The WSUS service, through which companies centrally receive and distribute Windows updates, faced a serious failure: the servers synchronized for hours or completed the operation along the time-out due to the accumulated metadata of Microsoft.
Microsoft has linked the failure to dotted metadata publications that describe the available updates. The company recorded a particularly strong deterioration in work since July 13, 2026. The problem is not related to the monthly release of Windows fixes.
Administrators use Windows Server Update Services to centrally download, validate and distribute updates within organizations. If WSUS cannot synchronize with Microsoft servers, companies are later redressed and test them longer before installation. As a result, vulnerable systems may remain unprotected longer than usual.
Microsoft stopped developing WSUS and in 2024 recommended moving to cloud-based updates management tools. The service remains supported and still works in many production environments.
On July 18, Microsoft implemented a protective measure for new and redesigned WSUS servers. After the change, such installations again began to synchronize in normal mode. However, the measure does not help the already working servers, which managed to accumulate problematic metadata.
For existing installations, Microsoft has published instructions for the safe removal of unnecessary metadata. The company transferred the problem to the status of solved on July 20. The failure affected a wide range of supported systems, including Windows 11, old Windows 10 and Windows Server 2012.
Administrators of the affected servers should perform manual cleaning of unnecessary metadata according to the instructions of Microsoft.
Microsoft has linked the failure to dotted metadata publications that describe the available updates. The company recorded a particularly strong deterioration in work since July 13, 2026. The problem is not related to the monthly release of Windows fixes.
Administrators use Windows Server Update Services to centrally download, validate and distribute updates within organizations. If WSUS cannot synchronize with Microsoft servers, companies are later redressed and test them longer before installation. As a result, vulnerable systems may remain unprotected longer than usual.
Microsoft stopped developing WSUS and in 2024 recommended moving to cloud-based updates management tools. The service remains supported and still works in many production environments.
On July 18, Microsoft implemented a protective measure for new and redesigned WSUS servers. After the change, such installations again began to synchronize in normal mode. However, the measure does not help the already working servers, which managed to accumulate problematic metadata.
For existing installations, Microsoft has published instructions for the safe removal of unnecessary metadata. The company transferred the problem to the status of solved on July 20. The failure affected a wide range of supported systems, including Windows 11, old Windows 10 and Windows Server 2012.
Administrators of the affected servers should perform manual cleaning of unnecessary metadata according to the instructions of Microsoft.
