Palworld · blocked by Windows
Palworld won’t launch — “an application control policy has blocked this file”
A startup popup reading “an application control policy has blocked this file” or naming Smart App Control, sometimes with the code 0x11c7 — the app is stopped before Palworld’s own window ever appears.
▸ The fix, short version
- Verify the game files in Steam (right-click → Properties → Installed Files → Verify) to rule out a bad download first.
- If it is a genuine Smart App Control block: Windows Security → App & browser control → Smart App Control settings → Off, then relaunch.
- Smart App Control has no per-app exception, and depending on your Windows version re-enabling it later may need a Windows reset — so switch it off only for software you trust.
Step-by-step with screenshots-worth-of-detail on the main fix page, or read up on Smart App Control and error 0x11c7.
Sourced reports
“The root cause is Pocket Pair did NOT digitally sign the executable. So if your Win 11 PC has ‘Smart App Control’ enabled, it will prevent this (and ALL unsigned) apps from running.”
Geldric™ · Steam · “Won’t launch, ‘An application control policy has blocked this file’?”
“Because Pocketpair forget the signature, the publisher is marked as unknown and windows smart control blocks the start.”
the thread author · Steam · “How to fix 0x11C7”
“you wait for the developer put a signature or you disable the smart app”
Wonderbreadx · Steam · “Windows Error that prevents Launch (Smart App Control error)”
The specifics for Palworld
In Palworld’s Steam forum, players traced this block to its executable not being signed by a recognised company — so a Windows 11 PC with Smart App Control on refused to run it. Pocketpair self-publishes, and a later build may well be signed, so treat this page as the fix for when you actually see the “application control policy” / unknown-publisher message, not as a claim that every copy is blocked.
Steam app 1623730 · store page · Early Access Jan 2024 · 1.0 in 2026
[!] Not every Palworld crash is this
Smart App Control is not the only reason Palworld fails to start, and it only applies to Windows 11 machines that have the feature turned on. If you are not seeing the “application control policy” or Smart App Control message, other well-documented Palworld launch problems are a DirectX 12 crash (add -dx11 to the launch options), an outdated GPU driver, or leftover mods in Pal\Binaries\Win64 — each a different fix from this page.
← Back to the Smart App Control fix