How do you fix 0x800704ec

Question

How do you fix 0x800704ec

Monica Wilkins 0

I cannot sign in to use any desktop apps because when I try to sign in it says blocked by system administrator. I am the administrator of this home computer. I get the code 0x800704ec

Moved from <Microsoft 365 and Office | Access | For home | Windows>

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5 answers

Answer 1

The error code 0x800704ec typically indicates that an application has been blocked by your system administrator, which can occur due to application control policies like AppLocker. Since you mentioned that you are the administrator of your home computer, you may need to check the following:

AppLocker Policies: If you have AppLocker enabled, it may be blocking Microsoft Store apps. You can either create a default rule that allows all Microsoft Store apps or create specific rules for the apps you want to allow. This requires access to the Group Policy Editor or the Local Security Policy.
Check Security Software: Sometimes, security software can interfere with app access. Ensure that your security software is not blocking the applications. You may want to temporarily disable it to see if that resolves the issue.
Reinstall WAM Plug-ins: If the issue persists, consider reinstalling the Windows Authentication Manager (WAM) plug-ins, as they are essential for signing into Microsoft applications. You can do this using PowerShell commands to register the necessary packages.
Event Viewer: Check the Event Viewer for any specific error messages related to the application or service that is being blocked. This can provide more insight into what might be causing the issue.

If these steps do not resolve the problem, you may need to consult with Microsoft Support for further assistance.

References:

Answer 2

Hi Monica Wilkins, happy 2026!

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A!

I understand how confusing it could be to run into a block error on a home PC with you being the admin. In most cases, this happens when Windows has a local security policy that is blocking Microsoft account sign-in. Here are some places you should look into:

1 - Check if the PC is connected to a Work/School account

Open Settings > Accounts > Access work or school
If you see any organization account listed > Disconnect
Also check Emails & accounts > Remove any work/school account
Restart the PC, then try signing in to your apps again.

2 - Re-enable Microsoft account sign-in

Press Win + R > type regedit > press Enter to open Registry Editor
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
Find the DWORD named NoConnectedUser > set its Value data to 0
If it doesn’t exist, create a new DWORD (32-bit) with name and value as above
Restart the PC and try signing in again.

Disclaimer: Generally, modifying registry subkeys or work group is intended for advanced users, administrators, and IT Professionals. It can help fix some problems, however, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For further protection, first check out How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support

3 - Sign out of all accounts in Office apps

Open Word/Excel application > File > Account
Sign out of any accounts shown (if possible)
Close all Office apps, restart PC if needed
Reopen the Office app and sign in again.

4 - Reset Windows Update components

Press Win + X > choose Terminal (Admin) to open Windows PowerShell
Run the following commands one by one, pressing Enter after each:
- 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
- net start wuauserv
- net start cryptSvc
- net start bits
- net start msiserver
Let the process finish, ignore errors if any > restart your PC and try again.

This error is almost always a software or system configuration issue, not a permanent block. If the issue persists, let me know if the error happens in Office apps only, or also when trying to sign in to Microsoft Store. It'd be very helpful.

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Lychee-Ng 30,565 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-06T09:17:30.2733333+00:00

Hi Monica Wilkins, just wondering if you had the time to check out all the suggestions here? If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

Answer 3

Everyone,

We also ended in the situation, and I reached out to the public forum, no luck on it. So we raised a Microsoft ticket, and they requested to check this service: Microsoft Sign-in Assistant (wildsvc) services were disabled. They requested to change it to manual and asked us to restart the device. Once we restart the device, the OS step up to Enterprise.
Same has been changed in Intune as well and then most of the devices got step up to Enterprise.
So, I would recommend checking this first. Thanks.

Answer 4

Hi Monica Wilkins,

Try enabling Microsoft Accounts via Group Policy, press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options. Double-click Accounts: Block Microsoft accounts. Set it to Disabled or Not Configured, click Apply and OK. Close Group Policy Editor and restart your PC.

Kind regards,

John Oli

Answer 5

itechniker 1

It could also be the following activated group policy setting:

Computer Configuration ➔ Administrative Templates ➔ Windows Components ➔ Microsoft account ➔ Block all consumer Microsoft account user authentication (must not be activated)

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