WSUS sync delays hit Windows updates as Microsoft works on fix

Microsoft says it is still working to fix a Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) issue that has disrupted synchronization for more than a week, preventing some organizations from deploying the latest Windows updates through WSUS or Configuration Manager.

Introduced nearly 20 years ago, WSUS lets IT teams manage Microsoft product updates from a local server instead of having every device pull updates directly from Microsoft’s infrastructure. By default, WSUS synchronizes with Microsoft Update once a day to download update metadata. On affected servers, that sync process is either delayed or timing out.

According to Microsoft, the problem affects both client and server platforms, including Windows 10, version 1607 and later and Windows Server 2012 and later.

“Organizations might experience increased synchronization times or sync operation timeouts on WSUS servers. This issue began in recent days, with heightened impact observed starting July 13, 2026,” Microsoft said in a Windows health dashboard update.

Microsoft said it deployed mitigation measures on Saturday to stop the issue from affecting newly installed or rebuilt WSUS servers. The company says synchronization has now been restored for those fresh installations and rebuilds.

Previously affected WSUS servers are a different story. Microsoft said it is still developing additional mitigation steps to help customers safely remove the affected metadata from their environments.

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This is not the first WSUS disruption in recent years. One year ago, in May, Microsoft fixed a similar problem after enterprise customers reported WSUS errors while updating Windows 11 22H2/23H2 systems. The company also addressed another WSUS synchronization issue in July 2025, followed by a separate fix one month later for a bug that blocked delivery of the August 2025 security update through WSUS.

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