To fix Microsoft Store not working, you can reset it by going to Settings > Apps & Features, then go to Advanced Options for Microsoft Store and click on the Reset button.
Microsoft Store is a hub-like app store on Windows that helps you download and update apps for your computer and set up user accounts for your children by creating Microsoft Family groups.
Although Microsoft Store is useful and easy to use, there are times when this app doesn’t function properly and you might encounter issues in downloading apps or opening the Microsoft App Store.
When this happens, the first thing to do is to reset Microsoft Store. In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the steps to reinstall Microsoft Store in Windows 11.
Table of Contents
Why is the Microsoft App Store not working in Windows 11?
The Microsoft App Store is one of the most commonly used apps on Windows 11 devices. However, users have reported that they cannot access it or download any apps from it.
We came across similar errors while trying to download apps from the Microsoft Store. It turns out that there are several reasons why the Microsoft Store might not be working in Windows 11, and here are some of them below.
1. Outdated version of Windows 11: Your device is running an outdated version of Windows. If your device is still running an older version of Windows 11, you may experience problems using the app store. As such, you have to install all the latest updates of Windows 11 that are available for your computer.
2. Internet connection: This is the most common reason why the Microsoft Store won’t open or work. When downloading apps or opening the Microsoft App Store, you need to be connected to the internet and it should be work properly.
3. Firewall: If you have a firewall on your computer, it may block some traffic between Windows and the Microsoft Store. You can open ports in your firewall so that traffic goes through without being blocked.
4. Low space: A lack of free space on your hard drive can cause issues when installing new apps from the Microsoft Store. If this happens often and it’s something that can’t be solved by simply deleting files from your hard drive, consider upgrading your storage device to have more room for data storage.
5. Bad cache: Sometimes when your computer starts acting up, it may start caching up old data that isn’t needed anymore or was deleted but not yet removed from memory. Try clearing out your cache using Disk Cleanup or CCleaner to fix this problem.
6. Incorrect time: Having an incorrect date and time on your computer can cause unexpected problems. As such, check to see if the date and time are correct and fix them.
7. Microsoft server is down: If there is an issue with Microsoft’s server, the Microsoft store won’t open. There is nothing to do at this point. Just wait for the server issues to be resolved before you can access the app store.
How to Reset Microsoft Store in Windows 11
There are several reasons why you might want to reset the Microsoft Store in Windows 11, especially when it stops working, opening, or downloading apps.
Here’s how to reset the Microsoft Store in Windows 11:
1. Open the Settings app by pressing the Windows + I keys. Alternatively, search for “Settings” and open it.
2. From the search textbox in the sidebar, search for Apps & Features and open it.
3. A list of all your installed apps will be displayed. Search for Microsoft Store, then click on the ellipsis in front of it and select Advanced options.
4. Scroll down and click on the Reset button.
When resetting the Microsoft store via settings, you will get rid of all unneeded bloatware with ease and save a lot of space by removing unwanted files. The procedure is not complicated and shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to do.
How to Reinstall Microsoft Store in Windows 11
To reinstall Microsoft Store in Windows 11, you can use PowerShell which is a little advanced, but the steps below will help any user do it.
1. Click on the search icon in the bottom menu bar and search for Powershell.
2. Right-click on Windows Powershell and select Run as administrator.
3. If a confirmation appears, select Yes.
4. When Powershell opens, type and enter the following command:
- Get-AppXPackage *Microsoft.WindowsStore* | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
5. Microsoft Store will now be reset and reinstalled on your computer.
Wrapping Up
Resetting or reinstalling the Microsoft Store in Windows 11 will help fix most problems that you’re having with it, such as issues opening the app store or downloading apps from there. The steps outlined in this article show how to reset Microsoft Store via Settings or by using Microsoft Powershell.
