The Windows Club

TheWindowsClub covers authentic Windows 11, Windows 10 tips, tutorials, how-to's, features, freeware. Created by Anand Khanse, MVP.

Repair, Reset or Clear Microsoft Store Cache in Windows 11

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One of the features of Windows 11/10 is the downloading of Microsoft Store applications. Often you might encounter issues where the downloading of Windows Store apps get stuck halfway or when you try to install or update them on your Windows 11/10 PC; it does not work.

The Microsoft Store is an important constituent of Windows 11/10 due to the coming support of Android applications. Often you might encounter issues where the downloading of Microsoft Store apps get stuck halfway or when you try to install or update it on your Windows PC; it does not work.

Repair or Reset Microsoft Store via Settings

Windows 11

Reset and Repair Microsoft Store

To reset or repair the Microsoft Store from Settings in Windows 11:

  1. Open Settings by Win + I.
  2. Go to Apps > Installed apps.
  3. Scroll down and click on System components.
  4. Look for “Microsoft Store”, click on the three dots, and select Advanced options.
  5. Click on Repair first and check if the issue is resolved. If the issue persists, click on Reset.

Windows 10

Reset the Microsoft Store

To reset Microsoft Store, open Settings > Apps > Apps and features > Search for Microsoft Store > Advanced options > Use the Reset button.

TIP: Windows 11/10 also allows you to Reset Microsoft Store apps via Settings.

Clear Windows Store Cache with WSReset.exe

To reset the cache for Microsoft Store you can use Windows Settings or use the built-in command-line tool known as WSReset.exe.

Clear Windows Store Cache with WSReset.exe

Run CMD as administrator, type WSReset.exe and hit Enter.

Alternatively, in the Start search, type wsreset.exe. On the result which appears, right-click and select Run as administrator.

A command prompt window will open. After a while, the Windows Store will open. You may (or may not) see the following confirmation message:

The cache for the Store was cleared. You can now browse the Store for apps.

It will then take you back to the Windows Store. Now try to install or update the apps or download fresh apps and see if they work as they should.

TIP: This post will help you if WSReset.exe is not working.

Why reset and clear the Microsoft Store cache?

You may want to reset the Microsoft Store to its default state for many reasons. Sometimes, the Store just fails to work as it should, or maybe one or more apps are acting up. There are other ways to solve issues with the Microsoft Store, but resetting and clearing the cache is the best of the bunch.

If you receive an error-

Windows cannot find ‘ms-windows-store:PurgeCaches’. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.

you need to re-register the Microsoft Store app by running the following command in an elevated command prompt window:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $Env:SystemRoot\WinStore\AppxManifest.xml

Incidentally, our freeware FixWin, lets you reset the Microsoft Store Cache with a click.

If this doesn’t help, you may want to repair your corrupt Windows Image or Component Store using DISM.

Related reads:

  1. Repair Microsoft Store Apps
  2. Microsoft Store is not opening.

ShyamS@TWC

Shyam aka “Captain Jack” is a Microsoft MVP alumnus and a Windows Enthusiast with an interest in Advanced Windows troubleshooting. Suggestions made and opinions expressed by him here are his personal ones and not of his current employers.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Vinit Pratap says

    windows store is not opening after performing reset, i tried hard but no result. plz help

  6. Edvan says

    Happens to me the error 0x80080206 when trying to download microsoft solitaire collection, wsreset I tried but did not work, how can I solve this problem?

  8. Rene Salmon says

    my computer says it can’t find the ms-windows-storePurgeCache is missing that i miss typed it how do i fix this

  10. ASA says

    what if your store app isnt working? for me it would constantly say that the internet sever was timed out and that i should refresh, and when i do it still wouldnt work. i have restarted the computer, had anti-virus software working even before it happened and i still dont know why it wont work.

  12. Jazmine says

    I reset the cache and it said the cache for the store was cleared, but I still couldn’t install apps. I get the error 0xc0020017

  16. DCMatrix says

    i have tried all the fix’s suggested. WSreset just brings me to the hanging screen, i have tried renaming the cache file as suggested in other posts but still no joy? can i uninstall and reinstall the store?

  18. ASK47 says

    I don’t get the “The cache for the Store was cleared” message. This is on the latest Windows 8.1 update. Made sure I did it in admin mode. Store continues to be useless for me – can’t install anything new!

  19. Kaleigh says

    I’m trying to access my windows app store, and keep getting an error message that reads, “We weren’t able to connect to the store. This might have happened because of a server problem or the network connection timed out. Please wait a few minutes and try again. (0x80072f8f). Help!

  20. dakingof says

    Apps that require me to login to Xbox live do not work like Hexic and WSOP: Full House Pro.

  21. sourav ghosh says

    i have tried with all the links you gave sir and tired with wsreset.exe…i couldnt sign in my account though from app updates.plzz help sir

  24. Rusty.Not says

    There’s a long way to fix this problem too.

    This may be a slightly different take on WindowsStore itself crashing.

    I solved the WinStore problem on my WIN8.1 computer by finding the WS cache. I dug around
    the hidden folder AppData and found a folder named:
    “C:UsersRusty.NotAppDataLocalPackageswinstore_cw5n1h2txyewylocalstatecache”

    I made a copy of the cache directory. Then I re-named cache to cache(TEST). I needed to kill a
    couple of processes that owned cache. The system will notify you which processes they are. Use Task Manager or Process Explorer to kill them.

    Restart.

    A check of localstate found a brand new cache.
    A trip to Start showed the WindowsStore tile still active. I clicked it
    and was rewarded with a fully functioning WS.

  25. lt_Sd8 says

    tried this but all it does is open microsoft store, i dont get any messages about caches at all

  26. captburnem says

    I followed this suggestion with a few modifications and was able to get the Windows Store working again. Log out of the affected user and logon to another Administrator enable user. Browse to the above mentioned path under the affected user name and rename cache to zzCache or something similar. Then reboot system. Worked like a charm. Many thanks to Rusty.Not for giving me the insight as to where to go to make this work.

  27. Rusty.Not says

    Hi captburnem! I’m glad you were successful. Since I posted 16 days ago I’ve learned a lot more. For instance you might have trouble deleting “zzCache.”
    BUT I’VE GOT EVEN BETTER NEWS! A Microsoft community MVP gave me the solution in a reply to a post I had made about a separate problem. She gave me a link to a troubleshooter from Microsoft.

    —
    [Method 1]: Run this troubleshooter and check if the issue is fixed after a restart of PC.

    [download.microsoft.com/download/F/2/4/F24D0C03-4181-4E5B-A23B-5C3A6B5974E3/apps.diagcab]

    http://download.microsoft.com/download/F/2/4/F24D0C03-4181-4E5B-A23B-5C3A6B5974E3/apps.diagcab

    [Method 2]: Another troubleshooter for the Apps run this as well after the previous one.

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/what-troubleshoot-problems-app

    —

    I stopped after Method 1. The APPS.DIAGCAB (sorry for the caps, this board doesn’t seem to have BOLD attribute unless you import it.) troubleshooter solved the WStore app itself and refreshed all the apps I had downloaded. (It reset the cache too!) It cleaned up some other inconsistencies in W8.1 and even provided a report.

    Since then I have tried to spread this diagnostic far and wide. It’s possible some of the windowsclub.com articles have this same solution but I didn’t find any when I searched.

    HTH

  28. Rusty.Not says

    If your windows store app is damaged, you’ll know it. The microsoft store is a different beast. When you try to open the tile on the Start Screen you get the “Green Screen of Death”(© 2014.) My last post gives the steps for the fix

  29. Rusty.Not says

    Since I posted this I took time to review WindowsClub articles relevant to this fix. They did have some references to the MS APPS.DIAGCAB troubleshooter. I found them near the end of the article; after the advertisements and fluff. The solution was buried under so much fluff usually, I had to look really hard to find them.

    I would rather they publish the fix as Front-Page news. I would prefer MS man-up and publish a teenie-weenie Hot-fix and end all our cumulative misery.

    But that’s just me.

  30. Cathy says

    Ok – maybe I’m stupid – but how exactly do I get to that Modern UI screen to type in WSreset?

  32. Bear says

    Okay I have a problem, I am computer cursed. I was playing a game on my computer when all of sudden my screen went black and my computer rebooted itself. When i tried to open my applications it flashes up on the screen and then disappears, If i hover over the left side of the screen it shows that the app is trying to open but when I click on the thumbnail i get a black screen and it sits there for a few seconds before minimizing. I ran the troubleshooter and it said that Windows store and cache is damaged or corrupted and it could not fix it. I tried resetting Windows Store and that did not work then I tried several other troubleshooting tips posted in forums but nothing has worked. I have only had this computer for a month and already I have killed it. Any help would be welcome.

  33. Richel Bethus Flores Sevilla says

    gud day. pls help me how can i deletemy previous microsoft account since i already forgot my password. i created a new microsoft account. how can i use it?

  34. Richel Bethus Flores Sevilla says

    i cant retrieve my password.. since i also forgotten all the contact info in my previous account. my problem is that i cant avail and download free apps in my windows 8 store

  35. Pamela says

    To me it says that I have no internet connection e_e then how I am writing and looking for this? AH? WINDOWS? AH? e_e

  36. AMGuidroz says

    Windows store is not letting me update or install any new apps. I reset the cache as instructed, but then received the following error message: The time setting on your PC might be incorrect. Go to PC settings, make sure the date, time, and time zone are set correctly, and then try again. — Of course, this too was done. Everything was already correct and when trying again and again many times, it still gives me the same error message.

  37. The Arioch says

    this command requires Windows Firewall service running, which is strange…

    i have DrWeb antivirus/firewall installed, so built-in firewall was set to “manual start” and it did not let PS to reinstall WS.

    …this reminds me Win2000 Server, where you had to start infamous Remote Regystry Access just to administer your local server…

  38. Shubhradeep majumadar says

    i was updating my window 8 os to 8.1 via window app store, it went smoothly till 63 % and after ward a notification popped in stating , your nero software interfering the update and struck the download process.
    please help…

  41. Shaun Bayog says

    sir, all of my apps in windows start aren’t functioning it says “not installed” but the icons are there. and it is the default apps like picture, music, videos.. what happened? hoping for your response. thank you

  43. Rene says

    Hi, I tried to open the wsreset, but y get the error
    “ms-windows-store:PurgeCaches n app didn’t start”.

    I don’t want to reset my computer due to many apps and programs already installed. Is there another way to fix damaged windows store cache?

  47. Brut91 says

    Hi there, I have problem with window store and all other programs from metro. I can’t open it (they always minimize) and i tried using WSreset and am getting “ms-windows-store:PurgeCaches invalid value for registry. Well I tried many forums and i have problems with adminstrator privileges (btw I am the administrator on my pc) and yet can’t fix it. Thanks for your reply

  49. James Xu says

    When i clicked upgrade to window 8.1 it doesn’t do anything and it happened with all the apps of the store

  50. Razxqwe Ðürå says

    1.windows store cache may be damaged—not fixed

    2.” ” conf. may be damaged—-detected

    3.some security setting are missing or have been changed—-fixed

    what should i do?

  52. 177 says

    im unable to acsess my store because of a forgotten password and followed all the instructions but are no help. any idea?

  54. Anonymous says

    To a person reading this and looking for solutions on this website: This is a fraud. As proven with the amount of complaints below, Mr Sasindran’s methods do not work and may even cause you more problems and damage your system at worst. I was suspicious enough to read the comments below and check if any of the solutions presented have worked for those who have tried. Apparently the majority of the feedback is not positive. Mr Sasindran’s replies to these complaints however are even more suspicious, recommending some more unusual “troubleshooting” techniques without definite solutions that have been reported to work. I hate to shade anyone’s name, but this matter takes away credibility from this website and Mr Sasindran himself. Use caution is my advice. Move on to look for more credible resources. Be wary of suspicious methods as most advice you read on the internet is not reliable.

  55. Anonymous says

    Hello again. So far, as I have the same issue with clearing “my apps” installing history on Windows 8.1, I have not come across a solution to this. Apparently many people have this same concern, and there have been no definite way of doing so at the moment – UNLESS you replace your Microsoft account with a fresh new one. I have tried this, and it does work. However, it is too much of a hassle to make a new Microsoft and lose my settings altogether so I am still on the look out for a better solution. Meanwhile, I think I can live with having “my apps not installed on this PC” shown on Windows Store. If you have any ideas, please post here and let us know!

  56. Shivendra Verma says

    I had a strange problem in my windows store app.
    on the top left corner, where the “home” button should appear with the “store” icon (the tilted bag microsoft symbol) , in my laptop it showed only the word “home” with a cross where the microsoft store icon should have been. And in any app’s page, the associated images also didnt appear, and were replaced by the same “crosses” (indicating they couldnt be displayed).
    I used the WsReset method you had delineated here, and although I DID NOT get get this confirmation message “The cache for the Store was cleared. You can now browse the Store for apps ” ,
    the problem was nevertheless solved.

    Thanks.

  58. Shakir says

    well i tried to WSReset.exe thing even tried to run it as administrator but still wont reset. it brings me to the store with the same message “your PC isnt connected to the internet,BLAH BLAH BLAH”

  60. Dr4gonkiller96 says

    Same thing after i did a Refresh Windows using the Auto Repair at launch after it was stuck in a Auto Repair Boot loop

  61. Govind Mourya says

    I have update of official windows 8.1 apps but when we try to install it. It shows only pending , not downloading.

  63. sarah miller says

    my computers says its not able to connect to the internet when i try to get on the store app

  66. nikhil sandi says

    i just upgraded to windows 8.1 pro but now after every half an hour my laptop crashes what should i do ???

  67. Aaron Bartholome says

    I tried to do a wsreset and run it as an administrator, but keep getting the same message “your pc isn’t connected to the internet” I don’t use a proxy, so I made sure to disable the proxys in all of my browsers, but it still won’t work

  68. V? says

    i forgot my Microsoft account’s password and i don’t remember my email to recovery account! now i can’t download app from windows store! HELP!!

  73. Abhishek Gurav says

    im facing the connection problem on windows store even when connection is working its showing error(0x80070422) what o do with it plz help

  74. Iscaferr says

    I have Windows 10 installed, and when I have tried to open the WStore, it seems to start but finally it doesn’t run and it is closed automatically. I tried with troubleshooter but there are not version of this software to Windows 10. Can you help me??

  75. Azfer says

    I installed asphalt airborne when i press install it starts downloading but after few seconds it says completed but wont run………………need help i really want this game

  76. esfman kocev says

    i have a problem with the store when i press on ANY app i want to install.I press on a app and the store crashes :( WHY?

  77. Jack M says

    windows app store blue screen (start up) opens then closes after about 2 seconds, no error messages displayed, can run as admin, ran update troubleshooter, updated windows 10, tried wsreset.exe as admin… what solution will work? this windows 10 has really been a pain in my rear end. had a video driver error when first switching over that would reset my computer every 2 minutes, fixed that, now this… just trying to get into windows store to update xbox app so i can stream from the xb1 to laptop

  78. A'Lexus says

    I just bought a surface pro 3 however when I bought it, the store didn’t work. It would come on but the minute click an actual app the store automatically shuts down. I have been back and forth with the Microsoft store about this problem but they keep telling me that its because of the new windows 10 and the bugs I may have encountered from it. They also told me yo just wait for an update and that it should be fixed. I have been waiting 3 weeks now and it still doesn’t work, which disables me from getting any app at all. PLEASE HELP, before I return this computer back to the store.

  81. Michael Burns says

    Didn’t work. Still can’t use Netflix app. Tried multiple uninstall/reinstall, reboot, even using a different MS account. Nada. Updated all drivers/Windows. I can’t figure this out. Netflix works fine in the browser, but the app won’t open. It tries, but closes before it gets there.
    Netflix told me to update drivers. I did. I just upgraded from Windows 8.1 to 10 yesterday and that’s when the issue began. There have been no other issues at all (so far). Thoughts?

  82. Nick says

    My apps keep crashing. I have tried everything, including your suggestions and nothing works. The error in the log is: Activation of the app Microsoft.WindowsStore_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App
    for the Windows.Launch contract was blocked with error 0x80073CFC
    because its package is in state: 66.

  85. NateGismo2004 says

    I have a windows 10 store and wont let me install apps, and three other things are downloading but sopped, and I cannot pause them or x them out without windows store freezing and then I have to exit out.

  86. Manthan Anand says

    my windowsMap does not work (windows 10)
    every time i open it, it loads for a few seconds and then it closes automaically

    kindly help

  87. mike says

    please help me sir, i have done everything you mentioned but this is the resut:

    .reinstall-preinstalledApps.ps1 : The term ‘.reinstall-preinstalledApps.ps1’ is not recognized as the name of a

    cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify

    that the path is correct and try again.

    At line:1 char:1

    + .reinstall-preinstalledApps.ps1 *Microsoft.WindowsStore*

    + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    + CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (.reinstall-preinstalledApps.ps1:String) [], CommandNotFoundException

    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException

    PS C:Usersmichadownloads>

  88. mike says

    sir please help ive done everything as mentioned this is the result:

    .reinstall-preinstalledApps.ps1 : The term ‘.reinstall-preinstalledApps.ps1’ is not recognized as the name of a

    cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify

    that the path is correct and try again.

    At line:1 char:1

    + .reinstall-preinstalledApps.ps1 *Microsoft.WindowsStore*

    + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    + CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (.reinstall-preinstalledApps.ps1:String) [], CommandNotFoundException

    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException

    PS C:Usersmichadownloads>

  89. Voi says

    WSReset method run as admin does not work in windows 10. Downloads still stuck at 0.1 MB. My internet is fine thank you.

  92. UBAID RABBANI says

    Hi I tried “WSReset.exe” run in admin but Windows Store opening without any message. Please help me…
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit

  97. Riasat Salmin Sami says

    Windows store is garbage at it’s core.

    Can’t download my games anymore. I get “Error, see details” right after I click install. Tried wsreset/ other commands via powershell and nothing works. What a piece of shit.

  98. HELP says

    NOT WORK SUPER ANOYING STORE SAS NOT CONNECTED BUT I AM MAKEME RAGE WANT TO SMASHMY COMPUTER PLZ HELP I DID EVERYTHING SPENT 1 HOUR STIL NOT WORK

  100. Jeanine H says

    no matter how many hours i have spent on the phones with microsoft and online searching myself i cannot find a solution for getting my apps to update and install AT ALL !!!!

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