Fix Microsoft Store not downloading apps and games

Other similar errors include Microsoft Store not installing apps or Microsoft Store not installing apps, Microsoft Store not being able to download apps or apps from Microsoft Store, and Microsoft Store not installing games. Sometimes you can't download from Microsoft Store, but we have a solution for this problem.

We bring you a perfect guide that will help you fix Microsoft Store without any download problem.

Below are some possible reasons for the failure to load issue in Microsoft Store.

1. Internet connection failed
2. Cache memory is corrupted
3. Not enough storage space
4. Outdated operating system

We've compiled a list of ways to help you fix the problem of apps not downloading from Microsoft Store. Follow these methods in order for best results.

1. Basic troubleshooting tips
2. Sign in to your Microsoft account
3. Restart Microsoft Store
4. Disable metered connections
5. Run the Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter
6. Clear Windows Storage cache
7. Restart the Windows Update Service
8. Update Windows
9. Install Microsoft Store app updates
10. Change DNS address
11. Modify registry keys
12. Reset Windows Update components
13. Reset Microsoft Store
14. Re-register for Microsoft Store
15. Reinstall Microsoft Store
16. Create a new user profile
17. Perform a clean boot
18. Perform System Restore

Basic troubleshooting tips

Here are some basic ways you can fix this problem. Try these methods before other methods, they should fix the problem

1. Restart your computer. It will fix all the glitches.
2. If you're having network-related problems, troubleshoot your network connection
3. Turn off security software and VPNs and proxies
4. Update the graphics card driver
5. Make sure Windows date and time are correct. If not, please change the date and time.
6. Free up hard drive space
7. Make sure Windows Defender Firewall is enabled when installing any apps or programs.
8. Check your internet connection. To use Microsoft Store, a suitable Internet connection is required to send and receive data from Microsoft servers. You can test your internet connection by pinging 8.8.8.8. This is the main internet connection test, if the packets sent and received are equal then it means your internet connection is working well. Follow the steps below.

1. Press the  Windows key  and enter  cmd and click Run as administrator.

2. Enter  Ping 8.8.8.8   into the command window and press  Enter  .

3. Wait a few seconds and check packets: Sent = X , Received = X , Lost = X . Here  X  will be different depending on your connection.

1. If the value of  Lost  is 0, i.e.  Lost = 0  , then your connection is working fine.
2. If the value of  Lost  is positive or negative, you have a problem with your connection. In this case, try restarting, switching to  an Ethernet connection  , or contact  your Internet service provider  to resolve the issue.

Method 1: Sign in to your Microsoft account

If any sign-in errors prevent Microsoft Store from downloading anything, you can fix it by signing in again. Please follow the instructions below.

1. Press the  Windows key  , type  Microsoft Store and click Open .

 2. Click on your DS profile icon and select the Sign out option  . You will be logged out.

3. Click  Sign in,  as shown in the picture.

4. Select Microsoft accont  and click  Continue  .

5. Enter  your credentials  and sign back into your Microsoft account.

   Reference: How to create a Microsoft account

Method 2: Restart Microsoft Store

If you still can't download from Microsoft Store, try closing the Microsoft Store app manually and restarting the app following the instructions below.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc simultaneously  to open Task Manager  .

2. In the  Processes tab  , click  Microsoft Store  , then click the  End Task button  .

3. Reopen  Microsoft Store  .

Method 3: Turn off Metered connections

Metered connections are used to prevent apps and programs from consuming unnecessary data by setting data limits. If your network is configured for metered connections, this may cause Microsoft Store to fail to install apps or fail to install apps. You can disable metered connections by following the instructions below.

1. Right-click the Wi-Fi  or  Ethernet icon  in the lower right corner of the screen and select Open Network and Internet Settings

2. Click the Properties option in the right panel.

3. Scroll down the screen and under Metered connections to toggle the Set as metered connections option to Off .

4. Return to  Microsoft Store  and try installing any apps or games.

Method 4: Run the Windows Store App Troubleshooter

If you still notice that the game is not installed in the Microsoft Store, you can use the built-in troubleshooting tools to identify and fix the problem. Follow the steps below.

1. Enter troubleshoot settings in the Windows search bar and click Open as shown.

2. Click Additional Troubleshooter  , as shown in the following image.

3. Select Windows Store Apps > Run the troubleshooter .

4. After the troubleshooting process, if the tool finds any issues, click Apply this fix

5. Follow the instructions given in the successive prompts  to restart your PC  .

Method 5: Clear Windows Storage cache

If you're still unable to download from Microsoft Store, it may be because a corrupt cache file is interfering with the process. To clear Microsoft Store cache, follow these steps.

1. Click Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box .

2. Type  wsreset.exe  and press  Enter  .

Method 6: Restart the Windows Update service

Many users have suggested that the issue of Microsoft Store not installing apps can be resolved by restarting the Windows Update service that manages updates released by Microsoft. Here's how you do it.

1. Launch the  Run dialog box by pressing Windows +  R keys simultaneously.

2. Type  services.msc  and press  Enter to start the Services window .

3. Scroll down the screen and right-click  Windows Update.

Note: If the current status is not Running  , you can skip the following steps.

4. If the current status shows Running , click Stop .

5. You will be prompted; Windows is attempting to stop the following services on the local computer…  wait for the prompt to complete. It takes about 3 to 5 seconds.

6. Now, launch  File Explorer by simultaneously pressing the Windows key +  E. path

C:WindowsSoftwareDistributionDataStore

7. Press  Ctrl + A to select all files and folders, then right-click them and select Delete  .

8. Navigate to C:WindowsSoftwareDistributionDownload and similarly Delete all the data there.

9. Return to the Services window and right-click  Windows Update. Select the Start option   .

10. Wait for the process to complete.

Method 7: Update Windows

To fix any update-related errors and issues, simply update your Windows 10 PC. Outdated operating systems can cause various problems, including Microsoft Store not downloading any errors. We recommend that you follow the instructions in our guide to checking Windows Update for more information. Follow the steps below to update windows.

1. Press Windows + I keys simultaneously  to start   setup  .

2. Click the Updates and Security box   as shown.

3. On the   Windows Update tab, click the Check for Updates button   .

4A. If a new update is available, click  Install Now   and follow the instructions to update.

4B. On the contrary, if Windows is updated, it will display the message  You are up to date    .

5. Finally,  restart  your PC  and check if you have fixed the Microsoft Store issue.

Method 8: Install Microsoft Store app updates

Apps and programs in the Microsoft Store should always be updated when the system is updated. The pending update will prevent any new apps from being installed on your PC, preventing the Microsoft Store from downloading anything. Follow the steps below to update Microsoft Store apps.

1. Open Microsoft Store  from the Windows search bar, as shown in the image below.

2. Click on the Library  option in the lower left corner.

3. Click Get updates  , as shown.

4. Click  Update all  .

5. Wait for the update to download, when completed, you will see your apps and games are up to date  .

Method 9: Change DNS address

Switching to a Google DNS address helps many users when they cannot download from the Microsoft store. The DNS server retrieves the IP address of the requested website for display. You can change your DNS address or switch to Google DNS. After changing your DNS address, check to see if you can download from the Microsoft Store.

Method 10: Modify Registry Editor

In your Registry Editor, there is a feature called Replace all child object permission entries with permission entries that can inherit from this object. If you enable it for any particular folder, all the permissions of the parent folder will be transferred to all its subfolders. It may solve the problem, you can follow the steps below.

1. Click  the Windows key  , type  Registry Editor , then click Run as administrator  .

2. Now, in Windows  Registry Editor  , navigate to the following path.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsNTCurrentVersionNetworkListProfiles

3. Right-click the Profiles folder and click Permissions …

4. In the Permissions for Profiles window , click Advanced  .

5. Check the Replace all child object permission entries with this object's inheritable permission entries box.

6. Click  Apply > OK  and restart your PC.

Method 11: Reset Windows Update components

Corrupt files in Windows Update components can cause a number of Microsoft Store-related errors. Issues with the update cache can also prevent apps from being downloaded from the Microsoft Store. Resetting Windows Update components will restart essential Windows services such as BITS, MSI Installer, Encryption, and Windows Update Services. You can do the same by following our guide on how to reset Windows Update components on Windows 10

Method 12: Reset Microsoft Store

Resetting Microsoft Store is an extreme option, it will delete your login details, settings and preferences from your computer, but it will work if you are unable to download from Microsoft Store. in this order.

1. Press the  Windows key  , enter  Microsoft Store , and select the Install apps  option   .

2. Scroll down to the Settings screen  and click on the Reset option  highlighted.

Note:  Your app data  will be deleted  when you reset Microsoft Store.

3. Click Reset   at the confirmation prompt.

4. Once the process is complete,  restart your PC  .

Method 13: Re-register Microsoft Store

After resetting, if you're still unable to download from Microsoft Store, re-registering the app may resolve the issue. Follow the instructions below.

1. Press the  Windows key  , enter  Windows PowerShell and click Run as administrator .

2. Now, paste  the following command  and press  Enter  .

PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Command "& {$manifest = (Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsStore).InstallLocation + 'AppxManifest.xml' ; Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $manifest}

3. Wait for the command to execute, then try opening  Microsoft Store again  . It will solve the problem of not being able to download apps from Microsoft Store.

Method 14: Reinstall Microsoft Store

If other options don't work for you, try reinstalling Microsoft Store. This cannot be done using Control Panel or Settings, but you can reinstall Microsoft Store using PowerShell commands as described below.

1. Follow the instructions above to start  Windows  PowerShell as administrator.

2. Enter the command  get-appxpackage –allusers  and press  Enter  .

3. Search for  Microsoft.WindowsStore  and go to  PackageFullName  and  copy  the line next to it. In this case, it is:
Microsoft.WindowsStore_22202.1402.2.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

4. Go to a new line in the PowerShell window  and type  remove-appxpackage  followed by a space and the line you copied in the steps above  . In this case it would be:  remove-appxpackage Microsoft.WindowsStore_22202.1402.2.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

  NOTE:  The command may vary slightly depending on your Windows PC version.

5. It will remove Microsoft Store. Restart your computer  .

6. To reinstall, open Windows PowerShell as administrator  and enter the following command, then  press Enter  .

Add-AppxPackage -register "C:Program FilesWindowsAppsMicrosoft.WindowsStore_11804.1001.8.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbweAppxManifest.xml" –DisableDevelopmentMode

Now Microsoft Store will be reinstalled, the issue of not being able to download apps from Microsoft Store will be fixed.

Method 15: Create a new user profile

Sometimes your user profile may be corrupted and may prevent Microsoft Store from downloading anything. You can create a new configuration file to resolve the issue. Follow our instructions to create a local user account on Windows 10.

Method 16: Perform a clean boot

If the problem persists, you can perform a clean boot of your computer. It will start Windows with only the necessary drivers and programs and will be used to troubleshoot your Windows. You can perform a clean boot in Windows 10 by following the instructions below. Check if Microsoft Store is currently downloading apps and games.

Method 17: Perform System Restore

If none of these methods work for you, then this is your last resort. Only do this when absolutely necessary. System Restore restores your computer to a previous version and can help run applications as before. It can fix Microsoft Store errors and you can follow our guide on how to use System Restore on Windows 10. You can now download apps and games from Microsoft Store.