Firewall blocking MS Edge updates, Windows 10 PC

Question

When trying to update Microsoft Edge broswer, on my Windows 10 PC, I get this error:

So I went to the Windows Defender settings. MicrosoftEdgeUpdate.exe was not listed in the list of available apps, so I did a full File Explorer search for the .exe files, and found the files in two places:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate\MicrosoftEdgeUpdate.exe

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate\1.3.175.27\MicrosoftEdgeUpdate.exe

I then manually added the files to the Windows Defender allowable apps list:

Update is still getting blocked. When I turn-off Windows Defender entirely, the update goes through fine, so I know it's a firewall issue.

How do I add the RIGHT MicrosoftEdgeUpdate.exe to the Windows Defender allowable apps list? Are there other files that need to be granted access?

Help!

Answer 1

Hi @Carl Picciotto

Could you please check these two boxes after Microsoft Edge Update and try again?

If it still doesn't work, you could try the following methods:

1. First, check your network connection and network adapter settings.
2. Microsoft Edge Update might be blocked by your firewall. To troubleshoot:
   1. Open Windows Security settings.
   2. Select Firewall & network protection > Allow an app through firewall.
   3. Select Change settings > Allow another app.
   4. Add “%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate<version>\MicrosoftEdgeUpdate.exe” for 64-bit machines or “%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate\MicrosoftEdgeUpdate.exe” for 32-bit machines where <version> is the highest number in the "Edge Update" folder. For example, “%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate\1.3.111.19\MicrosoftEdgeUpdate.exe”.
3. Make sure your Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) is turned on:
   1. In the search box on the taskbar, type Control Panel, then select it from the results.
   2. Select System and Security > Administrative Tools, choose Services from the list, and then choose Background Intelligent Transfer Service from the list.
   3. On the General tab, under Startup type, choose Automatic (Delayed Start), and then select OK.
4. If updating these settings doesn't resolve the problem, try reinstalling Microsoft Edge.

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Regards,

Yu Zhou

Answer 2

Hey thanks Yu for all your help.

But, I finally gave up, and reinstalled Windows. Problem solved!

It's possible there were some lingering policies I couldn't get rid of. It's also possible my system was hijacked by the "Universal Browser" hijacker, though I'm not sure how the hijacker could control the firewall like that.

Anyway, problem eliminated.