Resolve Windows Installer error 1618: another installation is running

Affected products and symptoms

Product

Windows Installer

Versions and conditions

Windows 11 (confirm the edition and hardware requirements for the feature)

Error codes and identifiers

1618

Symptoms

• Resolve Windows Installer error 1618: another installation is running.
• The same condition can persist after a retry or restart.

Causes and conditions

Windows Update, another setup, or a pending-restart msiexec transaction may already be running.

Before you start

• Save open documents and allow time for a Windows restart if required.
• Run administrative actions only on a personally managed PC or with administrator approval.
• Save the diagnostic command output so the before and after states can be compared.

Step-by-step instructions

1. 01

   Check for an active installation

   #

   Check open setup windows and Settings > Windows Update. The presence of an msiexec process alone does not mean it is stuck. Let active work finish and avoid starting another installer on top of it.

2. 02

   Check the state with Get-Process

   #

   Close open installer windows and check Windows Update progress and any pending restart. An msiexec process alone does not prove that installation is stuck.

   Command or pathCopy

   Get-Process msiexec -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

3. 03

   Repair through the supported path

   #

   Allow the active installation to finish normally. If Windows requests a restart, restart, then launch only the one target MSI.

   Command or pathCopy

   Get-Process msiexec -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

4. 04

   Run one target package at a time

   #

   If a restart is requested, save your work and restart, then run just one target MSI. The logging command starts a real installation; it is not a read-only status command. Replace C:\path\package.msi with your legitimate local MSI and check the log destination before running it.

5. 05

   Verify under the same conditions

   #

   This is an installation command for PowerShell. Replace the MSI path before running it and check the completion screen. If it fails, inspect package-install.log in your temporary folder and remove personal information before sharing the log with support.

   Command or pathCopy

   msiexec /i "C:\path\package.msi" /L*v "$env:TEMP\package-install.log"

Check the result

• The feature starts, connects, or completes without the original error.
• The verification command reports the expected enabled, healthy, or connected state.
• The result remains correct after a Windows restart and no new matching critical event appears.

If the problem continues

• If the same code persists, provide the full message, Windows build, command output, and occurrence time to the PC administrator or Microsoft Support.
• If hardware requirements, organization policy, or server settings are responsible, ask the owner to make the change instead of bypassing it on the client.

Scope of this guide

Troubleshooting guide — Restore the feature so it starts, connects, or completes normally and passes the same verification after a Windows restart.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources and dates

• MsiExec.exe and InstMsi.exe error messages ↗

Source publication or resolution date: Not specified. Sources checked: 2026-09-05. The check date is not the date the problem first occurred. Interface labels can vary between versions and display languages.

Related troubleshooting guides

• Windows Installer error 1601: service cannot be accessed
• WSL 2 error 0x80370102 prevents a distribution from starting
• Restore the WSL optional component when error 0x8007019e appears
• WSL alone cannot resolve names while a VPN is connected
• Hyper-V is missing from Windows Features or cannot be enabled
• WSL 2 or Hyper-V cannot run inside a Hyper-V virtual machine