Windows Update error 0x80073712, explained and fixed

0x80073712 means the component store, the Windows Side-by-Side (WinSxS) library every update draws from, is in an inconsistent or corrupt state. It appears while installing cumulative updates and features, when the new package finds the store it must merge into is damaged.

The fix, in order

  1. Run DISM’s restore first. Admin Command Prompt: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. This is the tool built for exactly this code; it downloads clean component copies and rebuilds the store’s consistency.
  2. Follow with SFC. sfc /scannow repairs the system files that the now-healthier store vouches for. Restart when both finish.
  3. Clean up superseded components. DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup clears out old component versions that sometimes hold the inconsistency, then retry the update.
  4. Run the Windows Update troubleshooter. Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters → Windows Update → Run. It catches stopped services, cache problems, and registration faults automatically.
  5. Reset the Windows Update components. In an admin Command Prompt, stop the services: net stop wuauserv, net stop cryptSvc, net stop bits, net stop msiserver. Rename C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution to SoftwareDistribution.old and C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 to catroot2.old, then restart the four services with net start. This rebuilds the download cache and the update database from scratch.
  6. Install the failing update manually. Note its KB number from Settings → Windows Update → Update history, find it in the Microsoft Update Catalog, download the package matching your Windows version and architecture, and run it. This bypasses the download machinery and reports clearer errors if it still fails.

If it still happens

If DISM itself fails (it can report it could not find source files, error 0x800f081f), give it the installation media as its source: mount the Windows ISO for your exact build and run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:D:\sources\install.wim /LimitAccess with your mounted letter. Past that, an in-place repair install is the reliable rebuild of the whole store.

Common questions

Can I just delete the WinSxS folder to fix it? No. WinSxS is not a cache, it is the component library Windows is assembled from, and deleting it breaks the system. DISM cleanup and repair are the supported ways to shrink or heal it.

Does 0x80073712 mean my drive is failing? Not necessarily; store corruption is usually a software event, an interrupted update or a crash during servicing. But if corruption keeps returning after clean repairs, check the drive’s health, because a disk quietly mangling files will keep producing this code.

Related errors

Windows Update error 0x800f081f · Windows Update error 0x800f0988 · Windows Update error 0x80070490