Go back to the Services app. Right-click Cryptographic Services and select Start. Do the same for Background Intelligent Transfer Service, and then for Windows Update.
5. Restart the PC. Select the Start button, then Power, then Restart. Wait for Windows to load, and sign in as you normally do.
6. Open Settings, then Update & Security, then Windows Update. Select Check for updates. Windows will download a fresh set of update files, so let the download and install finish in full.

The hands-on part takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The fresh download can take 15 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the update and your connection. Keep the PC plugged in while it runs.

You will know it worked if error 0x80070002 does not come back and the update finishes installing. On the Windows Update screen, select View update history and look for the KB number you noted earlier, listed as successfully installed.

From then on, ESU security updates should arrive and install normally, including on later Patch Tuesdays, with no extra step from you. If your problem is enrolling in ESU in the first place, this reset will not fix it. See the ESU Enrolment Failed page for that problem instead.

If Error 0x80070002 Is Still There After the Reset

If error 0x80070002 is still there after the reset

Run the built-in Windows Update Troubleshooter once, then try again. This tool checks Windows Update settings and the services the update needs, using only tools already in Windows. On Windows 11, go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters > Windows Update > Run. On Windows 10, go to Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters > Windows Update. Then run Check for updates once more.

If a different error code appears now, that is progress. It means the missing file problem behind 0x80070002 is gone, and the new code points to a different cause. Write down the new code exactly as shown. Do not repeat the cache reset. Follow the fix for the new code instead.

If 0x80070002 stays and the same update keeps failing, try that update on its own. This is the last step to try here. Go to catalog.update.microsoft.com, search for the KB number you noted earlier, and download the version that matches your Windows version. Double-click the downloaded file to install it, restart the PC, then check for updates again.

Keeping the Next Update From Failing the Same Way

Keep your PC plugged in while an update downloads and installs, and let it finish on its own. Do not force a shutdown or close the lid mid-update. An interruption like that can leave a download incomplete, which is how this cache problem often starts.

Restart your PC regularly instead of only putting it to sleep. A restart lets pending update work finish cleanly and clears small stalls before they build up. Once a week is a simple habit for most people.

Leave Windows Update settings and services as they are. Avoid tools that promise to tidy, fix, or speed up updates, since stopping or changing those services can break the next download. Windows already has what it needs.

One time with 0x80070002 does not mean your PC is failing. It was a cache problem, not a hardware warning. With a fresh cache in place, the next Patch Tuesday update should go through normally.