How to Fish Error 0x11C7: Smart App Control Blocks the Game

What does How to Fish error 0x11C7 mean?

The exact Steam message is commonly phrased as “An application control policy has blocked this file” followed by 0x11C7. Windows blocks the process before the game window opens, so this is a launch-policy failure—not a How to Fish save load, lobby join or rendering crash.

Smart App Control is a Windows 11 feature. Microsoft says it is not available on Windows 10. If the same policy message appears on Windows 10 or a work/school-managed PC, another application-control policy may be responsible; do not change organization security settings without the administrator.

Why did Smart App Control start blocking How to Fish?

Microsoft explains that Smart App Control first asks its cloud security service whether an app is safe. If the service cannot make a confident decision, it checks for a valid signature. An app that cannot earn a trusted verdict is blocked for protection.

That general rule does not prove why this particular How to Fish build was blocked. A player report can establish the exact symptom, but it cannot establish that the executable is unsigned, malicious or changed by Patch 1.0.9. The useful report includes the official Steam source, file state, Windows edition, game version and the complete Windows message.

Is this related to Patch 1.0.9?

The current official Patch 1.0.9 announcement adds difficulty settings, a Steam connection diagnostic and an attempted save-corruption fix. It does not mention Smart App Control, executable signing or error 0x11C7.

If the game worked before an update and the block appeared immediately afterward, include that before/after timing in the bug report. Do not convert the sequence into a confirmed cause. Restart Steam first so it can finish applying the current build before testing the same executable again.

Steam file check, reinstall and Windows Security checks

1. Capture the exact block. Save the full 0x11C7 message, Windows version, time, and whether How to Fish ever opened. This separates the policy block from a later crash.
2. Restart Windows and Steam. Close Steam completely, restart the PC, reopen Steam and let both Steam and How to Fish finish any pending update.
3. Update Windows and Defender. Microsoft recommends current Windows and Defender updates for Smart App Control. Install pending security intelligence and Windows updates, then restart.
4. Check the official game files. In Steam Library, open How to Fish → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files. Let Steam reacquire anything that differs.
5. Remove third-party variables. Disable or remove mods, loaders and manually replaced files. Repeat the Steam file check so the test uses the official distribution.
6. Reinstall only from Steam if files remain suspect. Uninstall How to Fish, restart Steam and download it again from the library. A reinstall can restore program files; it does not change the Windows trust decision by itself.
7. Test once and record the result. If the same policy message returns, stop repeating reinstalls and prepare a developer report with the exact evidence.

Do not add the executable to a Defender exclusion and assume that bypasses Smart App Control. Microsoft’s current FAQ says Smart App Control has no per-app exception. An antivirus exclusion and an application-control trust decision are different controls.

Should you disable Smart App Control?

Not as the first solution. Smart App Control is system-wide protection against malicious, unwanted or untrusted apps. Turning it off changes protection for the device, not just How to Fish.

Microsoft’s current FAQ says recent Windows updates can allow Smart App Control to be turned back on, but device state and policy can differ. Check what Windows Security actually says on your PC before changing the setting. This wiki does not recommend disabling the protection merely to test whether the game starts.

Game still will not launch

If a clean, current Steam install still returns the same 0x11C7 policy block, the remaining useful action is a precise report—not another random workaround. Send Dazed Games:

• the full application-control message and code 0x11C7;
• Windows edition, version and build;
• How to Fish version and the time Steam last updated it;
• whether the Steam file check replaced anything;
• whether mods or manually replaced files were ever present;
• whether Windows Security Protection History lists a related event.

Microsoft says the better long-term answer for an app that remains untrusted is for its developer to use a valid signature. A user cannot create that trust by renaming the EXE, running it from a different folder or downloading another copy from an unknown source.