Missing HKCU Office WEF Registry Key Despite Functioning Centrally Deployed Add-in, Preventing Runtime Logging Setup

[ttuyen1529]

Missing HKCU Office WEF Registry Key Despite Functioning Centrally Deployed Add-in, Preventing Runtime Logging Setup

Your Environment

• Platform [PC desktop, Mac, iOS, Office on the web]: PC desktop (Inferred from GPO, Registry Editor use)
• Host [Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.]: Outlook
• Office version number: Microsoft 365 Apps, Version 2408 (Build 17928.20440), Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel
• Operating System: Windows (Inferred from context, specific version not provided)
• Browser (if using Office on the web): N/A

Expected behavior

When a centrally deployed Office Web Add-in is running successfully within Outlook, the associated user-specific registry keys under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\WEF\ should be present. This includes the base WEF key, which is required to subsequently create the necessary keys (Developer\<Add-in ID>\UseRuntimeLogging) to enable the runtime logging feature for debugging purposes.

Current behavior

The Office Web Add-in, deployed via Centralized Deployment, is confirmed to be running correctly within the Outlook client. Evidence of this includes the add-in's functionality being available and the existence of the corresponding cache/data folder structure at %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\WEF\<Add-in ID>\.
However, when inspecting the registry using regedit.exe, the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\WEF\ is completely missing. This absence prevents the creation of the Developer\<Add-in ID>\UseRuntimeLogging DWORD value, thus blocking the ability to enable runtime logging using the standard documented method.

Steps to reproduce

1. Deploy an Office Web Add-in using Centralized Deployment via the M365 Admin Center.
2. Ensure the target environment is using Office M365 Apps (specifically tested on Version 2408, Semi-Annual Channel) on a Windows desktop, potentially managed via GPO.
3. Launch Outlook and verify the centrally deployed add-in loads and is operational.
4. (Optional) Confirm the existence of the add-in's cache folder at %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\WEF\<Add-in ID>\.
5. Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe).
6. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\.
7. Observe that the WEF subkey is not present under the 16.0 key.

Link to live example(s)

1. N/A - Issue relates to registry state in a specific corporate/deployment environment rather than a shareable code sample.

Provide additional details

1. The Office installation is managed via Group Policy Objects (GPO).
2. It is strongly suspected, but not yet confirmed by user's IT, that profile virtualization/redirection technology (e.g., FSLogix, Citrix UPM, VMware DEM) might be in use, potentially redirecting registry writes intended for HKCU and causing them to appear missing in the standard registry view.
3. Attempting to manually create the WEF\Developer\<Add-in ID> keys and the UseRuntimeLogging value under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\ was suggested as a potential workaround to enable logging, but the success of this is pending confirmation.

Context

The user is the developer of the specific web add-in deployed via Centralized Deployment. The primary impact of this issue is the inability to enable runtime logging for the add-in using the standard registry method. This significantly hinders debugging efforts for issues occurring within the add-in in this specific user environment.

Useful logs

• Console errors (Not applicable for missing registry key)
• Screenshots (Issue is absence of a key, easily described)
• Test file (Not applicable)

[millerds]

Did the manual workaround work? If there is something else that is redirecting the registry interaction that the tool may not work right.

[microsoft-github-policy-service]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it is marked as needing author feedback but has not had any activity for 4 days. It will be closed if no further activity occurs within 3 days of this comment. Thank you for your interest in Office Add-ins!

[microsoft-github-policy-service]

This issue has been closed due to inactivity. Please comment if you still need assistance and we'll re-open the issue.