How To Stop Windows 10 From Installing Unwanted Apps

Apps Won't Open on Windows 10? Our Troubleshooting Guide Will Help You Fix That

Apps are an essential part of Windows 10, and it can be very frustrating if you can't use them. There are many cases when people can't use their apps because they won't open. Windows apps not opening isn't the most common problem for Windows 10 users, but it does happen. Issues with Windows apps can occur under different circumstances, such as apps won't open after updating your Windows or after system restore. Apps are constantly crashing, not showing, or not even installing.

Apps Won't Open in Windows 10

If you're having problems with Windows 10 apps and can't open them, there are several ways to fix it, depending on why they are not opening. In this guide, we will show you several methods. We are going to thoroughly explain to you what to do and how to do it.

Video Showing How to Fix the Apps Not Opening Problem:

Table of Contents:

Introduction
Update Your Windows
Download Microsoft Troubleshooter
Reinstall App
Reset Store Cache
Check Application Identity Service Status
Change Ownership Of Your Drive
Change FilterAdministratorToken
Update Your Apps
Video Showing How to Fix the Apps Not Opening Problem

Update Your Windows

Make sure that your Windows 10 operating system is up to date. Sometimes, you can fix this problem by simply updating your Windows. Updates are vital for the health of your computer, as they include improvements to the software you rely on every day and drivers for new devices you may want to use. Most common updates include security vulnerability fixes, bug fixes, and enhancements. To see if your operating system is up to date and check for updates, you need to go to Settings and click on"Update & Security."

update you windows step 1

You will be directed to the Windows Update section (if not, click on "Windows Update" on the left pane). Click on "Check for updates," and Windows will start checking if any updates are available for your operating system. If there are available updates, install them.

update you windows step 2

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Download Microsoft Troubleshooter

You can try downloading and installing Microsoft's troubleshooter. This simple solution may help you fix the problem. This troubleshooter should find and fix most of the problems in Windows 10. You can download it by clicking here.

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Reinstall App

Sometimes a simple reinstall of the app is the best and easiest way to fix the problem. Click on the Start button and find the app which you couldn't open, and uninstall it. Right-click on the app and select "Uninstall" from the dropdown menu. When uninstallation is finished, go to Windows Store and download the app again.

reinstall app

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Reset Store Cache

By doing this you will reset the Windows Store without changing account settings or deleting installed apps. Simply put, this clears the Windows Store cache. If you can't open Store app or update your apps, then you might want to try resetting Store cache. To reset it you will need to open Command Prompt. Type "command prompt" in Search and right-click on the "Command Prompt", choose "Run as administrator" to run it with administrator privileges.

reset store cache step 1

When Command Prompt is opened, type in "wsreset.exe" and press Enter on your keyboard to execute this command. Then close Command Prompt and try launching the Store and updating your apps.

reset store cache step 2

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Check Application Identity Service Status

Application Identity Service is a Microsoft Service that is used by AppLocker to determine and verify the identity of an application. This program is required to run on startup in order to benefit from its functionality or so that the program will work. If you are having problems with apps that won't start, make sure that Application Identity Service is running. To do that, you need to open "Run" box. To open it type "run" in Search and click on the "Run" result.

check application identity service status step 1

In Run box type "services.msc" and click "OK" to run it.

check application identity service status step 2

New window with a list of services will be opened. Find "Application Identity" and double-click on it.

check application identity service status step 3

In Application Identity Properties window find "Service status" and click "Start" if the Service status is "Stopped". Click "Apply" and "OK" to save the change. Close Services window and restart your computer to see if this helped to fix the problem.

check application identity service status step 4

Sometimes Windows apps won't open if Windows Update service is not running. You may want to check it's status as well. In services list find "Windows Update" service check if it's status is "Running".

check application identity service status step 5

If not, then double-click on "Windows Update" service and in Windows Update Properties window find "Startup type", set it to "Automatic" or "Manual". Click "Apply" and "OK" to save changes. Restart your computer.

check application identity service status step 6

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Change Ownership Of Your Drive

Sometimes apps won't open because of the ownership problems and you will need to change ownership of your C: drive to fix this problem. Open This PC (Same as My Computer on older versions of Windows) and find the drive where your Windows 10 is installed. It is usually the drive C:. Right-click on the drive and select "Properties" from the dropdown menu.

change ownership of your drive step 1

In the Local Disk (C:) Properties window go to "Security" tab and then click on "Advanced".

change ownership of your drive step 2

In Advanced Security Settings for Local Disk (C:) window find "Owner" and click on "Change" next to it.

change ownership of your drive step 3

In Select User or Group window click on "Advanced...".

change ownership of your drive step 4

Click on "Find now", list of users and user groups will appear. Find the "Administrators" group, select it and click "OK".

change ownership of your drive step 5

Then in Select User or Group window click "OK" as well.

change ownership of your drive step 6

In the Advanced Security Settings for Local Disk (C:) window the owner should be changed to Administrators. Administrators group should be added to "Permission entries" list. Mark "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" checkbox and click "Apply" and "OK". It will take some time to replace ownership.

change ownership of your drive step 7

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Change FilterAdministratorToken

If you are having problems not only with opening apps but with Start Menu while using an administrator account as well, you can fix this problem by changing FilterAdministratorToken in Registry Editor. Open Run dialog box by typing in "run" in Search and clicking on the "Run" result. In Run dialog box type regedit and and click ok tu run Registry Editor.

change filter administrator token step 1

In Registry Editor you will need to follow this path: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINES\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System"
When you are on "System" folder, you will see a list or registry files on the right pane. Find "FilterAdministratorToken" and double click on it. If "FilterAdministratorToken" does not exist, you can create it by right-clicking on the right pane and choosing "New", then"DWORD (32-bit)" value. Change the name of the new value to FilterAdministratorToken.

change filter administrator token step 2

When you finished creating new value, double-click on it (as you would do if it already existed) and in Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value window find "Value data" box, type "1" and click "OK" to save the changes. Close Registry Editor and restart your computer.

change filter administrator token step 3

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Update Your Apps

Sometimes the reason why apps won't open is because they are outdadet, not updated. Make sure that your apps are updated to the latest version. Open Store (or Microsoft Store) app and click on your Microsoft Account icon next to the Search box. Choose "Downloads and updates" from the dropdown menu. Click "Check for updates" button and update all apps.

We hope that the solutions provided in this guide helped you to fix the problem with your apps and they are opening properly now. If none of these steps helped, there is one more thing you can do. You can create a new local account and transfer all your personal files to it, and then delete the old account.

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About the author:

Tomas Meskauskas

I am passionate about computer security and technology. I have an experience of 10 years working in various companies related to computer technical issue solving and Internet security. I have been working as an editor for pcrisk.com since 2010. Follow me on Twitter to stay informed about the latest tech news or online security threats. Contact Tomas Meskauskas.

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