Some people complain that they encountered an error code 0x800704ec while turning on Windows Defender. Error code 0x800704ec also tells you that Windows Defender is blocked by Group Policy.

In general, the Windows Defender error 0x800704ec is often caused by various reasons. for instance, the corrupted group policy, the third-party antivirus software, or the damaged registry files, and so on.

However, the most important thing is how to solve Windows Defender error code 0x800704ec

In the following section, we'll show you how to solve the error code 0x800704ec. If you're looking for solutions to Fix Windows Defender 0x800704ec error, this post may assist you.

Solution 1. Disable third-party antivirus software if any

The very first step is to uninstall the third-party antivirus software. If you've got any anti-virus installed on your system, then this could happen that this antivirus software is interfering with Windows. To uninstall antivirus software from your system, follow the steps below:

. within the search box of your Windows, type control panel, and look for it. Finally, open it.

. in the Control Panel, search for the Program and Features section.

. during this step, you'll see a new window with heading Uninstall or change a program.

. Now, select the antivirus software and uninstall it from your system.

Once the software is uninstalled properly, clear all its residues and check if an error occurs again.

Solution 2. Enable Windows Defender Service

Another way to fix Windows Defender error code 0x800704ec is to enable the Windows Defender service.

Click the start button type run in the search box then enter to open the dialog box. Then the type of services. Turn the box on and click OK to continue.

Then within the Services window, find out all Windows Defender related services including Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection Service, Windows Defender Antivirus Network Inspection Service, Windows Defender Antivirus Service, Windows Defender Firewall, and Windows Defender Security Center Service.

To enable them to right-click all Windows Defender related services.

When all steps are finished, reboot the computer to take effect and turn on Windows Defender again to see whether the error code 0x800704ec is solved.

Solution 3. Change The Group Policy Setting

The last way is changing the group policy setting. First, open the local group policy editor by typing gpedit.msc on the run box. Open the computer configuration, administrative templates, windows components, then, windows defender antivirus. After opening the windows defender antivirus, you'll face the choice ‘turn off’. Double click on that button, apply, and okay to continue.

After that, you would like to restart your PC and power it on again to check the error code 0x800704ec whether it's already fixed or not.

To sum up, every single thing that happens to your PC is able to be fixed. Don’t be worried and check out to fix them wisely. you'll wonder about how to fix error code 0x800704ec only for a while then fix it immediately.