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0X80072EFD

Network A Connection with the Server Could Not Be Established Applies to: Windows 7, Windows 10, Windows 11

What it means

A general connectivity failure reaching a Microsoft service — usually your network, a firewall, or a proxy/VPN blocking the connection.

Also seen as: 0x80072EFD

Quick fix steps

  1. Check that other websites and services load normally.
  2. Temporarily disable VPN or third-party firewall software and retry.
  3. Flush DNS with "ipconfig /flushdns" from an admin Command Prompt.
For the full step-by-step walkthrough, see "No Internet Access" With Wi-Fi Connected.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this mean Windows Update servers are down?
It usually points to a connection issue on your end (firewall, proxy, or network configuration) rather than Microsoft's servers being down, though checking Microsoft's service status is a reasonable step to rule that out.
Could my antivirus be causing this?
Yes, a firewall component within antivirus software can sometimes block the specific connection Windows Update needs, which is worth checking if other troubleshooting doesn't resolve it.

Other error codes

0X80070424 — A Required Service Cannot Be Started

A Windows service the current task depends on (often related to Windows Update, Security Center, or networking) isn't running.

0X80072EE7 — Store/Update Connection Timed Out

A connection to Microsoft's servers timed out — usually a network stability issue or DNS problem.

DNS-PROBE-FINISHED-NXDOMAIN — DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN

The browser couldn't resolve a website's address at all — the DNS lookup found nothing, which usually points to your DNS settings or the site being genuinely down.

ERR-CONNECTION-TIMED-OUT — ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT

Your browser sent a request but got no response in time — could be the site, your firewall, or your connection.