Can’t Install Apps Error on Windows Store? Here’s the FIX

A lot of people have constantly been reporting that they can’t install apps on Windows Store. This error happens when they are trying to download games or applications on their personal computer. The error has appeared in different forms, with a message that appears on the screen when they try to download apps or a message next to the app’s name in Library. But the way this issue can be fixed is the same for all forms. This error is spotted on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

After many players have reported this issue asking for help, we have decided to take a deeper look into it to see what causes it. Here’s a short list that contains all the potential causes:

Now that you are aware of all the possible causes, here is a list of all the methods that players have used in order to fix this Microsoft Store error:

1. Update your Windows

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that your Windows is up to date. A lot of problems can be caused by the Windows being outdated, including the can’t install any app error. This method is available for both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

All you have to do is to go to the Windows Update and check if any updates are available, and if there are any, make sure to install them. You can find the Windows Update inside the Settings of your computer.

In case you don’t know how to do this, here are the steps your need to follow:

1. Firstly you have to open the Windows Settings. To do this, you have to open a Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R, then type ‘ms-settings:‘ inside the search bar and press Enter.

   

2. Once you are inside the Windows Settings, scroll down through the menu located on the left side until you see Windows Update. When you find it, click on it.

   

3. Now that you are inside the Windows Update, click on the Check for updates button located on the right side to see if there are updates available. If there are, click on the Install button.

   

4. After the update has been completely installed, reboot your PC to make sure that the update applies properly.
5. Once the PC boots back, check if you can now download and install apps from Windows Store.

In case you still can’t install apps after updating your Windows, go to the next method below.

2. Update Microsoft Store

The second thing you have to make sure of is that the Microsoft Store is not missing any updates. This is another possible cause that might make the apps not install. This can happen because you have missed some updates and didn’t install them, even if they should have been installed automatically.

In order to do this, all you have to do is to open the Microsoft Store and go to the Library. There you can check for updates, and if there are updates found they will be installed.

In case you don’t know how to do this, here are the steps that will show you how:

1. The first thing you need to do is to open a Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R and type inside the search bar ‘ms-windows-store:‘, then press Enter to open the Microsoft Store. You can also open the Microsoft Store from the taskbar or other places, so it is your decision.

   

2. Once the Microsoft Store appears on your screen, you have to access the Library. Click on the icon located in the bottom left corner of the screen.

   

3. After you are inside the Library, click on the Get updates button located on the right side to check if there are available updates for your apps, including the Microsoft Store.

   

4. If there are available updates that are being found, they will automatically start to download.
5. Once the updates have been installed, try to install other applications that you couldn’t install before to see if the same error appears.

If you have updated your Microsoft Store and still can’t install apps on it, go to the next method below.

3. Repair or reset Microsoft Store

Another thing that you can try is to repair or reset your Microsoft Store. By doing this, people have managed to make their apps install using this store.

When you repair or reset the Microsoft Store, all the corrupted files that are making it not work will be repaired or replaced. This process should be enough to fix the Microsoft Store.

All you have to do is to go to the Windows Settings and access the Advanced Options. There you can reset or repair the Store. You should try both options to see if they will fix your issue.

In case you don’t know how to do this, here is a guide with all the steps you need:

1. Start with opening a Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R and typing ‘ms-settings:‘ inside the search bar, then press Enter to open the Windows Settings. You can also open the Microsoft Store in other ways, so open it how you want.

   

2. Once you are inside the Windows Settings, look on the list from the left side until you see the Apps section. Select it, then you need to click on the Apps & features.

   

3. When you are inside the Apps & features section, you will be able to see a list of all the apps installed on your computer. Scroll through the list until you find the Microsoft Store, or you can use the search option to find it faster.
4. Once found the Microsoft Store, click on the three dots located on the right side of the app, then click on Advanced options.

   

5. After that, you need to scroll down until you see the Repair and Reset buttons. Firstly, click on Repair to see if this is enough to fix your Microsoft Store.

   

6. If the repair process didn’t help, now try to reset the app by clicking on the Reset button. But keep in mind that this process will delete the app’s data from your computer, as well as the preferences and sign-in options.
7. After the reset process has been finished, test the Microsoft Store to see if you still can’t install apps on it.

If the Microsoft Store is still not working, check the next method below.

4. Run the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter 

This method is another fix that has helped players fix their Microsoft Store can’t install apps issue. In some cases, running the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter was the action that made the Microsoft Store work properly again.

Note: This method is available for both Windows 10 and Windows 11, but the steps to get there are a bit different. If you find it difficult to do this on your Windows 10, search online for specific instructions.

All you have to do is to go into the Windows Settings and access the Troubleshoot section, where you will be able to find the Windows Store Apps troubleshoot option. After selecting it, it will automatically determine what the cause of the error is and recommend what to do to fix it.

Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to run the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter on Windows 11:

1. The first thing you need to do is to open the Windows Settings. Press the Windows key + R to open a Run dialog box and type inside it ‘ms-settings:‘, then press Enter to open the Settings. You can also open them from the taskbar, or by pressing the Windows key + I.

   

2. Now that you are inside the Windows Settings, look for System in the list from the left side of the screen. When you find this section, click on it.
3. Inside the System section, you have to scroll down until you see Troubleshoot, then click on it.

   

4. Now you have to click on Other troubleshooters for this step.
5. Once you are inside the Other troubleshooters section, you have to scroll to the bottom of the screen to look for Windows Store Apps. When you see it, click on Run to start the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter.

   

6. Once the troubleshooting has been complete, follow the suggestions that are recommended to you to complete the process.
7. After you are done with everything, test the Microsoft Store to see if you still can’t install apps or games on it.

If the error is still occurring, check the next possible method below.

5. Check the Microsoft Store Install Service

Another important thing that you need to check is to make sure that the Microsoft Store Install Service is running correctly. In some cases, this was the cause for the Microsoft Store not being able to install any apps.

The Microsoft Store Install Service provides infrastructure support for the Microsoft Store, so it is essential that this service is enabled for the app to work properly. If disabled, the Microsoft Store won’t be able to function properly.

All you have to do is to go to the Services of your Windows and check if the Microsoft Store Install Service is running, then restart it to make sure that it will work properly.

Here are the steps you need to follow in order to check the Microsoft Store Install Service:

1. The first thing you need to do is to open the Services. Press the Windows key + R to open a Run dialog box, then inside the search bar type ‘services.msc‘ and press Enter to open the Services.

   

2. Once the Services appear on your screen, you have to scroll through the list until you find Microsoft Store Install Service. When you see it, make sure that right after the name the status says Running.

   

3. If the Microsoft Store Install Service is disabled, double-click on it and set the Startup type to Automatic, then click on OK.

   

4. Now that you are sure that the Microsoft Store Install Service is running, you have to restart the service to be sure that is working properly. Right-click on the service and click on Restart.

   

5. After the service has been restarted, test the Microsoft Store to see if now you will be able to install apps.

In case neither of these methods has helped and you still can’t install apps on Microsoft Store, check the last method below.

6. Reinstall the Microsoft Store 

The last thing that you should try in order to make the apps install is to reinstall the Microsoft Store. The best and easiest way to do this is to reinstall it using PowerShell. 

All you have to do is to open the PowerShell with admin privileges, then insert a command that will automatically reinstall your Microsoft Store application.

Here is a guide that will show you exactly how to do this:

1. Open a Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R, then type inside the search bar ‘powershell‘ and press CTRL + Shift + Enter to open the PowerShell with administrator privileges.

   

2. You will be prompted by the User Account Control, so click on Yes to confirm that you want to give the administrator privileges.
3. Once the PowerShell appears on your screen, you have to copy and paste the following command:
   Get-AppXPackage *WindowsStore* -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”} 
4. After you paste this command, press Enter and wait a few seconds until the process is done.

   

5. When the process is complete, type exit to close the PowerShell.
6. Now all that’s left to do is to see if you still can’t download apps on Microsoft Store.