The error code 80072efe occurs when there are update problems due to a missing internet con­nec­tion or un­reach­able Windows servers. Another possible cause is at­tempt­ing to update Windows 7, which is no longer supported. We present suggested solutions including the Windows 7 update patch, checking your internet con­nec­tion, and making ex­cep­tions in your firewall.

When does error code 80072efe occur?

Error code 80072efe, like error codes 0x80070643, 0x80073701 and 0xc0000005, is a common update error that doesn’t have a single specific cause. It often occurs when an update cannot be installed and can be related to issues such as internet con­nectiv­ity problems, Windows server dif­fi­culties, or corrupt Windows system files. Ad­di­tion­ally, using Windows 7 can also be a con­trib­ut­ing factor, as it no longer receives automatic Windows updates since January 2021.

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Solutions for 80072efe

To solve the error, follow these steps.

Wait for Windows server

Sometimes, patience is the best solution, and this can also be the case with error 80072efe. If the primary issue is a server-side problem with Windows, waiting for about 10 to 20 minutes and then re­start­ing the update search can resolve the problem. In some cases, Windows will suc­cess­fully complete the update without any issues.

Check internet con­nec­tion

Faulty internet con­nec­tions can indeed lead to issues with the update search and trigger error code 80072efe. To eliminate this common source of error, start by checking if your internet con­nec­tion is func­tion­ing. You can do this by opening a web page in your browser or dis­con­nect­ing and then re­con­nect­ing. If you are using a proxy server, it might also be the cause. Try disabling the proxy server and then attempt the update search again.

Windows Update Troubleshoot­er

Windows offers an automatic troubleshoot­ing feature to address issues with Windows com­pon­ents. Here’s how to initiate the troubleshoot­er:

  1. Open the Troubleshoot­er by typing ‘Troubleshoot­er’ in the Windows search bar and selecting the cor­res­pond­ing service.

  2. In Windows 10, choose ‘Ad­di­tion­al troubleshoot­er’ or in Windows 11, select ‘Other troubleshoot­er’.

  3. Locate ‘Windows Update’ and click ‘Run’. This will initiate the Windows Update component troubleshoot­er.

  4. Follow the sug­ges­tions provided by Windows for resolving the issue, and then restart your computer.

Resetting the update com­pon­ents

If neither the internet con­nec­tion nor the Windows server, and even troubleshoot­ing, helps, you can try resetting the Windows Update com­pon­ents. These com­pon­ents include BITS, MSI Installer, Cryp­to­graph­ic, and Windows Update services. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Open the command prompt as ad­min­is­trat­or. To do this, press [Ctrl] + [R] to start Command Prompt, type ‘cmd’, and then press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Enter].
  2. Enter the following CMD commands one after the other and confirm each command with [Enter]:
net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver
ren C:\\Windows\\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:\\Windows\\System32\\catroot2 Catroot2.old
bash
  1. Activate the com­pon­ents one after the other with the following commands and press [Enter] after each command:
net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver
ren C:\\Windows\\System32\\catroot2 Catroot2.old
bash
  1. Restart the computer.

Windows 7 update patch

Microsoft of­fi­cially ended support for Windows 7 in January 2021, which means the operating system no longer receives automatic updates. If you’re re­in­stalling Windows 7 and encounter error 80072efe, you can make Windows 7 up­date­able again using the following work­around:

  1. Visit the Windows Update Catalog to download the required patch for Windows 7 updates, which you can find under the name KB3138612. Make sure to choose the 32-bit or 64-bit version depending on your Windows version.
  2. Download the ap­pro­pri­ate update MSU file and double-click on the file to install it.
  3. After in­stall­a­tion, click ‘Restart now’.
  4. Start Windows Update and search for updates. However, searching for and in­stalling updates can still take a long time on Windows 7, even with a patch.

Please note the legal dis­claim­er relating to this article.

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