Fix Windows Store issues

If you are using Windows Store occasionally or even regularly, you may have encountered issues at times while doing so.

Maybe you could not get an app to download to your device, get a listing to display in Store, or even open Windows Store at all.

The experience can be frustrating if you run into these errors at times, especially if you want that one app or game to download or update.

The following guide provides you with a list of quick fixes that you may try to resolve these issues. Please note that there is no catch-all solution that resolves all issues that users face when they work with Windows Store.

Fix Windows Store issues

The three most common issues on Windows Store are related to downloading, updating and opening Windows apps.

Fix 1: Make sure you meet the minimum requirements

Your device needs to meet the minimum requirements as listed on the apps' Windows Store page. The most important bit is the Windows version which you find under system requirements when you open an application using the Store app.

Minimum OS is the most important information, but you may also want to verify that the architecture is correct.

You may check the version of your system in the following way:

1. Tap on the Windows-key, type winver and hit enter.

The window that opens list the operating system and its version.

Fix 2: Check date and time settings of Windows

Windows Store seems to have considerable issues providing its service on devices that have out-of-sync time and date settings.

You may check date and time quickly on the taskbar by hovering the mouse over the system clock. If you notice that the date is off for instance, you may fix issues that you are experiencing by adjusting the date accordingly.

Easiest way to do so is to click on the system clock, and select "date and time settings" from the popup that opens. This loads the "date and time" configuration page where you may adjust the time zone, and either select to have date and time set automatically, or manually.

Fix 3: Sign out and in again

Windows Store is linked to a Microsoft Account. It happens sometimes that things get messed up even while you are logged in to the account and shown as logged in.

You may want to try signing out of the account and signing in again afterwards. This is a quick process that may resolve account related issues.

1. With the Windows Store application open, click on the avatar next to search to display a context menu with options.
2. The first option lists your name and the account's email address. Click on that to open the account page.
3. To sign out of an account, click on it on that page, and select the sign out link that is displayed then.

If this worked, you should see the avatar icon turn into a generic icon. This indicates that you are signed out currently.

To sign in again, click on the avatar icon and select the sign in option. Enter your Microsoft Account credentials to complete the process.

Windows Store may throw an error message during sign in.

If that is the case, try to sign in at a later point in time, or try the fourth fix.

Fix 4: Windows Store Reset

You may reset the Windows Store cache to resolve temporary issues. Windows Store uses a cache to load some data from it instead of the server.

Cached data may be corrupt or outdated, and those issues can be resolved by clearing the cache.

You can check out tutorial on resetting the Windows Store cache for a detailed guide on how to do so. The following instructions simply tell you how to run the command.

1. Tap on the Windows-key, type wsreset.exe, and hit enter.

That's all there is to it. The cache is cleared when you run the command. This means that data is pulled directly from Microsoft servers instead of the cache when you use Windows Store.

Fix 5: Make sure User Account Control (UAC) is enabled

Windows applications, of which the Windows Store app is one, require that the User Account Control (UAC) is enabled.

Please note that you cannot disable UAC using the Control Panel applet. While you may set it to Never Notify, doing so won't disable UAC.

You need to disable UAC using policies. Note that the Group Policy Editor is only available in professional editions of Windows.

1. Tap on the Windows-key, type gpedit.msc and hit enter.
2. Go to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Local Policies > Security Options
3. Locate "User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode".
4. Double-click on the policy, and switch it to Enabled to make sure UAC is enabled on the system.

Fix 6: The Windows Store Troubleshooter

Microsoft's official Windows Store Troubleshooter program for Windows 8 and 10 may fix Store issues that you are experiencing.

The app, released for Windows 8 initially but updated to be compatible with Windows 10 as well, may resolve several Store or application related issues.

Simply download it from Microsoft's website and run the program once it is on your system.

The application checks for various issues including Windows Store cache, or whether UAC is activated.

Closing Words

Sometimes, even these things may not work. If Microsoft experiences server issues, then they won't help for instance.

You may try and restart the PC, or wait to try again at a later point in time.

Now You: Do you use Windows Store?

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