“The app didn’t start in the required time”: how to fix it

Applies to: Windows 11 and Windows 10, built-in and Microsoft Store apps. Classic desktop programs (.exe installers) fail differently; for those, use Repair in Control Panel’s Programs and Features.

What the message means

Store apps are started by Windows on request, and Windows waits only a limited time for the app to report that it is running. If the app hangs while loading (a damaged app file, a stuck background service, a slow disk, or a half-finished update), Windows stops waiting. You see the splash screen with loading dots and then nothing, or a short error, and the Application log in Event Viewer records that the app didn’t start in the required time.

Work through the steps below in order. Each one is a little more disruptive than the last, so stop as soon as the app opens.

1. Restart properly and update

1. Choose Restart from the Start menu’s power button. With Fast Startup on, Shut down saves part of the system state and brings it back next time, so a stuck service can survive it; Restart starts fresh. (More in how to disable Fast Startup.)
2. Open the Microsoft Store, go to Library (Windows 10: Downloads and updates) and click Get updates.
3. Run Windows Update and install anything waiting, then restart again.
4. Check that the clock and time zone are right (Settings > Time & language > Date & time, Sync now). Store apps check their licences, and a clock that is far off can break that check.

2. Repair, then reset the app

This is Microsoft’s own fix for apps that don’t work properly, and it fixes most cases.

1. Open Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
2. Click the three dots (More) next to the app and choose Advanced options. Some apps don’t have this option; skip to step 4 for those.
3. Click Repair. It keeps your data. Try the app again.
4. If it still won’t open, click Reset on the same page. Reset returns the app to a fresh install and removes its data and settings on this PC, so you may need to sign in again. Files you saved in your own folders, such as photos in Pictures, are not deleted.

If the app has no Repair or Reset button and won’t open at all, check whether it is the Store itself that is broken: Microsoft Store missing or not opening covers that.

3. Clear the Microsoft Store cache

Press Win + R, type wsreset.exe and press Enter. A blank window opens for a short while, then the Store opens on its own. This clears the Store’s cache without touching your apps or their data, and helps when the problem started after an app update.

4. Re-register the app with PowerShell

Re-registering repairs the app’s registration with Windows without downloading it again. Do it for the one app that fails, not for every app at once. Open Windows PowerShell or Terminal (your normal account is fine for apps installed for you), then run this, changing *Photos* to part of the app’s name:

$app = Get-AppxPackage -Name '*Photos*'
$app.Name
Add-AppxPackage -Path ($app.InstallLocation + '\AppxManifest.xml') -Register -DisableDevelopmentMode

The second line shows which package matched; if it lists more than one, make the name more specific. This is the method in Microsoft’s Add-AppxPackage documentation. If the app’s package files are damaged or missing, it fails with an error such as 0x80073d02 (app in use) or a missing-file error; then uninstall the app from Installed apps and reinstall it from the Store.

5. Repair Windows system files

If several built-in apps fail at once, the problem is more likely in Windows than in one app. Run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and then sfc /scannow in an elevated Command Prompt; our SFC guide explains what the results mean. If it began right after a Windows update, Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates lets you remove that update while you wait for a fixed one.

6. Test another user account

Store apps are registered for each user. Create a temporary local account in Settings > Accounts > Other users and sign in to it. If the app opens there, the problem is in your profile’s copy of the app: reset or re-register it from your own account (steps 2 and 4). If it fails in the new account too, the app or Windows itself is damaged and step 5 or a reinstall of the app is the way forward. Delete the test account afterwards.

Curious where these apps actually live on disk? See the WindowsApps folder, but don’t change its permissions to fix this error.

Related guides

• Microsoft Store missing in Windows: how to get it back
• Error 0x80073d02 in the Microsoft Store
• How to use sfc /scannow
• The WindowsApps folder: what it is and how to access it
• Error 1001 in Windows and Office: what it means and how to fix it
• ms-settings not found: fix Settings and Display settings not opening

Official sources:

• Microsoft Support: Repair apps and programs in Windows
• Microsoft Learn: Add-AppxPackage (register an installed app)