Windows 11 stuck at Ready to install screen

During a Windows 11/10 upgrade or installation, you will see a ‘Ready to install‘ screen just before the installation commences. While in most cases things go smoothly, it may happen that the installation or upgrade gets stuck on this Ready to install screen. If you face this issue during Windows Setup, here are a few things you could try to fix the issue.

Windows 11 stuck at Ready to install

Use the following suggestions if the Windows 11/10 is stuck on the Ready to install screen on your system.

Wait for Installation to complete
Remove the Ethernet Cable or WiFi connection
Exit the installation
Run DISM to repair the system image
Run Disk Cleanup to clean out maximum junk files
Clean SoftwareDistribution Folder
Disconnect all USB and peripherals
Change Delivery Optimization
Disable your antivirus software
Try changing your Region to the United States
Upgrade or Install using ISO
Make sure the Battery is full

Below, we have explained all these fixes in detail.

1] Wait for Installation to complete

If you are stuck for an hour or so, we still recommend you wait for at least 3-4 hours, maybe 5 hours, to see if there is progress made. Sometimes, Windows gets stuck for hardware issues, network issues, or something else, and it takes a lot of time. In case it takes any longer, it’s best to exit the installation. You can always try restarting the PC 2-3 times to see if that works.

2] Remove the Ethernet Cable or WiFi connection

Sometimes Windows needs to verify something online, and if it is not able to connect to the internet properly, the upgrade gets stuck. I would highly recommend you take out the network cable or turn off your primary WiFi router to see if the upgrade moves again. You can do it before or even in between the upgrade process.

3] Exit the installation

If you can choose Cancel and exit, good – else you are using an ISO tool, remove it, and press F8 to bring the boot menu option. You need to get into the Advanced Startup screen, and then choose to restore the older version.

Once it restores, you can try upgrading again after troubleshooting the tips below.

4] Run DISM to repair the system image

It is possible that your Windows Update files have been corrupted. To fix this, you need to use the DISM tool to fix Windows Update. For this, you need to exit the Windows installation and then log in to your system. Now, you can run the DISM scan.

5] Run Disk Cleanup to clean out maximum junk files

You can either use Windows inbuilt Disk Cleanup tool or any third-party software to delete junk files from your PC and give Windows Update more space. It is possible that Windows is not able to get all the space it wants, and that’s what makes it stuck forever.

6] Clean SoftwareDistribution Folder

Every time Windows downloads an update or prepares for an upgrade or installation, it creates this folder. In case of a network connection issue or sudden restart, it will start downloading updates from where it left off. Exit the Windows installation screen and then go to C:/Windows/Software Distribution/Download and delete everything within the SoftwareDistribution folder. You also need to delete files from $Windows.~BT folder.

Once done, you need to check for Windows Update again, and it will restart downloading from the start.

7] Disconnect all USB and peripherals

Apart from regular hardware connected to your PC, if you have anything special, make sure to remove them one by one and see if that helps. It’s going to be a time-consuming process as you need to check for them one by one.

8] Change Delivery Optimization

Windows 11/10 can download updates not only from the Microsoft server but also download it from PCs in your Network and PCs on the internet. Apart from this, you can also download updates over the local network. If it is set to Local Network, change the Delivery Optimization setting to the second option.

9] Disable your antivirus software

Try disabling your AntiVirus or disabling the real-time scanning, and then start the Windows upgrade process and see if it works. This has worked for some, so we are recommending it.

10] Try changing your Region to the United States

This also works sometimes. Once you are back to regular mode, change your settings to the US and try the update. This will work in case the update is stuck because of some delay from your local server.

You need to open Windows 11 Settings and go to Time & language > Language & region. Now, change your Country or region to the United States.

11] Upgrade or Install using ISO

If the automatic upgrade option is not working, you can always download the ISO file from Microsoft Server, and then create a Bootable USB to install or upgrade.

12] Make sure the Battery is full

While Windows always checks for your battery level, but multiple attempts to upgrade to Windows 11/10 might have drained your battery, and are not stuck. So make sure that whenever you upgrade, keep the laptop plugged into the mains. This will make sure to compensate for the extra battery that is consumed.

Did you ever face this issue? What did you do to resolve Windows 11/10 stuck at Ready to install problem? Do you have any extra tips? Do share them with us in the comments.

Is it safe to turn off a computer while updating?

No, it is not safe to turn off your computer while installing Windows Update. Doing this can corrupt the Windows operating system and also cause other issues. This is the reason why Windows displays the message “Do not turn off your computer” while the Windows Update installation is in process. If you are a laptop user, it is recommended to connect your laptop to the charger and turn on the switch, so your laptop will receive a continuous power supply while installing the Windows Update.

Why is Windows 11 taking so long to install?

The time taken by a computer to install Windows 11 operating system depends on the hardware. For example, installing Windows 11 on an SSD is faster than installing Windows 11 on an HDD. This is because the SSD has a faster data transfer speed as compared to the HDD. Hence, if you want to make the Windows 11 installation process faster, upgrade your computer hardware.