{"id":10993,"date":"2026-02-13T09:18:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T09:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/howtogeek.blog\/nl\/?p=10993"},"modified":"2026-02-13T09:18:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T09:18:20","slug":"how-to-resolve-issues-when-windows-updates-and-settings-fail-to-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/howtogeek.blog\/nl\/how-to-resolve-issues-when-windows-updates-and-settings-fail-to-open\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Resolve Issues When Windows Updates and Settings Fail to Open"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dealing with Windows Update and Settings app not opening is pretty frustrating, especially when you rely on them for critical updates or tweaking your system. Sometimes, it\u2019s just a glitch, other times it\u2019s because some system files or registry entries got corrupted or disabled. The good news is that there are several ways to fix this, and most don\u2019t require a full reinstall. These steps tend to work across various Windows setups, though weird things can happen on some machines \u2013 like Settings suddenly wanting admin rights or refusing to launch after an update. It\u2019s kind of annoying, but it\u2019s solvable.<\/p>\n

How to Fix Updates and Settings Not Opening in Windows<\/h2>\n

Enable or Re-enable the Settings App and Control Panel Access<\/h3>\n

This is a common culprit when Settings or Windows Update refuse to launch. Reasons vary from accidental registry tweaks to Windows bugs. Basically, if Windows thinks you’re not allowed to see the Settings or Control Panel, it just won\u2019t open them. Re-enabling access can do the trick.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Press Windows Key + R<\/strong>, type regedit.exe<\/code>, and press Enter<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  2. Navigate to the registry location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Policies\\Explorer<\/strong>.\n

    If you don\u2019t see an Explorer<\/strong> key here, right-click on Policies<\/strong>, choose New > Key<\/strong>, and name it Explorer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. Look for a DWORD named NoControlPanel<\/strong>. If it exists, double-click it and set the value to 0<\/strong>.\n

    If it doesn\u2019t exist, right-click in the blank space, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value<\/strong>, and name it NoControlPanel<\/strong>. Then, set it to 0.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. Close the registry editor. Then, press Windows Key + R<\/strong>, type gpedit.msc<\/code>, and hit Enter<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  5. Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  6. Open Prohibit access to Control Panel and PC Settings<\/strong> and set it to Disabled<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  7. Finally, restart your PC. Once it\u2019s back up, try launching Settings or Windows Update again. It\u2019s a bit of a dance, but usually, this unlocks access.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    From experience, on some setups, these registry or group policy tweaks aren\u2019t enough or don\u2019t stick right away. Rebooting a couple of times or rechecking the settings sometimes helps. Because Windows is always playing hard to get.<\/p>\n

    Reinstall the Settings App via PowerShell<\/h3>\n

    When Settings app files get corrupted, reinstallation can clear out the cobwebs. You\u2019ll need PowerShell running as admin for this one. It\u2019s straightforward but might feel a little risky if you\u2019re not used to command-line stuff.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Press Windows Key + R<\/strong>, type powershell<\/code>, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter<\/strong> to run as administrator.<\/li>\n
    2. Once PowerShell opens, run this command \u2014 it gently reinstalls the immersive control panel (that’s the Settings app):<\/li>\n
      Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register \"$Env:SystemRoot\\ImmersiveControlPanel\\AppXManifest.xml\"<\/code><\/pre>\n
    3. You might see some verbose output, but that\u2019s normal. Once done, close PowerShell and check if Settings or Windows Update now open. Sometimes, this just resets the app\u2019s files back to a working state.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      Run Windows Update Troubleshooter Using Command Line<\/h3>\n
      If Windows Update is acting up, running the built-in troubleshooter can help. But if it\u2019s busted or not opening, you can do the next best thing\u2014use Windows\u2019 own update commands via PowerShell or Command Prompt.<\/p>\n
        \n
      1. Open PowerShell as admin again.<\/li>\n
      2. To check for updates manually, run:<\/li>\n
        Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate Get-WindowsUpdate Install-WindowsUpdate -AcceptAll -AutoReboot<\/code><\/pre>\n
        This method downloads and installs updates without relying on the GUI. On some setups, it can bypass whatever is blocking the usual update process.<\/p>\n<\/ol>\n
        Alternatively, in command prompt, try these commands:<\/p>\n
          \n
        • UsoClient StartScan<\/code><\/li>\n
        • UsoClient StartDownload<\/code><\/li>\n
        • UsoClient StartInstall<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          These are quick and dirty, but sometimes enough to get the system updating again.<\/p>\n
          Create a New User with Admin Privileges<\/h3>\n
          If your current user profile is corrupted or has some setting blocking access, creating a fresh admin account sometimes clears the obstacle.<\/p>\n
            \n
          1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.<\/li>\n
          2. Create a new user with:<\/li>\n
            net user NewUser Password123 \/add<\/code><\/pre>\n
          3. Then promote this new user to admin:<\/li>\n
            net localgroup administrators NewUser \/add<\/code><\/pre>\n
          4. Log out, switch to the new profile, and see if Settings and Update work now. On some systems, bugs are tied to user profiles rather than the whole OS.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
            Uninstall Windows Updates That Might Be Causing Problems<\/h3>\n
            Sometimes, a new update is the actual villain. Bugs in rolled-out updates can break parts of Windows, including the Settings app. Removing recent updates can help diagnose or fix the issue.<\/p>\n
              \n
            1. Open Command Prompt as admin.<\/li>\n
            2. Check installed updates with:<\/li>\n
              wmic qfe list full \/format:table<\/code><\/pre>\n
            3. Identify the latest KB update that might be causing trouble, then uninstall it like so:<\/li>\n
              wusa \/uninstall \/kb:5020672<\/code><\/pre>\n
               (with 5020672 replaced by the actual HotFixID).<\/p>\n
              If Windows prompts for restart, do it and then test if the Settings app opens.<\/p>\n<\/ol>\n
              Perform a Windows System Reset or Restore<\/h3>\n
              If all else fails, resetting Windows can fix deep systemic issues. It\u2019s a pain because it can wipe out apps and customizations, but sometimes it\u2019s the only fix left. You can also try restoring to a previous restore point if you made one before the trouble started.<\/p>\n
                \n
              1. Type rstrui<\/code> in the Run box (Windows Key + R<\/strong>) to open System Restore.<\/li>\n
              2. If restore points are available, pick one from before the issues began, and follow the prompts to restore.<\/li>\n
              3. Otherwise, you can reset Windows completely: press Windows Key + R<\/strong>, type systemreset -factoryreset<\/code>, and hit Enter.<\/li>\n
              4. Choose whether to keep files or wipe everything (if you have backups, choose wipe).<\/li>\n
              5. Let Windows do its thing\u2014this can take a while, but it\u2019s often the last reset button.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                Almost always, these fixes can get your Windows back to a usable state when the update or Settings app refuses to open. Just keep in mind that some steps (like resetting) can be disruptive, so back up your data if needed. Fingers crossed this helps, and don\u2019t be surprised if it takes a couple of tries or reboots to stick.<\/p>\n
                Summary<\/h2>\n
                  \n
                • Reset registry or group policy settings to re-enable access.<\/li>\n
                • Reinstall Settings app with PowerShell.<\/li>\n
                • Run updates via command line or PowerShell scripts.<\/li>\n
                • Try creating a new admin user if profile issues are suspected.<\/li>\n
                • Uninstall recent Windows updates that might be causing conflicts.<\/li>\n
                • Reset or restore Windows if everything else fails.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                  Wrap-up<\/h2>\n
                  Most of the time, a combination of these steps will bring back the Settings and Windows Update working again. It\u2019s not always straightforward, but patching the system or rebuilding a profile often does the trick. Because Windows is kinda nice when it works \u2014 just sometimes making it do what you want is the tricky part. Hopefully, this shaves off a few hours for someone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
                  Dealing with Windows Update and Settings app not opening is pretty frustrating, especially when you rely on them for critical updates or tweaking your system. Sometimes, it\u2019s just a glitch, other times it\u2019s because some system files or registry entries got corrupted or disabled. The good news is that there are several ways to fix […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-to"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/howtogeek.blog\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/howtogeek.blog\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/howtogeek.blog\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/howtogeek.blog\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/howtogeek.blog\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10993"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/howtogeek.blog\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10994,"href":"https:\/\/howtogeek.blog\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10993\/revisions\/10994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/howtogeek.blog\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/howtogeek.blog\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/howtogeek.blog\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}