How to Fix Unable to Download from URI, PowerShell Install-Module Error

In Windows server, you may get the Unable to Download from URI, PowerShell Install-Module Error when you try to connect to the PowerShell Repository or run the Install-Module cmdlet to install a package on your device. This post provides the most applicable solution to this issue.

WARNING: Unable to download from URI 'https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=627338&clcid=0x409' to ''.
WARNING: Unable to download the list of available providers. Check your internet connection.
PackageManagement\Install-PackageProvider : No match was found for the specified search criteria for the provider
'NuGet'. The package provider requires 'PackageManagement' and 'Provider' tags. Please check if the specified package
has the tags.
At C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PowerShellGet\1.0.0.1\PSModule.psm1:7405 char:21
+ ...     $null = PackageManagement\Install-PackageProvider -Name $script:N ...
+                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidArgument: (Microsoft.Power...PackageProvider:InstallPackageProvider) [Install-Pac
   kageProvider], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NoMatchFoundForProvider,Microsoft.PowerShell.PackageManagement.Cmdlets.InstallPackagePro
   vider

When this error occurs you’ll get an output along the following similar lines:

• WARNING: Unable to download from URI ‘https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=627338&clcid=0x409’ to ”.
• WARNING: Unable to download the list of available providers. Check your internet connection.

This issue occurs when PowerShell tries to connect to the NuGet repository using legacy TLS/SSL protocols instead of the current TLS 1.2 or the newer TLS 1.3. So, if you’re faced with the PowerShell Install-Module Error Unable to Download from URI, you can try the suggestion below to resolve the issue on your system.

• Check and update PowerShell version.
• Set PowerShell to use TLS 1.2.

Check and update PowerShell version

If your PowerShell version is 5.1.14xx or earlier, you must update PowerShell.

PS C:\Users\Administrator> $PSVersionTable

Name                           Value
----                           -----
PSVersion                      5.1.14409.1005
PSEdition                      Desktop
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0...}
BuildVersion                   10.0.14409.1005
CLRVersion                     4.0.30319.34014
WSManStackVersion              3.0
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.3
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1

Set PowerShell to use TLS 1.2

By default, earlier PowerShell versions use SSL 3.0 and TLS 1.0 to establish secure HTTPS connections to repositories.

As of April 2020, the PowerShell Gallery no longer supports Transport Layer Security (TLS) versions 1.0 and 1.1. Use the following command to ensure you are using TLS 1.2:

[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12

Once done, you can install a PowerShell module using the Install-Module without issues.

PS C:\Users\Administrator> Install-Module MSOnline

NuGet provider is required to continue
PowerShellGet requires NuGet provider version '2.8.5.201' or newer to interact with NuGet-based repositories. The NuGet
 provider must be available in 'C:\Program Files\PackageManagement\ProviderAssemblies' or
'C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\PackageManagement\ProviderAssemblies'. You can also install the NuGet provider by
 running 'Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -MinimumVersion 2.8.5.201 -Force'. Do you want PowerShellGet to install
and import the NuGet provider now?
[Y] Yes  [N] No  [S] Suspend  [?] Help (default is "Y"): y

Untrusted repository
You are installing the modules from an untrusted repository. If you trust this repository, change its
InstallationPolicy value by running the Set-PSRepository cmdlet. Are you sure you want to install the modules from
'PSGallery'?
[Y] Yes  [A] Yes to All  [N] No  [L] No to All  [S] Suspend  [?] Help (default is "N"): A
PS C:\Users\Administrator> Connect-MsolService