The installation failed in the SAFE_OS phase during INSTALL_UPDATES, 0x800F081F – 0x20003

The Windows Update Error 0x800F081F – 0x20003 occurs mainly which upgrading your copy of Windows 11/10. It is caused due to errors with various developer-related settings being enabled on a computer. The error that the setup encounters are worded as either one of these:

• We couldn’t install Windows 11/10. The installation failed in the SAFE_OS phase with an error during INSTALL_UPDATES operation: Error 0x800F081F – 0x20003
• The Installation failed in the Safe_OS phase with an error during apply_image operation: Error: 0x800f081f – 0x20003

Today, we will be checking out how to fix this error. It is worth noting that no external programs will be used to fix this error.

The failure occurs during an update where OS is not able to migrate the driver as it causes illegal operation. It results in a rollback of the operating system. This is a SafeOS boot failure, typically caused by drivers or non-Microsoft disk encryption software. During the SafeOS phase, the system verifies that everything, including drivers, is behaving as they are expected. Any operation which is not secure or signatures are missing will cause an issue when it comes to system stability.

Windows Update Error 0x800F081F – 0x20003

We will be carrying out the following fixes to get rid of the error code 0x800F081F – 0x20003,

1. Disable Developer Mode.
2. Use Windows Update Troubleshooter.
3. Restart various Windows Update relate services and components.

1] Disable Developer Mode

You need to have the Developer Mode disabled on your computer.

For this, start by hitting the WINKEY + I button combinations on the keyboard to start the Settings app.

Now, navigate to Update & Security > For Developers.

On the right-side panel, select the toggle for Sideload apps or Microsoft Store apps. Click on Yes for any prompt that you get.

Next, navigate to Apps > Apps & features. On the right-side panel, click on Optional features.

Scroll down to find the entry for Windows Developer Mode, select it and select Uninstall.

After you are done uninstalling that component, close the Settings app and Reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.

2] Use Windows Update Troubleshooter

You can also try to fix this issue by running the Windows Update troubleshooter.

3] Restart various Windows Update related services and components

Start by hitting the WINKEY + X combinations and select Command Prompt (Admin) to launch Command Prompt with Administrator Privileges.

Now copy and paste the following commands one by one in the Command Prompt console and hit Enter.

net stop wuauserv
net stop bits
net stop appidsvc
ren %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.bak
ren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 catroot2.bak

This will stop all the Windows Update Services running on your PC as well as allow you to clear the SoftwareDistribution folder and reset the Catroot2 folder.

Now, you will need to start all these Windows Update Services that we just stopped.

net start wuauserv
net start bits
net start appidsvc
net start cryptsvc

Reboot your computer and then run the setup and check if this fixed the issue for you.

Additional reference: Windows Update error 0x800F081F.