What causes HRESULT: 0x80070542?

The alternate Windows account specified under 'Use alternate credentials' does not have permission to register system DLLs on the local machine. IT Group Policy restricts impersonation rights for non-primary Windows accounts on the workstation. The System.EnterpriseServices assembly cannot be loaded under the alternate account's security context due to insufficient impersonation level. The local account configuration set by the IT department blocks the alternate account from accessing required COM+ or enterprise services components

How do I fix HRESULT: 0x80070542?

Step 1: Avoid using the 'Use alternate credentials' option in Power BI Desktop — instead, log into Windows directly with the account that has access to the data source.. Step 2: Contact your IT administrator to verify whether the alternate Windows account has local impersonation rights and permission to register DLLs under its security context.. Step 3: Ask IT to grant the alternate account the 'Impersonate a client after authentication' local security policy right via Group Policy or local policy editor (secpol.msc).. Step 4: If the connection must use alternate credentials, consider configuring the data source credentials through the Power BI Service or an On-premises Data Gateway instead of Power BI Desktop.. Step 5: As a workaround, use Windows 'Run as different user' to launch Power BI Desktop entirely under the alternate account, avoiding the impersonation chain that triggers this error.

High severityauthentication

Power BI Refresh Error:
HRESULT: 0x80070542

What does this error mean?

Power BI Desktop fails to load System.EnterpriseServices when connecting via alternate Windows credentials, throwing HRESULT 0x80070542. This occurs because the alternate account lacks sufficient local system permissions to register required DLLs.

Common causes

1The alternate Windows account specified under 'Use alternate credentials' does not have permission to register system DLLs on the local machine
2IT Group Policy restricts impersonation rights for non-primary Windows accounts on the workstation
3The System.EnterpriseServices assembly cannot be loaded under the alternate account's security context due to insufficient impersonation level
4The local account configuration set by the IT department blocks the alternate account from accessing required COM+ or enterprise services components

How to fix it

1Step 1: Avoid using the 'Use alternate credentials' option in Power BI Desktop — instead, log into Windows directly with the account that has access to the data source.
2Step 2: Contact your IT administrator to verify whether the alternate Windows account has local impersonation rights and permission to register DLLs under its security context.
3Step 3: Ask IT to grant the alternate account the 'Impersonate a client after authentication' local security policy right via Group Policy or local policy editor (secpol.msc).
4Step 4: If the connection must use alternate credentials, consider configuring the data source credentials through the Power BI Service or an On-premises Data Gateway instead of Power BI Desktop.
5Step 5: As a workaround, use Windows 'Run as different user' to launch Power BI Desktop entirely under the alternate account, avoiding the impersonation chain that triggers this error.

Frequently asked questions

Why does this error only happen with alternate credentials and not my primary Windows account?

The 'Use alternate credentials' option attempts to impersonate a second account within the same Windows session. This impersonation chain requires explicit local security policy rights that most IT departments do not grant to standard users. Your primary account already has the rights needed to register system DLLs because it is the session owner.

Can I fix this without involving IT?

In most corporate environments, no — registering DLLs and granting impersonation rights requires local administrator access or Group Policy changes that are controlled by IT. The most self-serviceable workaround is to use 'Run as different user' to launch Power BI Desktop entirely under the alternate account.