[Fix Error Code 4: 0x80070005 – System Level] An Error Occurred While Checking for Updates in Google Chrome
Yesterday a new version of Google Chrome web browser was released. Today when I tried to manually update Chrome in one of my Windows 10 devices, the update process failed and Chrome showed following error message:
An error occurred while checking for updates: Update check failed to start (error code 4: 0x80070005 — system level).
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I was trying to manually upgrade Google Chrome web browser in Windows 10 operating system by opening “Help -> About Google Chrome” page (chrome://settings/help). As soon as I opened the page, Chrome tried to scan and check for newer versions and immediately displayed above mentioned error message along with a red exclamation mark (!).
It was clear that something was blocking Chrome updater tool from accessing Internet and looking for new version updates on Google server.
I tried many things to resolve the issue and finally I was able to fix the issue and update Google Chrome to latest version successfully.
In this article, I’m going to share all methods I tried to fix the update issue in Google Chrome so that if anyone else faces the similar issue in future, he’ll be able to fix it with the help of these methods.
What I tried to Fix the Issue:
First I restarted Chrome using chrome://restart command in address bar (as mentioned here) as there were many tabs opened in Chrome. After restarting Chrome same problem occurred. Chrome displayed same error message.
I also tried to clean restart Chrome by closing all running tabs but the same problem persisted.
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In fact I tried to restart the Windows 10 machine but Chrome still displayed error message while trying to update.
I double-checked security software (antivirus and firewall) and no program was blocking Chrome from accessing Internet. I temporarily disabled security programs but it didn’t help.
I also tried to launch Chrome as Administrator by right-clicking on Chrome shortcut and select “Run as Administrator” option but Chrome was still displaying same error message.
What Fixed the Issue:
When none of the above solutions fixed the problem, I decided to check whether the Google Chrome Updater tool is running in background or not. Actually Google Chrome uses GoogleUpdate.exe executable service to check for new versions and update itself. If this service is blocked or unable to run, Google Chrome will be unable to upgrade to newer versions and we’ll receive error messages.
I opened Services Manager. (You can open it by pressing WIN+R keys together to launch RUN dialog box and then type services.msc and press Enter key).
I looked for Google Update Service (gupdate) and as suspected it was not running and set to Disabled. Since the service was disabled and not running in background, Google Chrome Updater tool was unable to connect to Internet and check for new versions.
I double-clicked on the service and set the startup type to Manual. You can also set it to Automatic.
After applying changes, I tried to check for new updates again in Chrome and now it worked successfully. Chrome started downloading new version and installed/upgraded to latest version without any issue.
So if you also face such kind of error messages and problems while trying to update Google Chrome web browser in your computer system, make sure Google Update Service is set to Automatic and running in background.
BONUS TIP:
If above mentioned solution doesn’t help you, you can try to download standalone offline installer of Google Chrome and then run the installer in your computer system. It’ll upgrade your Chrome to latest version without any problem. You’ll not lose any data. You can download the offline installer from following article:
Download Google Chrome Full Standalone Offline Installer
Also Check:
How to Disable or Remove MicrosoftEdgeUpdate.exe Process Running in Task Manager?
[Tip] How to Disable or Block Auto-Update Feature in Opera Web Browser
Didn’t work here. Still gives error every time. Not a big deal, just have to do it manually.
It worked for me! Thank you so much for this fix. Now, if only I could get windows to stop asking me for permission to update…..it’s only recently started doing that last month and it’s annoying as hell. But I think I’m having memory or graphics driver problems, because my computer started acting up since then and I can’t find a cure. Either that, or my 3-year old hard drive is crapping out. Either way, thanks!
Worked. Thanks. Wondering why/how it was disabled to begin with.
There is an Error code 0x80070005 that is causing me not to be able to install any programs with Microsoft causing me to be limited by blocking me from operating as an administrator of my computer, which I am. I recently received notice at the start-up of Windows 10 that the program could not fully install and a portion was not downloaded. I have no idea what that entails. I can turn the computer on and use the operating system for email service but this 0x80070005 error code blocks all necessary functions for my ability to use the computer properly thereafter. Can you help me?
^^ It seems some registry keys or system files/services are corrupted or missing in your device. Did you try any tweaking software recently? I can suggest you to run sfc /scannow command in Command Prompt to repair missing/corrupted files.