Having an antivirus is essential to maintain security on your computer. Windows Defender is undoubtedly a widely used option, as well as working very well. However, sometimes problems can arise. In this article, we are going to talk about the error 0x800704ec that affects Windows antivirus in both Windows 10 and Windows 11. We are going to talk about why this problem appears and what we should do to solve it.
Why does the error 0x800704ec appear?
This error appears when Microsoft Defender is blocked by Windows. Specifically, the system’s Group Policy does it. It can happen due to a misconfiguration or a bug with the version of the operating system that you have installed and that causes a malfunction of some features like this one.
The problem is that this bug will directly affect your security . It will make the Windows antivirus not work and you will not be able to perform a security scan or block possible malware in real time. It will put your system and your personal information that you may have stored at risk.
This usually appears when removing items detected as dangerous. That is to say, the antivirus detects something like a possible threat, you know that it is not and you give it to discard, but the error 0x800704ec automatically appears. This failure also causes the antivirus to crash and stop working.
An also common cause for this error to appear is having another antivirus installed . There are many antiviruses that you can install, both free and paid, but not all of them are going to work equally well. They can sometimes cause conflicts with Windows antivirus, so you should avoid having both installed.
What to do to fix it
After explaining what are the main causes for which error 0x800704ec appears in Windows Defender, we are going to explain what steps we must take to try to solve it. Typically, it’s due to an error with Group Policy, so you can configure it to work again. You can also use other options like the Registry Editor.
Group Policy
First of all you are going to have to configure Group Policy. If it is not configured correctly, it may be one of the causes of this problem. If so, it has an easy solution and you just have to follow these steps that we are going to explain so that Windows Defender works correctly again.
To access it you have to press the Windows + R key combination and run gpedit.msc . You can also go to Start and search for Group Policy Editor and open it. Once you are there, you have to go to the following path: Local Computer Policy, Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components and Microsoft Defender Antivirus. You have to double click and a box like the one you see in the image will appear.
You have to check the Not configured option and click OK. In case that option was already checked, just leave it as it is. It would not be the cause of the problem if that box was already checked.
Registry Editor
The next thing you need to do is start the Registry Editor. It is possible that it is locked there and you will also be able to unlock it. Again you can access it through the combination Windows + R and this time you run regedit . You can also go to Start and search for Registry Editor and open it.
Next you have to go to the following path: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows Defender Real-Time Protection. Inside you will see the function DisableRealtimeMonitoring and you have to right click and remove it.
If this feature is enabled in the Windows Registry Editor, it could be the cause of the 0x800704ec error in Windows Defender. You have to restart the system and check if this way the antivirus works normally again.
Start the Windows Security service
You should also check that the Windows security service is properly activated and working. If it stops working, it can lead to such failures. This can happen due to a bad configuration, that you have removed it by mistake or when installing an application and that it has generated an error.
To configure it correctly you have to go to Start and look for Services. Inside you have to go to Windows Security Services and open it.
Once opened you have to make sure that it is running. If it isn’t, just hit the Start button. Once this is done, click OK and restart the system so that the changes are made correctly. If the Windows security service was disabled, after this step it will work normally again.
Check that Windows is up to date
Have you updated Windows to the latest version? If not, you could have problems with certain components, such as the antivirus. You must always have the latest versions available and make sure that the system works correctly at all times, with all patches installed.
To do this you have to go to Start, enter Settings and click on Windows Update . It will automatically show you possible new files that you need to install. Any that are available you should add them to have the latest versions and correct any problems that may exist.
Sometimes there can be conflicts or compatibility issues when using some Windows services when there is an outdated version. Therefore, it is something that you should do on a regular basis and always make sure that you have an updated and well-protected system with Windows Defender running smoothly.
Review other security programs
Having a good antivirus is essential to maintain security, but having two or more installed can be a problem. There could be incompatibility, crashes, and also false positives appearing when downloading a program or opening any file that is actually totally safe.
Therefore, if you have any other security program installed, you should stop it at least momentarily and see if this way the error 0x800704ec no longer appears in Windows Defender. Perhaps the cause is some other antivirus that you have installed, a firewall or some other security tool.
Here we could also include the use of a VPN . Sometimes it could conflict with other programs, such as Microsoft’s antivirus, and prevent it from running normally. Therefore, if you browse through a VPN you should check it and try to stop it and see if this solves the error.
In short, as you have seen, the 0x800704ec problem is going to make Windows Defender not run. This will cause your system to be unprotected and you may have security problems. You can follow the steps we have explained to configure it correctly and make it active again without problems.
