Windows 10 Apps Not Working? Here’s the main causes

As the most used operating system, Windows now comes with pre-loaded apps that can make your day to day activities that little bit quicker. Windows 10 apps are generally quite reliable, but there are times that you may have issues with them.

So what can you do when your apps stop working? We have put some common issues together that people have experienced with Windows 10 apps, and looked at some fixes below to guide you.

Windows 10 Apps Not Working? Here’s why, and what to do

If you’re having issues with Windows 10 apps, then the best things you can do are;

  1. Make sure your operating system is fully updated.
  2. Reset the cache in your Windows Store.
  3. Re-register any application.
  4. Try and troubleshoot the issue using the Windows Store apps troubleshooter.

Doing these four things will likely get your Windows operating system back working again as it should be in the majority of cases. It’s also worth knowing what causes these issues in the first place too.

The most common issues

What problems do we see with Windows 10 apps? Most of the time the operating system is pretty good, but there are some known issues that you can face with it further down the line.

We’ve tried hundreds of different Windows apps, and the problems that we come across most often are;

  • Apps keep crashing.
  • App won’t boot.
  • App becomes unresponsive.
  • Problems trying to connect.
  • Problems syncing content.
  • Corrupted system files
  • Microsoft Store cache problems

So, what can you do if you end up coming across these issues? We’re going to run through the most common problems people face when using Windows 10 apps.

Update using the Windows 10 store

Updating your apps and devices is one of the best ways to ensure your apps continue to run smoothly, without updating you can run into an excess of issues.

Read More: Windows 10 Photo App won’t open

So to update your Windows 10 apps make sure your operating system is up to date and move on to updating your apps.

  1. Type ‘Store’ into the Windows search box.
  2. Open ‘Microsoft Store.’
  3. Go to the top right-hand corner of the screen.
  4. Go to ‘Downloads and Updates.’
  5. Apply all updates for your apps that are listed.
  6. Restart your computer.
  7. See if your problem is now fixed.

Reset the Windows Store Cache

Resetting your cache files is helpful because it removes corrupt files or any little bug that may be causing issues.

Your computer saves these files to help it run at optimal speed when visiting websites and other pages. You can delete these without running the risk of breaking your computer so don’t worry.

command-prompt
  1. In the Windows search bar type the following command prompt CMD
  2. Right-click and choose to ‘Run as administrator.’
  3. When the window pops up type wsreset.exe
  4. Press ‘Enter’ to continue
  5. Allow the process to complete and then restart your computer to apply changes.
  6. See if your issue is now rectified.
command-task

Reset specific apps

Resetting an app deletes all the saved data within the apps storage files and effectively puts it back to its default settings.

With updates and things constantly happening to improve your apps, sometimes something will get knocked off track a little. Resetting the app to its default gives you a blank page to start with.

  1. Press the ‘Windows’ key and ‘I’ to open the settings menu.
  2. Go to ‘Apps.’
  3. Choose whichever application you are having issues with from the list.
  4. Go to ‘Advanced Options.’
  5. Scroll down and click ‘Reset.’
  6. Allow the process to complete.
  7. Restart your computer and retry the application to see if you are still having issues.

Re-register an application

When you re-register an app you don’t have to be connected to the internet, you can do it through the Windows PowerShell available on your Windows 10 device.

If you are finding issues with multiple apps on your PC then try this method.

  1. Press ‘Windows’ key plus ‘X’
  2. Go to ‘Windows PowerShell.’
  3. Run as administrator.
  4. In the Powershell type the following commands in bold:
  5. Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
  6. The process will then take a little while to complete.
  7. Reboot your computer and see if your issue is not resolved.

Run a troubleshoot

Finally, Windows 10 has a troubleshoot for times like these, when you have tried everything you can think of and then some.

Now you should run a troubleshoot because Windows will scan all of your applications and automatically assign repairs to ones that need them;

manager
  1. Go to ‘Control Panel.’
  2. Go to ‘Troubleshooting.’
  3. Choose ‘Hardware and sound.’
  4. Go to the Windows Store Apps.
  5. Click ‘Advanced.’
  6. Tick the option that says ‘Apply repairs automatically.’
  7. Go ‘Next’ to continue.
  8. The troubleshooter will then scan all available apps and repair any issues.
  9. Once the process is complete, restart your computer to apply changes and try to boot your app again.
troubleshoot-hardware

What are Windows 10 apps?

Windows 10 is an operating system developed by Microsoft, the operating system comes with pre-installed apps as part of its content. Some apps that are found in Windows 10 are: Microsoft Word, Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Edge and One Note.

See Also: Where is the AppData Folder?

These apps are part of Microsoft’s user-friendly approach to technology, making it easy for the user to access the most commonly used apps for ease of set-up.

These, and any other apps you may choose to install end up having problems, occasionally there is no obvious reason why the apps stop working. Other times it is something like a third-party app or a setting stopping the app from functioning properly.

Conclusion

On Windows 10 and Windows 8.1, as users, we have had the luxury of using the Windows App Store for all our applications. However, users sometimes find that these apps run into problems such as crashing or failing to load, and, usually, it is for no apparent reason.

Photo of author

Connect: LinkedIn

Author

Tracy

An avid gamer, historian and all-round literature buff, Tracy is our go-to when it comes to using different devices. MacOS, iOS, Android, Windows, Linux or whatever else, Tracy's got a device that runs it (she's even got an old Blackberry laying around somewhere!).

Read more from Tracy

appsuk-symbol-cropped-color-bg-purple@2x

Apps UK
International House
12 Constance Street
London, E16 2DQ