Microsoft Store not downloading or installing apps in Windows 11: how to fix it

Applies to: Windows 11 and Windows 10 when the Microsoft Store opens normally but an app or game stays on Pending, the progress bar stops, the download goes back to the Get or Install button, or clicking the button does nothing at all. If the Store itself is gone or won’t open, start with our Microsoft Store missing guide instead.

Steps and menu names follow Microsoft’s current support pages for Store app problems and its Microsoft Learn article on Store download failures. Where a tip is our own suggestion and not in Microsoft’s documentation, we say so.

Match your situation

What you see	Likely cause	Start with
Every download stays on Pending	Store cache, a pending restart or a stuck queue	Quick checks, then Fix 3
Download starts, then stops or resets to Get	Network, Delivery Optimization or a damaged Store app	Fix 5, then Fix 6
Get or Install does nothing, or the page just refreshes	Sign-in problem in the Store	Fix 2
An error code appears, such as 0x80073D02 or 0x80070426	A specific known failure	The guide for that code (see below)
The app isn’t offered, or the button is missing	Region, device compatibility or family settings	Fix 4
Nothing downloads on a work laptop	Store blocked or limited by policy	Work or school PCs

If the Store shows an error code, look that code up first, because it usually points straight to the cause. We cover error 0x80073D02, which appears when an app is in use while it updates, and error 0x80070426, which points to a stopped service.

Quick checks first

These take a minute and solve more stuck downloads than any command.

• Restart the PC. Microsoft notes that if Windows updates were installed recently, you should restart before installing Store apps. A plain restart also clears a download queue that is stuck behind one failed item.
• Look at the download queue. Open the Store, select Library and check the list of downloads. If one large game or update is ahead of everything else, pause or cancel it and try your app on its own. This is our suggestion; the Store downloads items in turn, so one stuck item can hold up the rest.
• Check free space. Open Settings > System > Storage. If the drive is nearly full, a large download can stop partway. Free some space and try again. Many games need far more space than their download size once they unpack.
• Try another network. If you can, test on a different Wi-Fi network or a phone hotspot. If the download works there, the problem is your network, VPN or proxy, not Windows (see Fix 8).

Fix 1: Update Windows and the Microsoft Store

Store downloads depend on parts of Windows Update, and an outdated Store app can fail on new app packages. Microsoft’s own checklist starts here.

1. Go to Start > Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates. Install what is offered and restart if asked.
2. Open the Microsoft Store, select Library and then Get updates. Microsoft says an available Store update installs automatically from there. On some builds the button is labelled Check for updates.
3. Close the Store completely and open it again, then retry the download.

If Windows Update also fails, fix that first. A Store that can’t reach Windows Update will usually fail on app installs too.

Fix 2: Sign out of the Store and sign back in

Microsoft lists signing in with your Microsoft account as the first step for Store app problems, and an expired sign-in is a common reason why the Get button seems to do nothing. Signing out and back in refreshes it. Microsoft’s pages say to sign in; the sign-out step is our addition, and it is harmless.

1. In the Store, select your profile picture at the top.
2. Select Sign out. Close the Store.
3. Open the Store again, select the profile icon, choose Sign in and pick your Microsoft account.

If you sign in to Windows with a local account, you can still sign in to the Store only. Free apps generally install without signing in, but paid apps, games and anything you got earlier need the account they belong to. Microsoft also says a PC that isn’t linked to your account can stop purchases from installing, so check Devices on your Microsoft account page if a paid app won’t install.

Fix 3: Clear the Store cache with wsreset

The wsreset.exe tool clears the Store’s cached data without touching your installed apps or your account. It is Microsoft’s own step for a Store that won’t install apps.

1. Press Win + R to open Run.
2. Type wsreset.exe and select OK.
3. A blank command window opens. Microsoft says it closes after about ten seconds and the Store opens on its own. Leave it alone until then.
4. Search for the app again and select Get or Install.

If the window stays open far longer than a minute, close it, restart the PC and run it once more. Don’t confuse it with wsreset.exe -i, which reinstalls a missing Store; that variant is for a Store that has disappeared, not for stuck downloads.

Fix 4: Check date, time and region

Two settings behave differently here, so check both.

Date and time. The Store connects to Microsoft over secure connections, and a clock that is far off can make those connections fail. This is general Windows behaviour rather than a Store-specific instruction from Microsoft, but the check takes seconds. Go to Settings > Time & language > Date & time, turn on Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically, then select Sync now.

Country or region. Microsoft says some apps aren’t offered in every country or region, and if you moved, apps you bought earlier may not show. Go to Settings > Time & language > Language & region and make sure Country or region is where you are. Changing it to reach an app from another country isn’t something we recommend, because the Store may then show other prices or hide apps you already own.

Microsoft lists more reasons an app may not install or may lack a working button: the device doesn’t meet the app’s requirements, a parent restricted it through Microsoft family settings, or the app was removed from the Store. In those cases nothing on the PC is broken, and the fixes in this guide won’t change the result.

Fix 5: Check the services behind Store downloads

Microsoft’s Learn article says the Store needs Windows Update endpoints to install and update apps, and its Delivery Optimization page lists Store apps among the content Delivery Optimization downloads. So if a cleanup tool, a “privacy” script or a manual tweak disabled those services, Store downloads can stall or never start.

1. Press Win + R, type services.msc and press Enter.
2. Find Windows Update, Delivery Optimization and Background Intelligent Transfer Service. If you also see Microsoft Store Install Service, check it too.
3. Double-click each one. If Startup type is Disabled, set it to Manual and select Apply. Don’t change services that already show Manual or Automatic; Windows starts them when they’re needed.
4. Restart the PC and try the download again.

Some services, such as Windows Update on recent builds, may refuse changes from this window. If a service is missing or can’t be changed, our guide to error 0x80070426 covers stopped update services in more detail.

Microsoft’s current Get Help app includes a Windows Update troubleshooter and a Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) troubleshooter. Running both is a reasonable next step. Older Windows builds may still show a Windows Store Apps troubleshooter under Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters, but it isn’t on Microsoft’s current list of Get Help troubleshooters, so don’t worry if you can’t find it.

Fix 6: Repair or reset the Microsoft Store app

If the cache was not the problem, the Store app’s own files or settings may be. Windows can repair the app in place or reset it to a clean state.

1. Go to Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps. On Windows 10 it is Settings > Apps > Apps & features.
2. Find Microsoft Store, select the three dots next to it (or the app name on Windows 10) and choose Advanced options.
3. Select Repair first and test the Store.
4. If that doesn’t help, select Reset.

Warning: Reset clears the Store app’s local data and may sign you out of it. Your purchases and your installed apps stay with your Microsoft account, and you can reinstall anything from Library. The same Advanced options page has a Terminate button, which is a quick way to close a Store that has hung in the background.

Fix 7: Register the Store again with PowerShell

Microsoft’s Learn article for Store download failures starts by checking that the Store is registered for your user account. A broken registration can leave the Store open but unable to install anything.

Open PowerShell without admin rights (select Start, type PowerShell and open it normally) and run:

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.WindowsStore*

If that returns details for the Store package, the registration exists. If it returns nothing, run this, again in a normal, non-admin window:

Add-AppxPackage -RegisterByFamilyName -MainPackage Microsoft.WindowsStore_8wekyb3d8bbwe

The non-admin part matters. Microsoft notes that running the command from an elevated prompt registers the Store for the administrator account instead of yours. Restart the PC afterwards and try the download again. Microsoft also says completely uninstalling the Store isn’t supported, so avoid scripts that remove and reinstall it.

Fix 8: Check VPN, proxy and firewall

According to Microsoft, the Store needs to reach specific Microsoft endpoints, including the Windows Update ones, and a firewall or proxy that blocks them stops installs and updates. At home, the usual culprits are a VPN, a proxy setting left behind by old software, or a security suite with its own firewall.

• Turn off any VPN and try again.
• Go to Settings > Network & internet > Proxy. Unless you know you need a proxy, Use a proxy server under manual setup should be off.
• If you use third-party security software, pause its web or firewall protection briefly as a test, then turn it back on straight away. If that fixes the download, add an exception in that product rather than leaving it off.
• Keep Windows Defender Firewall turned on. Users often report that Store installs fail when the firewall service has been disabled; this is a community finding, not something Microsoft documents on its Store pages.

Fix 9: Install the app with winget instead

If you need the app now and the Store still won’t cooperate, Microsoft’s Learn article suggests using winget, the Windows Package Manager, which can install many Store apps from the command line. Open Terminal and run:

winget search "app name"
winget install "app name"

Pick the result whose Source column says msstore if you want the Store version. Winget may ask you to accept the source agreements the first time. If Terminal says winget isn’t recognized, follow our winget not recognized guide. This is a workaround, not a fix: the Store may still fail on the next app until the cause above is found.

Work or school PCs

Organisations can block or limit the Store with policy. Microsoft’s Learn article mentions a common policy, RemoveWindowsStore, which stops people from opening the Store, and says the Store also needs network endpoints that a company firewall or proxy may block. If your PC is managed (check Settings > Accounts > Access work or school), the fixes above may be undone or not allowed. Ask your IT team, and give them the app name and any error code you saw.

We looked for a 2026 Microsoft Store download problem in Microsoft’s Windows release health pages and found none listed as of November 2026, so a failed download is most likely local to your PC or network.

Related guides

• Microsoft Store missing in Windows 11 or 10? How to get it back
• Error 0x80073D02 in Windows: how to fix app install and update failures
• Error 0x80070426: how to fix it in Windows Update and Microsoft Store
• “winget is not recognized” in Windows 11/10: how to fix it

Official sources

• Microsoft Learn: Troubleshoot Microsoft Store app download failures
• Microsoft: Fix problems with apps from Microsoft Store
• Microsoft: I can’t find or install an app from Microsoft Store