MS Corp apps crash and prevent settings from working well

Question

MS Corp apps crash and prevent settings from working well

François T 20

Hello,

On Win 11, Paint (for example) never launches, and since I tried this, the "Installed Application" page from the Settings prevents the "…" button at the right from working for any MS Corp app (Paint Notepad, Calculator, etc.). A click on the "…" button freezes the page.

Please note that:

this button still works for the majority of the other apps
any app can be uninstalled by a right-click elsewhere
I proceeded with a clean reinstall of Win11 twice: it repaired this malfunction but only for a while. The issue came back when I installed PowerToys and the other time when I dared launch MS Paint.

Do you have any idea on how to fix this?

Many thanks

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Answer 1

François T 20

Thank you Clary !

I contacted MS Support, but their analysis only proposed me a factory reset.
but thank to you and the incident event investigation, I found out that the issue was Windows Search malfunction. I deleted the MicrosoftWindows.CBS file while being connected to another admin profile accessed through netplwiz and it fixed all the issues!

Good to know for other people!

Clary-N 10,925 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-26T06:00:19.2533333+00:00

Hi François T,

Thanks for sharing this update.

Really glad to hear you were able to identify the root cause and fix it. That’s a great find, and I’m sure it will help others facing a similar issue.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your solution and please feel free to reach out if you need anything else.

Best regards.
François T 20 Reputation points

2026-04-27T15:57:33.97+00:00

Alas, it was just temporary, a restart has renew the issue :(
Clary-N 10,925 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-28T08:47:10.5366667+00:00
Hi François T,

Since the issue keeps coming back after restart, it’s likely that the Search component isn’t rebuilding correctly. You can try these two steps first:

Rebuild the Windows Search index: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Searching > Advanced indexing options > Advanced > Rebuild

Restart related services Press Win + R, type services.msc, then restart:

Windows Search

State Repository Service

These steps can help refresh the app and search components that seem to be affected.

Please keep me posted on how it goes.
Clary-N 10,925 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-30T07:10:49.45+00:00

Hi François T,

Just checking in to see if you’ve had a chance to review my previous answer.

If there’s anything I can clarify or help with, feel free to reply here anytime.

Answer 2

Clary-N 10,925 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi François T,

In addition to the steps already shared above by Q&A Assist, I’d like to suggest a few further checks you can try to troubleshoot this issue further:

1.Repair Windows system files:

Open Command Prompt as Administrator, then run these commands one at a time:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

Settings or Microsoft Store–based apps may freeze or crash when related system files or registry components become corrupted, and these tools can help repair them.

2.Test in a Clean Boot environment:

Since third‑party services can sometimes interfere with Store‑based apps, you may also want to perform a Clean Boot to check for software conflicts:

Press Win + R, type msconfig
Go to the Services tab
Check Hide all Microsoft services
Select Disable all, then restart

*Disclaimer: A "clean boot" starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It helps to determine whether a background service is interfering with your game or program and to isolate the cause of a problem.

These steps of "clean boot" might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by-step so that it will help you get back on track.

Conflicts with other software running in the background are one of the known causes of built‑in apps becoming unresponsive on Windows 11.

If the apps begin working again after these steps, please let me know. We can then narrow down which background component or recent installation may be contributing to the behavior so you can avoid the issue going forward.

If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Clary-N 10,925 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-15T08:39:24.08+00:00

Hi François T,

May I know if you have got any chance to check my answer?

I am glad to help if you have any other questions.
François T 20 Reputation points

2026-04-15T09:53:02.86+00:00

Hello Clary,

I just tried the two tests but the issue still occurs unchanged :(
Clary-N 10,925 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-16T06:57:20.17+00:00
Hi François T,

Thanks for the update.

Since running DISM/SFC and testing in a Clean Boot didn’t change the behavior, we can reasonably rule out system file corruption and third‑party software conflicts. The next steps below focus on checking whether the issue is tied to the user profile, app framework components, or deeper Windows components.

1. Test with a new local user account

This helps determine whether the issue is specific to your current Windows user profile.

Go to Settings > Accounts > Other users

Select Add account

Choose I don’t have this person’s sign‑in information

Select Add a user without a Microsoft account

Create a new local account

Sign out of your current account and sign in to the newly created one

Once signed in, try opening the same apps that were previously freezing or becoming unresponsive.

If the apps work normally in the new account, the issue is likely related to corruption or configuration within your original user profile. If the issue still occurs, it points more toward a system‑level cause.

2. Reset the Microsoft Store cache

Even built‑in Windows apps rely on Microsoft Store components in the background, and corrupted Store cache data can cause apps to hang or fail to respond.

Press Win + R

Type wsreset.exe and press Enter

Let the Command Prompt window complete and close automatically

Restart your device

After restarting, test the affected apps again.

3. Check app background permissions and repair the apps

Restricted background permissions or damaged app components can also cause this behavior.

Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps

Select one of the affected apps

Choose Advanced options

Make sure Background app permissions are set to Power optimized or Always

Select Repair (avoid Reset for now)

Repeat this for the other impacted built‑in apps.

If the issue still persists, the next recommended step would be an in‑place repair upgrade using a Windows ISO. This reinstalls Windows system components while keeping your personal files, apps, and settings intact.

*Disclaimer: Let’s try performing an in-place install or in-place upgrade which will refresh your Windows files and operating system without removing files or applications. That being said, we always recommend that if you have important data, you should back it up before making large system changes. If you want to back up your data first, please do so. Once you are done backing up, you can follow the steps in the following guides: How to run In-place upgrade in Windows 11 - Microsoft Q&A

This step is particularly effective for resolving deeper issues related to app frameworks, Store infrastructure, and Windows services that DISM/SFC can’t fully repair. A full backup is still recommended before proceeding.

Feel free to update me on the results and we can take it from there.
François T 20 Reputation points

2026-04-16T07:50:10.6933333+00:00

Hello Clary,

I tried to add another account but the account creation windows remains grey…

For the Windows store operation, it quickly opens a windows store windows but it never loads content :(
Clary-N 10,925 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-16T08:51:49.48+00:00

Hi François T,

Thanks for the update and for sharing the screenshots.

Just to clarify one point first: when running wsreset.exe, it’s normal for the Microsoft Store window to open briefly without loading content. The command clears the Store cache in the background and then relaunches the app, and it doesn’t always display content immediately. So that behavior on its own doesn’t indicate the reset failed.

Since the additional account creation still can’t proceed, I recommend moving on to step 3 from the previous suggestions to see if it helps.

If the issue still persists after that, the next step would be to proceed with the in‑place repair upgrade using a Windows ISO, as outlined earlier. This process refreshes Windows system components and app frameworks without removing your personal files or installed applications, and it’s often effective when Store and account‑related components are no longer responding correctly.

As always, make sure to back up any important data before starting the in‑place upgrade.

Let me know how it goes after trying the remaining steps, and we’ll take it from there.
François T 20 Reputation points

2026-04-17T07:09:45.3333333+00:00

Hello,

I can't do the step 3 since I cannot access "advanced options" of the ms corps apps (it's precisely my issue).

I did a new install from an ISO twice without success (and with all the operations afterwards), so I prefer trying something else.

:(
Clary-N 10,925 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-17T08:12:09.9766667+00:00

Hi François T,

Thanks for clarifying.

Just to confirm again, could you briefly share how you performed the clean install before? Was Windows installed from a USB or by mounting the ISO, and did you delete all partitions during setup?
François T 20 Reputation points

2026-04-17T08:48:24.0333333+00:00

Hello,

It was from a USB once and from the exe on my drive the other time, and my drive has no partition, so I suppose it was done
Clary-N 10,925 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-18T06:21:01.9033333+00:00

Hi François T,

Thanks for sharing the details.

Could you please also confirm whether this device is managed by a company or organization (for example, joined to work or school, Intune‑managed, or domain‑managed)? On managed devices, certain policies can sometimes cause built‑in Microsoft apps or the Settings app to crash or fail to open.

If this is a personal device, you can try a few additional isolation steps. First, try clearing internet cache by resetting the network settings, as temporary network or cache corruption can sometimes trigger Microsoft app issues. To do this, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced network settings, select Network reset, choose Reset now then restart the device when prompted. After restarting, reconnect to your Wi‑Fi or Ethernet network and check whether the apps still crash.

After that, please also try creating another local user account to test whether the same issue still occurs.

Please let me know the results so I can advise on the next steps.
François T 20 Reputation points

2026-04-19T13:12:43.01+00:00

Hello Clary,

I'll try this, and it's a personal computer.

Please note that apps don't crash: they never launch or after half-an-hour and the "more" options in install never show on click and freeze the settings page.I've resetted my network as suggested and I tried to create a new account but as previously the window remains grey and disappears after a short while :'(

I really wonder what's disturbing a clean behavior of windows functions on my PC…
Clary-N 10,925 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-21T07:32:06.3766667+00:00
Hi François T,

Given that the issue is affecting multiple areas, this usually points to a deeper system-level problem rather than something isolated.

Before reaching out to support, I’d suggest backing up your important data (documents, pictures, etc.) and then performing another clean installation of Windows. I know it’s a big step, but in cases like this it can often resolve underlying system corruption if something critical is damaged.

*Disclaimer: Please ensure that you backup any important data, including Documents, Pictures, Videos, and more.

If the problem still continues after that or if you’d prefer to have someone guide you through it, I’d really recommend contacting Microsoft Support so they can work with you directly and run more advanced diagnostics. Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum, and moderators and contributors (including Microsoft employees here) are not able to directly access back-end systems or make changes to Microsoft products. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance, while Microsoft Support can assist with deeper investigation.

You can contact them by following these steps:

Go to the Contact Microsoft Support page

Sign in with your Microsoft account

Type Customer Support and select Get help

Scroll down and choose Contact support

Under Products and services, select Windows

Under Category, choose Technical Support, then select Confirm

Choose Chat with a support agent in your web browser

They’ll be able to guide you through deeper checks or repair options in a more hands-on way.

I really hope this gets resolved for you soon. Please free to update here as well if you’d like a second pair of eyes along the way.
François T 20 Reputation points

2026-04-21T13:52:03.25+00:00

Thank you Clary !

As you konw I've already proceeded with two clean installations of Win 11 without success: I'll then contact MS support as you suggested.

Regards
Clary-N 10,925 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-22T03:02:52.1066667+00:00

Hi François T,

I understand and I really appreciate the effort you’ve already put into doing two clean installs.

You could try one more fresh install just to fully rule out the system. But at this point, we’ve likely reached the limit of what we can check here, so contacting Microsoft Support would be the best next step.

I hope your issue gets resolved soon and they’re able to find the root cause.

Best regards.

Answer 3

The behavior matches a known issue that can affect Windows inbox apps (like Paint, Notepad, Calculator) that use the MSIX app package format, especially after a System Restore or when app registrations are damaged. Use the following steps in order:

Try launching the app again
- For this issue, the first launch can fail with errors or hangs, but a second attempt often succeeds.
Repair or reset the affected apps
- Select Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
- For each affected Microsoft app (Paint, Notepad, Calculator, etc.), select the More icon (the … button) when it responds, then Advanced options.
- On the app’s page, select Repair. If that does not help, select Reset.
- Not all apps will show Repair/Reset; use it where available.
Reinstall the apps from Microsoft Store
- Open Microsoft Store from Start.
- Go to Library.
- Find each affected app (Paint, Notepad, Calculator) and select Install (or Get).
- If the app is already listed as installed but not working, uninstall it first (when possible) and then reinstall from Store.
Run Windows Update
- Select Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
- Install all available updates and restart the device.
If the Settings “Installed apps” page keeps freezing only for Microsoft apps
- Use the Repair/Reset path above for any app where the … menu still works.
- For apps where the menu consistently freezes, rely on step 3 (reinstall via Microsoft Store) and step 4 (Windows Update) to refresh registrations.

If the issue started immediately after using System Restore, it is expected that some MSIX-based apps may temporarily show “This app can’t open”, appear multiple times in Start, or hang/crash on first launch. In that case, retrying the launch, repairing/resetting, reinstalling from Store, and applying Windows Updates are the supported workarounds.

References:

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MS Corp apps crash and prevent settings from working well

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