How to Clear the WSUS BITS Download Queue When a Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) server gets stuck in a "Downloading" state or consumes excessive bandwidth with outdated updates, the culprit is often a backlogged Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) queue. Clearing this queue is essential for restoring server performance and ensuring only required patches are synchronized. Quick Methods to Clear the BITS Queue
Before modifying system files, stop the BITS and WSUS services to prevent file lock errors. net stop BITS net stop WsusService 2. Clear the BITS Cache Manually
Sometimes the BITS metadata files ( qmgr0.dat and qmgr1.dat ) become corrupted. Deleting or renaming them forces BITS to create a fresh, empty queue. Navigate to: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Network\Downloader Delete all files within this folder. 3. Perform a WSUS Content Reset wsus clear the bits download queue
This is the most efficient way to stop and remove all active transfers for all users on the server. powershell
After clearing the BITS queue, you should run a WSUS reset. This command doesn't delete updates but verifies that every update metadata entry in the database has a corresponding, healthy file on the disk. How to Clear the WSUS BITS Download Queue
You can clear the BITS download queue using several administrative tools. Ensure you are running these commands from an elevated (Administrator) prompt.
Import-Module bitstransfer Get-BitsTransfer -AllUsers | Remove-BitsTransfer Use code with caution. net stop BITS net stop WsusService 2
If simple queue clearing doesn't work, a deeper reset of the WSUS download infrastructure may be necessary. 1. Stop Related Services