Can firewall or antivirus software cause the 0x80072ee2 error in Windows 11, and what should I do?

Yes, both your Windows Defender Firewall and third-party antivirus or security software can sometimes be overly aggressive and block legitimate connections to Microsoft servers, leading to the 0x80072ee2 error. To determine if this is the cause, try temporarily disabling your third-party antivirus and firewall. If the error resolves, you will need to configure your security software to create exceptions or allow connections for Windows Update and other Microsoft services.