Windows 11 KB5068861 Not Installing For Many; Throws 0x800f0983 Error Code

Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 update (KB5068861), released on November 11, 2025, is reportedly failing to install for many users.

The update, supposed to bump 25H2 and 24H2 systems to respective Build 26200.7171 and 26100.7171, is throwing the error code 0x800f0983, leaving users frustrated across Reddit and other forums.

A quick search across the comment on this Reddit post, first seen by Windows Report, hints that issue isn’t limited to one or two users, but has affected multiple users. No wonder, users are quite frustrated about the issue. To be honest, it has been a pattern since last few months. Every new update comes with some kind of error or bug.

Some users claiming their PCs became unbootable after repeated installation attempts. We can confirm that common troubleshooting steps like SFC /scannow and DISM /RestoreHealth haven’t work to fix KB5068861 not installing error.

One user specifically noted that after multiple failures, Windows got stuck in a recovery loop, even disabling USB input devices in the recovery environment. The issue isn’t limited to desktops by the way. We earlier reported on similar installation errors on devices like the ROG Ally X running Windows 11.

Microsoft has not yet issued an official acknowledgment or fix for the KB5068861 installation issue. But, affected users are advised to pause updates temporarily until a stable patch is released.