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.
🔍 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.
✅ 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.
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.