Fix: ‘You’ll need a new app to open this ms-gaming overlay’

The “You’ll need a new app to open this ms-gaming overlay” error message is related to Windows Game Bar, an option introduced in Windows 10 which provides certain gaming features such as video recording, taking screenshots, etc. The message appears when using the Windows Key + G key combination, which is the default combination which opens the Game Bar.

Users often want to use that combination for other apps they have running but Windows forces its Game Bar functionality. There are quite a few methods you can use to resolve this problem and we hope you will get lucky with one of them!

What Causes the “You’ll Need a New App to Open This ms-gaming overlay” Error on Windows 10?

The main cause of this problem is the fact that the Windows Key + G key combination is reserved for Game Bar. If you want to use the same combination for other purposes, the Game Bar needs to be disabled.

However, if you have uninstalled Xbox and Game Bar from Windows, this error will appear because Windows doesn’t have anything to open when using the said key combination. In that case, you would have to reinstall the deleted Windows 10 apps.

Solution 1: Disable Game Bar

The simplest method is often the best one and you should definitely start troubleshooting with simply disabling Game Bar. This will remove the key binding and you will be able to use this key combination for other purposes. Follow the steps below!

1. Use the Windows Key + I key combination to open Settings on your Windows 10 PC. Alternatively, you can search for “Settings” by using the search bar located at the taskbar or you can click the cog icon right above the Start menu button after it opens
2. Locate and open the “Gaming” sub-entry in the Settings app by clicking on it once.

3. Navigate to the Game bar tab and check for the Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using Game bar Slide the slider underneath to Off and exit Settings afterward. Check to see if the same problems appear when using the Win + G key combination!

Solution 2: Reinstall Windows Apps

This method will replace all missing Windows apps you may have uninstalled a while ago. The error appears because the Win + G key combination uses the Xbox app installed by default on Windows. If you have tried uninstalling various built-in Windows apps, you might have uninstalled this app as well and Windows doesn’t have anything to open when you use that key combination. The method will take a few minutes but it has worked for countless users!

1. Navigate to the following location on your computer by opening the Windows Explorer and clicking on This PC:

C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Local\Packages

2. If you are unable to see the AppData folder, you may need to turn on the option which enables you to view hidden files and folders. Click on the “View” tab on File Explorer’s menu and click on the “Hidden items” checkbox in the Show/hide section. File Explorer will show the hidden files and will remember this option until you change it again.

3. Delete all files and folders in the Packages folder. If you receive a message saying that some files couldn’t have been deleted because they were in use, you can skip them. You can also simply move the files and folders somewhere else for safekeeping!
4. Open the PowerShell utility by right-clicking the Start menu button and clicking the Windows PowerShell (Admin) option at the context menu.

5. If you see Command Prompt instead of PowerShell at that spot, you can also search for it in the Start menu or the search bar next to it. This time, make sure you right-click on the first result and choose Run as administrator.
6. In the PowerShell console, type in the command shown below and make sure you click Enter after typing it out.

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}

7. Let this command do its thing! It should take a couple of minutes in order to reinstall all the apps. Check to see if the “You’ll need a new app to open this ms-gaming overlay” error message still appears.

Solution 3: Disable Key Binding in Registry Editor

If the methods above fail to provide results or if they show different error message during any steps, there is always the option of resolving the problem in Registry Editor. It’s fast and efficient but some users avoid editing the registry because of system stability issues. However, if you follow the steps below carefully, nothing can go wrong and the problem should be gone in no time!

1. Since you are going to edit a registry key, we recommend you check out this article we have published for you to safely backup your registry to prevent other problems. Still, nothing wrong will occur if you follow the steps carefully and correctly.
2. Open the Registry Editor window by typing “regedit” in the search bar, the Start menu, or the Run dialog box which can be accessed with the Windows Key + R key combination. Navigate to the following key in your registry by navigating at the left pane:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\GameDVR

3. Click on this key and try to locate an entry named AppCaptureEnabled. If it’s not there, create a new DWORD Value entry called NoWinKeys by right-clicking at the right side of the window and choosing New >> DWORD (32-bit) Value. Right-click on it, and choose the Modify option from the context menu.

4. In the Edit window, under the Value data section change the value to 0 and apply the changes you have made. Make sure the Base is set to Decimal. Confirm any security dialogs which may appear during this process.
5. Furthermore, navigate to the location below in the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\System\GameConfigStore

6. Look for a DWORD entry named GameDVR_Enabled. If it’s not there, repeat the same actions from Step 3 in order to create it. Right-click it and choose Modify.

7. In the Edit window, under the Value data section change the value to 0 and apply the changes you have made.
8. You can now manually restart your computer by clicking Start menu >> Power button >> Restart and check to see if the problem is gone. This will probably resolve the problem immediately.

Solution 4: Reset Windows Store Cache

If the Store’s cache is experiencing some issues, make sure you reset it with this simple command. Resetting the cache usually solves similar issues because they are caused when the Store is used excessively and its cache becomes larger than recommended. This may cause issues with any of the Windows apps, including the Xbox and Game Bar apps.

1. Click the Start menu button and type the “wsreset” command. As soon as you type this in, the first result at the top should be “wsreset – Run command”.

2. Click on this in order to reset the Store’s cache. Restart your computer in order to apply these changes and try using the Win + G key combination to see if the “You’ll need a new app to open this ms-gaming overlay” error message still appears.