Windows Update Error 0x80248007 — What It Means & How to Fix It

What Does This Error Mean?

Windows Update error 0x80248007 means Windows cannot find the metadata (information file) for an update. Metadata is the information Windows downloads first to figure out what updates are available and what they need. When this file is missing or cannot be found, Windows Update cannot proceed. This is often a temporary server issue, but can also be caused by a corrupted local update cache.

Affected Models

Windows 10
Windows 11
Windows 8.1

Common Causes

Microsoft's Windows Update servers temporarily returned empty or invalid metadata
The local Windows Update cache is corrupted and contains invalid metadata files
Windows Update services are not running correctly on your PC
A specific Windows Update is in a transition state on Microsoft's servers
An update agent component (wuauserv) is outdated or has an internal error

How to Fix It

Wait 30 minutes and try Windows Update again. This error sometimes occurs when Microsoft's servers are processing updates or under heavy load. It can resolve itself quickly without any action needed.

0x80248007 is one of the more common temporary errors during major Windows Update rollouts. Trying again later is often all that is needed.
Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter. Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other Troubleshooters > Windows Update > Run. It will check for service issues and try to reset the update components.

The troubleshooter resets the Windows Update service state and cache, which fixes many metadata errors automatically.
Clear the Windows Update download cache. Open Command Prompt as Administrator. Run: 'net stop wuauserv' to stop the Windows Update service. Then delete all files in C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download. Then run: 'net start wuauserv' to restart it.

Invalid or incomplete metadata files in the download cache cause this error. Deleting them forces Windows to download fresh metadata on the next update check.
Restart the Windows Update service and related services. Press Win + R, type 'services.msc' and press Enter. Find 'Windows Update', right-click it, and select Restart. Do the same for 'Background Intelligent Transfer Service' and 'Cryptographic Services'.

All three of these services work together to download and verify updates. Restarting all three clears any service-level errors that cause metadata failures.
Run DISM to repair the Windows Update stack. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and type: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth — let it complete fully and restart your PC.

Corrupted Windows Update components can cause persistent metadata errors. DISM repairs the component store that the update process depends on.

When to Call a Professional

If error 0x80248007 persists for more than a day and affects all updates, contact Microsoft Support. This error can sometimes be caused by a backend issue on Microsoft's update infrastructure that only Microsoft can resolve. For enterprise environments, check whether your WSUS or update deployment server has any metadata sync issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is update metadata and why does Windows need it?

Before Windows downloads an update, it first downloads a small metadata file that describes the update. This file tells Windows: what the update contains, how large it is, what prerequisites it needs, and how to verify it. If this metadata file is missing, invalid, or cannot be retrieved, Windows does not know what to download — so it stops and reports an error.

Is error 0x80248007 dangerous?

Not directly. It means updates are not installing — but your existing Windows installation is not damaged. The risk is that if the issue persists for a long time, you miss security patches. Resolve it as soon as you can, but there is no need to panic. Your PC continues working normally while this error appears.

Can I manually download and install Windows Updates?

Yes. Visit the Microsoft Update Catalog at catalog.update.microsoft.com. Search for the KB number of the update you want (from Settings > Windows Update > View Update History). Download the update directly and double-click the file to install it manually. This completely bypasses the Windows Update service and is useful when the service has persistent errors.