How to Install RSAT on Windows 10/11 in 2026 (Features on Demand)

If you’re still hunting for an RSAT MSU download for Windows 10, stop. That separate installer was retired years ago. Since Windows 10 version 1809, and on every build of Windows 11, Remote Server Administration Tools ship as Features on Demand and install straight from Settings, no download page, no version matching, no reboot loop.

This covers the current install method on both Windows 10 and Windows 11, the PowerShell equivalent for scripting or remote sessions, and what to do when the install fails because Windows Update access is locked down by group policy or WSUS.

Install RSAT on Windows 11

No reboot is required for most RSAT components. Active Directory Users and Computers, DNS Manager and Group Policy Management Console are usable the moment the install finishes.

Install RSAT on Windows 10 (1809 and later)

The steps are almost identical, just one menu level different:

1. Open Settings, then Apps (or System on 22H2), then Optional features.
2. Select Add a feature.
3. Search for RSAT and tick each tool you want.
4. Select Install. Progress shows in the Optional features list rather than a separate dialog.
5. Installed tools appear under Windows Administrative Tools in the Start menu.

Worth flagging: mainstream Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025. If a machine is still on 10 without an Extended Security Updates enrolment, that’s a bigger problem than RSAT, but the Features on Demand method still works fine on it as long as it can still reach a valid update source.

Installing via PowerShell

Faster if you’re doing this across several machines, or over a remote session where clicking through Settings is painful. List what’s available first:

# List RSAT capabilities and their current state
Get-WindowsCapability -Name RSAT* -Online | Select-Object DisplayName, State

# Install one specific tool, e.g. Active Directory
Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name "Rsat.ActiveDirectory.DS-LDS.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0"

# Install everything RSAT offers
Get-WindowsCapability -Name RSAT* -Online | Add-WindowsCapability -Online

Run PowerShell as Administrator, or these commands fail silently on the capability lookup. A handful of the most commonly needed capability names:

Fixing “the feature couldn’t be installed” (blocked Windows Update)

On a domain-joined or managed device, Features on Demand tries to pull from Windows Update by default, and group policy often blocks that in favour of WSUS, which doesn’t carry FoD payloads. This is the single most common reason RSAT installs fail in a corporate environment, and it isn’t a fault with the machine.

Fix it in group policy, under Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, System, policy “Specify settings for optional component installation and component repair”. Enable it and tick “Download repair content and optional features directly from Windows Update instead of Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)”.

No access to that policy on the box in front of you? A temporary registry change achieves the same thing:

# Temporarily allow Windows Update as the FoD source
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU" -Name "UseWUServer" -Value 0
Restart-Service wuauserv

# Install RSAT, then set it back
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU" -Name "UseWUServer" -Value 1
Restart-Service wuauserv

If you still hit 0x8024002e after that, check HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate for DisableWindowsUpdateAccess or DoNotConnectToWindowsUpdateInternetLocations set to 1, and clear them. On a fully air-gapped estate, your imaging team can point FoD at a local source via the LocalSourcePath value under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Servicing instead of Windows Update.

Frequently asked questions

Do I still need to download an RSAT MSU file?

No. That applied only to Windows 10 builds before 1809. Every supported build of Windows 10 and Windows 11 gets RSAT through Optional Features instead.

Does RSAT work the same way on Windows 11 Home?

No. RSAT requires Pro, Enterprise or Education. Home editions can’t join a domain and Optional Features won’t offer RSAT tools on them.

Why can’t I see RSAT in Optional Features at all?

Usually a missing or blocked update source. Confirm the device can reach Windows Update (or your configured FoD source) and check the group policy setting above before assuming the feature is unavailable.