How to Delete Qmgr*.dat Files to Reset Windows Update Components
If you are having trouble with Windows Update, you may need to reset its components manually. One of the steps involved in this process is to delete the Qmgr*.dat files, which are used by the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) to store information about download jobs and files.
However, some users have reported that they cannot find the Qmgr*.dat files on their computers, or that the command to delete them does not work. In this article, we will explain why this happens and how to fix it.
Del Allusersprofile Application Data Microsoft Network Downloader Qmgr*.dat
Why Can't I Find or Delete Qmgr*.dat Files?
The Qmgr*.dat files are usually located in the following folder:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Network\Downloader
However, some versions of Windows 10 may have a different path for this folder, such as:
C:\ProgramData\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader
This can cause confusion when following the instructions to delete the Qmgr*.dat files using the command prompt. For example, if you try to run this command:
Del "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader\qmgr*.dat"
You may get an error message saying that the file could not be found, or that the system cannot find the path specified[^1^]. This is because the %ALLUSERSPROFILE% environment variable points to C:\ProgramData by default, and there is no Application Data subfolder in it.
To solve this problem, you need to use the correct path for your version of Windows 10. You can either browse to the folder manually and delete the Qmgr*.dat files, or use the full path in the command prompt. For example:
Del "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Network\Downloader\qmgr*.dat"
Or:
Del "C:\ProgramData\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader\qmgr*.dat"
Alternatively, you can use a wildcard (*) to search for the Qmgr*.dat files in all subfolders of C:\ProgramData. For example:
Del /s /a /b /p C:\ProgramData\qmgr*.dat
How to Reset Windows Update Components Manually
Deleting the Qmgr*.dat files is only one of the steps involved in resetting Windows Update components manually. Before you do that, you need to stop BITS and Windows Update service using these commands:
net stop bits
net stop wuauserv
After deleting the Qmgr*.dat files, you need to rename the SoftwareDistribution and catroot2 folders using these commands:
Rename "%systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution" SoftwareDistribution.bak
Rename "%systemroot%\system32\catroot2" catroot2.bak
Then, you need to restart BITS and Windows Update service using these commands:
net start bits
net start wuauserv
Finally, you need to restart your computer and check for updates again.
If you want to automate this process, you can create a batch file with all these commands and run it as an administrator. However, it is recommended to create a system restore point before you do that[^1^] [^2^].
Conclusion
In this article, we have explained how to delete Qmgr*.dat files to reset Windows Update components manually. We have also shown why some users may encounter problems with finding or deleting these files, and how to fix them. We hope this article has been helpful for you.
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