Windows 10 April 2018 Update Problems: How to Fix Them

If you have experienced any Windows 10 April 2018 Update problems since downloading and installing the major update, then you’ve come to the right place, as we’re constantly updating this article with fixes to the most common problems.New issues concerning the Chrome web browser not working after installing the Windows 10 April 2018 Update have come to light, so we’ve added a fix to this guide.Unfortunately, it’s a fact of life that immediately after the release of a major operating system update some things go wrong. The huge amount of Windows PCs out there, and their different configurations, means problems and issues can – and do – arise.If you’ve encountered a Windows 10 April 2018 Update problem that we haven’t covered, follow and tweet us and we’ll do what we can to find a solution.

How to fix Windows 10 April 2018 Update installation problems

A number of people who are using Windows Update to download and install the Windows 10 April 2018 Update are experiencing problems. Windows 10 has a troubleshooter that can help identify any problems. This can also reset the Windows Update app, which can help kickstart the installation. To do this, click the Start menu, then click the cog icon on the left, which will open up the Settings window. Click ‘Update & Security’ then ‘Troubleshoot’. Click on ‘Windows Update’ then ‘Run the troubleshooter’ and follow the instructions, and click ‘Apply this fix’ if the troubleshooter finds a solution.

1. Free up disk space

Some people are also experiencing problems where the update process works for a while, then reaches a certain point and stops installing the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, reverting back to a previous version of Windows 10.If that doesn’t work, and you still cannot install the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, then you may need to free up some space on your hard drive.The April 2018 Update requires 16GB of free space for the 32-bit version, while the 64-bit version needs 20GB on the hard drive where Windows 10 is installed. If you do not have this space on your hard drive, then the April 2018 Update will fail.So, the first thing you should do if the Windows 10 April 2018 Update install fails is to check your drive space in Windows Explorer. If it is running out of space, try typing in “Disk Clean-up” in the search box on the taskbar and select the system disk (usually the C: drive).

Click ‘OK’ then select the tick boxes of the files you want to delete. These should be safe to remove, but remember you can’t retrieve them once they’re gone. You’ll be told how much space you’ll save. Click ‘OK’ then ‘Delete files’ to remove the files. If you want to create more space, click ‘Clean up system files’.Once that’s done, try downloading and installing the Windows 10 April 2019 Update again.

2. Disable anti-virus software

If you have antivirus software installed, try disabling that before trying to install the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, as that may fix the problem. You should then enable it and use it normally once the installation has completed.You may even need to uninstall the software temporarily. Just make sure that you reinstall it once the April 2018 Update installs successfully.

3. Reset the update

If you are still experiencing problems when trying to install the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, then you may need to reset the update service and try again.To do this, open up the Command Prompt by typing in ‘CMD’ into the searchbar and right-clicking on ‘Command Prompt’. Select ‘Run as administrator’.Once open, type in the following, pressing Enter after each line:

net stop wuauserv
net stop bits
net stop cryptsvc
Ren %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution\SoftwareDistribution.bak
Ren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 catroot2.bak
net start wuauserv
net start bits
net start cryptsvc

Afterwards, restart your PC and try installing the April 2018 Update again.

4. Install the Windows 10 April 2018 Update via USB

If you’re still having trouble downloading and installing the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, you should try installing it from a USB drive. You’ll need a blank DVD or a USB stick to add the installation files, with at least 5GB of spare space. If you don’t have a spare drive, check out our list of the best USB flash drives 2018. Download and install the tool, then open it up and agree to the license terms. On the ‘What do you want to do?’ page, select ‘Create installation media for another PC’ then click ‘Next’. Select the language, edition and 32-bit or 64-bit version, then select either ‘USB flash drive’ or ‘ISO file’, depending on whether you’re installing from a USB drive or from a DVD (select ISO file for this).You can download the Windows 10 April 2018 Update 1803 (64-bit) ISO image directly from Microsoft.There is also the Windows 10 April 2018 Update 1803 (32-bit) ISO file available if you have older 32-bit hardware.Once the tool has formatted and created the installation drive, you can restart your PC, boot from the drive and install the Windows 10 April 2018 Update from scratch. Our How to install Windows 10  guide will show you how.

Chrome keeps crashing after installing Windows 10 April 2018 Update

We’ve been seeing reports that the Chrome internet browser is encountering issues with the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, with some users experiencing crashes while trying to browse the internet.It looks like Microsoft is aware of the issue, but Google has not commented so far. Hopefully a patch will release soon, but until then some people have found the following works:Install the 17134.5 update via the cumulative update KB4135051 and then run the Command Prompt as an Administrator and enter:

dism /online /add-package /packagepath:%homepath%\downloads\Windows10.0-KB4135051-x64_22fd6a942c7b686a5434bcc8dfc87f3379c99437.cab

On-screen keyboard no longer works in Windows 10 April 2018 Update

Some people have been reporting that after updating to Windows 10 April 2018 Update, their on-screen keyboard, which is used to type with on a touch-screen device, no longer works.To fix this, open up the Settings app, then go to ‘Devices’ and click on ‘Typing’ in the left-hand menu.Under ‘Touch keyboard’ make sure that ‘Automatically show the touch keyboard in windowed apps when there’s no keyboard attached to your device’ is enabled.If it is, try disabling it, then re-enabling it.You may also need to turn it on by going to Settings > Ease of Access, then selecting ‘Keyboard’ and making sure ‘On-Screen Keyboard’ is set to ‘On’.

Microphone no longer works with Windows 10 April 2018 Update

Some people have noticed that their Microphone no longer works after installing the Windows 10 April 2018 Update. To fix this, go to Settings and then look under ‘Privacy’ to make sure apps can access the microphone.

ALT + TAB is laggy in games

Some people have noticed that if you’re playing a game and then press ALT + TAB on the keyboard to minimise the game and return to the Windows 10 desktop, then your PC may start to slow down dramatically.This seems to be an issue with the new ‘Focus Assist’ feature, so go to Settings > System then click on ‘Focus Assist’ and turn off every option.

How to fix Windows 10 April 2018 Update Media Creation Tool problems

The Media Creation Tool is a handy app made by Microsoft that allows you to install the Windows 10 April 2018 Update using a USB drive or DVD. However, some people have encountered problems when using it.If the Media Creation Tool becomes stuck when trying to download the Windows 10 Windows 10 April 2018 Update files, try closing then restarting the Media Creation Tool app, and instructions. Once the app has downloaded the files, quickly disconnect your PC from the network (either remove the Ethernet cable or turn off your Wi-Fi adaptor). The installation should continue (without checking the internet for more files) and once it’s complete you can reconnect to the internet. Finally, open up Windows Update (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update) and click ‘Check for Updates’ to download the final files.Some people are receiving a ‘DynamicUpdate’ error message when using the Media Creation Tool. To fix this, open File Explorer and go to C:\$Windows.~WS\Sources\Windows\sources.You should see an app called Setupprep.exe. Double-click it to launch the update program.

How to fix ‘The update isn’t applicable to your computer’ error

If you try to install the Windows 10 April 2018 Update and you get an error message that reads ‘The update isn’t applicable to your computer’, then you’ll need to make sure you have all the latest Windows updates installed.To do this go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and click on ‘Check for updates’. Install all the updates that are found, then try installing the Windows 10 April 2018 Update again. 

Nvidia GPU settings are missing after installing the Windows 10 April 2018 Update

Some people have noticed that their Nvidia graphics card is not being shown in Windows 10’s Device Manager screen, nor are their options to change its settings.To fix this, download the latest Nvidia driver update from the GPU maker’s website.

How to fix problems that stop Windows 10 April 2018 Update from finishing the install

There’s nothing more frustrating than seeing an update seemingly install without a problem, and then getting an error message at the last moment.Some people are reporting that they’re seeing ‘Error: We couldn’t complete the updates. Undoing changes. Don’t turn off your computer’ and ‘Error: Failure configuring Windows Updates. Reverting changes’ messages, which prevent Windows 10 April 2018 Update from finishing the install process.You can check to see what went wrong by go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and clicking ‘Update history’.This should show you any problems that were encountered. Make a note of these, then search the internet for a solution.

How to uninstall Windows 10 April 2018 Update

If you’re still encountering problems with the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, or you don’t like the changes Microsoft has made, then you can uninstall the April 2018 Update and revert to a previous version of Windows. We’d caution against this, as you may miss out on future security updates from Microsoft, but if you’d rather go back until all the bugs and problems with April 2018 Update has been fixed, then follow these instructions. First, go to Settings > Update & security > Recovery and click on ‘Get started’ under where it says ‘Go back to the previous version of Windows 10’. A window will appear asking you why you want to revert to a previous version. Answer the question (this helps Microsoft improve future versions of Windows), then click ‘No, thanks’ from the next window. This is where it asks you if you want to check for any updates.Click ‘Next’ on the window that follows, then ‘Next’ again, making sure you have your Windows log in details handy. Finally, click ‘Go back to earlier build’ and the Windows 10 April 2018 Update will uninstall.If you try to uninstall April 2018 Update after 10 days you’ll likely find this option isn’t available. Unfortunately, the only way to uninstall April 2018 Update after that is to perform a fresh install of Windows 10 using an ISO file of an older version. Credit: Tech Radar