Fixing RSAT Group Policy Management Tools Installation Error (0x800f0954)

by | Aug 29, 2025 | Uncategorized

RSAT Error 0x800f0954

When trying to install RSAT Group Policy Management Tools with PowerShell:

Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name "Rsat.GroupPolicy.Management.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0"

you may encounter the following error:

Add-WindowsCapability : Error 0x800f0954
CategoryInfo: NotSpecified: (:) [Add-WindowsCapability], COMException
FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.Dism.Commands.AddWindowsCapabilityCommand

Table of Contents

Solution 1: Fix Search Highlight Policy

Open the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) and adjust the following setting:

  • Navigate to Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Search.
  • Set Allow search highlights to Enabled.

After this, try running the command again:

Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name "Rsat.GroupPolicy.Management.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0"

Solution 2: Ensure Windows Update is Used Instead of WSUS

Sometimes the error occurs because the PC is configured to use WSUS instead of Windows Update. To allow downloading optional features directly from Windows Update:

  • Open gpedit.msc.
  • Go to: Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System.
  • Find and open Specify settings for optional component installation and component repair.
  • Set the policy to Enabled.
  • Check the option Download repair content and optional features directly from Windows Update instead of WSUS.
  • Click Apply and then OK.

Finally, update Group Policies with:

gpupdate /force

Note: If you are in a corporate environment, ensure that bypassing WSUS does not violate your IT policies.

Conclusion

By enabling search highlights and ensuring that Windows Update (not WSUS) is used for optional features, you can successfully resolve the 0x800f0954 error when installing RSAT Group Policy Management Tools.