Windows Update errors are notoriously difficult to solve. This happens not because solutions require some difficult hacks, or they are tremendously time-consuming. It is difficult because the system provides a lack of explanation on how to solve Windows Update error 80072ee2 or any other similar issue.
For your information. There is no official guide on how to solve Windows Update error 80072ee2. Our guide consists of different things people report helpful. Users had a different extent of luck with all these methods. Some may work and help you successfully solve the error, others may not.
What Is Windows Update Error 80072ee2?
Error 80072ee2 is common to all modern Windows versions, starting from Windows 7/Windows Server 2008 R2 to Windows 11/Windows Server 2022. This error appears when you try installing updates via the local WSUS server, or when downloading updates directly from the Windows Update over the Internet.
80072ee2: Why is This Error Occurs?
First, you need to find out what causes error 80072ee2. When you try to connect to the Windows Update servers to download the latest updates, the system cannot establish a connection, hence the error message is displayed on your screen. That is one of the few reasons why Windows Update shows error 80072ee2.
Other related error messages may state the following:
Windows could not search for new updates. An error occurred while checking for new updates for your computer. Error(s) found: Code 80072EE2
Solutions for the Windows Update Error 80072ee2
According to the available information from Microsoft, error code 80072ee2 means the following: ERROR_INTERNET_TIMEOUT (-2147012894). The request has timed out. In other words, Windows cannot access the Microsoft Update or WSUS server.
Solution 1: Check Your Settings
The first thing you need to do when troubleshooting any Internet-related issue is to make sure your computer has a proper time and date settings. Although it may sound weird, time and date issues are one of the most popular reasons why people have issues like 80072ee2. Go to Windows Settings and make sure the date and time are properly set. Do not forget to check the time zone too.
You can try enabling automatic date, time, and time zone. In case your PC sets incorrect values, change the time and date manually.
Solution 2. Check Your Internet Connection and Access to Windows Update Websites
If you read this article, we assume you have an Internet connection but we recommend you double-check this and make sure your PC can access the Internet. Just run your favorite browser and open any website.
Solution 3. Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter
If you struggle to fix the error 80072ee2 on Windows 10 or 11, try to fix the Windows Update service and related components errors automatically using the built-in tools. To do this, launch the Windows Update Troubleshooter — a powerful built-in Windows error troubleshooting subsystem that helps millions of users to fix Windows Update errors every day.
Open Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters (or Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot on older Windows 10 builds), then run Windows Update.
Note. On recent Windows versions, Microsoft has replaced the legacy MSDT troubleshooter with the Get Help troubleshooting experience.
For your information. The instruction above applies only to Windows 10 and 11. Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 do not have a built-in Windows Update troubleshooter to fix the 80072ee2 error. You can use a standalone troubleshooter for older Windows systems from Microsoft (aka.ms).
Solution 4. Check Proxy and Firewall Settings
Check if you are using a proxy server. If you do, double-check the settings in Internet Explorer and make sure the proxy does not require a username or password to connect. If it does, the easiest way is to disable the proxy server for the period of checking, downloading, and applying Windows Updates. You can also apply a workaround by setting your firewall to allow the connection to the Windows Update directly without using the proxy.
If you are connecting to the Internet through a firewall, make sure the following website addresses are allowed in its settings:
- *windowsupdate.microsoft.com/*
- *update.microsoft.com/*
- *.windowsupdate.com/*
- *download.microsoft.com/*
- *test.stats.update.microsoft.com/*
- www.msftncsi.com/ncsi*
- *ntservicepack.microsoft.com/*
Check the availability of Windows Update nodes from your computer using the commands:
ping download.microsoft.com
tracert download.microsoft.com
Test-NetConnection download.microsoft.com
If the hosts are not available, check your computer’s network settings (double-check if you are using dual NIC configuration), firewalls, and ISP connectivity.
If you can access the Internet from your local network only through a proxy server, you can check the system proxy settings as follows. List the current system proxy settings for WinHTTP:
netsh winhttp show proxy
Go to the next solution if the previous command returned the following message:
Current WinHTTP proxy settings:
Direct access (no proxy server).
Solution 5. Reset the Proxy Server Settings
The modified proxy server inside your browser may be a sign of spyware or malware intrusion. If you suspect this, make sure your antivirus software is up to date and running well.
If the netsh winhttp show proxy command returned the current proxy settings for WinHTTP and you see they are incorrect, reset them. To reset proxy server settings, launch the Command Prompt with Administrator privileges and enter the following commands:
netsh winhttp reset proxy netsh winhttp import proxy source=ie
You can also specify the proxy server settings manually. Do this only if you know the proxy server address and the connection port:
netsh winhttp set proxy proxy-server="192.168.1.11:3128" bypass-list="*.yourlocaldomain.com"
All that is left is to restart the Windows Update service using the following commands:
net stop wuauserv && net start wuauserv
Solution 6: Reset Windows Update Agent Setting
You can reset the current agent and Windows Update services settings using the ResetWUEng script. Download ResetWUEng.cmd from Github, and run it as Administrator.
You should only download ResetWUEng from the official GitHub repository. Don’t forget to review the script before executing it because it performs extensive changes to Windows Update components.
Select the menu item 2 in the script that stands for Resets the Windows Update Components. After completing all the steps, restart the computer using item 17.
Solution 7. Fixing Error 0x80072ee2 Then Updating via WSUS
If you receive Windows Updates from the internal Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) server, open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and go to the registry key HKEY_Local_Machine\ Software\ Policies\ Microsoft\ Windows\ WindowsUpdate.
Check the WUServer and WUStatusServer names and make sure they are correct. If not, enter a valid FQDN or IP address of your WSUS server.
If you do not want to use the internal WSUS (but you want to receive updates directly from Windows Update), remove these parameters from the registry. Then restart the “Windows Update” service with the following command:
net stop wuauserv && net start wuauserv
Modern update management
Many organizations are moving away from traditional WSUS deployments and managing updates through Windows Update for Business (WUfB), Microsoft Intune, or Windows Update for Managed Environments. If your devices are managed by these services, update policies and troubleshooting procedures differ from on-premises WSUS. In such environments, you need to check if update rings, deployment policies, and device compliance settings are correctly configured before troubleshooting error 80072ee2.
Solution 8. Lack of Resources in the AppPool WSUS
If you are using the WSUS server to distribute Windows Update to your clients, perhaps the error is due to a lack of resources in the WSUS IIS AppPool on a server. The solution is to remove the limit on the consumed memory.
Open IIS Manager Console > Application Pools > WsusPool > Advanced Settings. Change Private Memory Limit to and restart IIS.
Solution 9. Manual Updates Installation
If you know which specific update you need to install but you cannot due to Windows Update error 80072ee2, try installing them manually from Windows Update Catalog. All you need to know is which Windows version you have (for example, Windows 10 21H2 Professional x64) and the update codename (for example, KB5014699, according to https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/windows-10-update-history-857b8ccb-71e4-49e5-b3f6-7073197d98fb).
Go to the Windows Update Catalog website and enter the update code in the search field. Locate the update you need and make sure it is the one for your system. Here is how to interpret the name of each update. For example, here’s the update name:
2022-06 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 21H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5014699)
It means you have an update for June 2022 for computers with Windows 10 version 1903 and later with x64-based processors.
Download the update manually and launch the .msu file. Wait for the system to install the update and then restart your computer.
Troubleshoot Windows Update Logs
If the error persists after trying the solutions above, you should review the Windows Update logs for additional details. Open Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc) and check the following logs by navigating to Applications and Services Logs → Microsoft → Windows → WindowsUpdateClient → Operational
Windows Logs → System.
These logs often contain additional error codes, connection failures, or WSUS communication issues that can help you to identify the root cause. On modern Windows versions, you can also generate a readable Windows Update log by running the following command:
Get-WindowsUpdateLog
This command merges Windows Update tracing logs into a single readable log file for advanced troubleshooting.
You should review the generated log for timeout errors, connection failures, HTTP status codes, or WSUS communication problems. Search for entries containing 80072EE2, 0x80072EE2, Timeout, or Proxy to identify the component causing the failure. These log entries can help determine whether the issue is related to network connectivity, proxy configuration, or communication with the Windows Update or WSUS server.
What is Windows Update error 80072EE2?
Error 80072EE2 means that Windows failed to connect to the Microsoft Update or WSUS server due to a timeout (ERROR_INTERNET_TIMEOUT). It’s a network-related issue that prevents downloading or installing updates.
Which Windows versions are affected by error 80072EE2?
This error can occur on all modern Windows versions — from Windows 7 / Windows Server 2008 R2 up to Windows 11 / Windows Server 2022.
Why does the Windows Update error 80072EE2 occur?
Common causes include:
- Incorrect date or time settings
- Internet or proxy misconfiguration
- Firewall blocking Windows Update servers
- Corrupted DLL files or Windows Update cache
- Misconfigured WSUS settings
- Outdated SHA-1 signing support on older Windows versions
How can I fix Windows Update error 80072EE2?
There’s no single universal fix, but you can try the following solutions:
- Verify system time and date settings.
- Check your Internet connection and access to update.microsoft.com.
- Run the built-in Windows Update Troubleshooter.
- Review and reset your proxy and firewall settings.
- Re-register DLL files related to Windows Update.
- Reset the Windows Update Agent using ResetWUEng.cmd.
- Change MTU to 1492 if network mismatch is suspected.
- Recheck WSUS registry entries if using an internal update server.
What proxy or firewall settings can cause 80072EE2?
Make sure your firewall or proxy allows these domains:
*.update.microsoft.com*.windowsupdate.com*.download.microsoft.com*.msftncsi.com
Can an incorrect MTU value cause error 80072EE2?
Yes. Rarely, a misconfigured MTU can block Windows Update connections.
Use this command to set MTU to 1492:
netsh interface ipv4 set subinterface "Ethernet" mtu=1492 store=persistent
In my case it had something to do with a second NIC on my server. When disabling of putting in the right configuration on the 2nd NIC, everything went fine. So dumb… so simple…. must have overlooked it 15 times.