If your Sendsteps add-in in PowerPoint is not loading webcharts or you see an error message when opening a presentation, this issue may be caused by your Microsoft Defender Antivirus (MDAV) or other security settings blocking certain Sendsteps files.
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🔍 Cause
Recent Windows 11 updates and stricter Attack Surface Reduction (ASR) rules in Microsoft Defender can prevent Sendsteps from functioning correctly.
In particular, these ASR rules may interfere:
“Block all Office applications from creating child processes”
“Block Office applications from creating executable content”
Because the Sendsteps add-in needs to run a few background processes and JavaScript files to display interactive charts, these rules can block its normal behavior.
⚙️ Affected Files
The Sendsteps add-in uses several executable and script files that may be blocked by antivirus or endpoint protection software, including:
C:\Program Files\Sendsteps\x64\CefSharp.BrowserSubprocess.exe
JavaScript files in C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Roaming\Sendsteps\addincharts
Temporary files such as %TEMP%\Sendsteps.Updater.En.exe
used during updates
The user’s default browser (used for login actions and certain buttons)
These files are safe and required for the add-in to run properly.
âś… Recommended Solution
Please check with your IT department or system administrator to review recent security policy changes and allow or whitelist the Sendsteps files listed above.
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If you installed Sendsteps through your organization’s Software Center, the latest version already includes the necessary exclusions, and the add-in should work after reinstalling or updating.
If the problem persists, please check your Microsoft Defender logs for warnings related to Sendsteps and confirm that the files are not being blocked.