3 steps to fix RuntimeBroker.exe errors in Windows 10

by Ivan Jenic

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April 23, 2019

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Some people have recently reported that they’re unable to to check for updates on Windows 10 due to a RuntimeBroker.exe error.

Namely, the update process will get stuck at a certain point. When you check for details, the following error message will appear:

• RuntimeBroker.exe. The group or resource is not in the correct state to perform the requested operation.

There are a couple of ways to deal with this error, and we’re going to show you exactly what to do to fix it for good.

What to do if the group or resource is not in the correct state

Here are three quick solutions to fix RuntimeBroker.exe errors when installing Windows updates:

1. Run WU Reset Script
2. Manually reset Windows Update Components
3. Run the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter

Solution 1 – Run WU Reset Script

We’ve recently wrote about a special script which resets all Windows processes related to updates, and deals with various update errors.

And this script should be more than helpful for solving this update error. To find out more about Windows Update Reset Script, and to download it, check out this article.

Solution 2 – Manually reset Windows Update Components

If running the WU Reset Script didn’t get the job done, or you don’t want to use it for some reason, you can try to manually reset Windows Update Components, and see if the problem is fixed.

Performing a reset will fix corrupt Windows Update Components, and help you to install Windows Updates normally.

To manually reset Windows Update Components, follow these instructions:

1. Right-click on the Start Menu button, and choose Command Prompt (Admin)
2. Stop the BITS, Cryptographic, MSI Installer and the Windows Update Services, to do this, enter the following commands into the Command Prompt, and press Enter after you type each command:
   • net stop wuauserv
   • net stop cryptSvc
   • net stop bits
   • net stop msiserver
3. Now rename the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders. You can do that type the following commands in the Command Prompt, and press Enter, after entering each command:
   • ren C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
   • ren C:WindowsSystem32catroot2 Catroot2.old
4. Now, restart the BITS, Cryptographic, MSI Installer and the Windows Update Services. To do that, type the following commands in the Command Prompt, and press Enter after you type each command:
   • net start wuauserv
   • net start cryptSvc
   • net start bits
   • net start msiserver
5. Close the Command Prompt, and restart the computer

3. Solution 3 – Run the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter

Another method to fix this problem is to simply use the Update Troubleshooter. You can launch it either from Control Panel or directly from the Settings page.

Simply run the troubleshooter, wait until it has completed the scan, restart your computer and check if the issue persists.

That’s it, I hope these solutions helped you with your update problem. If you have any comments, or questions, just reach for the comment section below.

For additional solutions, check out these guides:

• Potential Windows Update Database Error Detected [FIX]
• Fix: We couldn’t connect to the update service Windows 10 error
• Fix: We Couldn’t Complete the Updates/Undoing Changes in Windows

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published November 2015 and has been since updated for freshness, and accuracy.