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Help! I lost my Game Bar!

Anonymous
2018-04-05T15:26:04+00:00

Ever since a few Windows Insider updates before, the game bar was not working anymore. I always anticipate that the upcoming updates will fix that, but it never happens. So I tried to search through the internet for the solutions but none of them works, and I eventually figured out a way myself, which is going to the "Apps and Features" settings, find the "gaming overlay" apps, and clicked the "Reset" button, which claims to be going to reinstall the app and restore all the settings to fix problems. Unfortunately, what ended up after all is the "Gaming Overlay" was never reinstalled. It never comes back! Help, I missed my beloved Game Bar. Is there any way to re-download and reinstall it?

Windows Insider Build 17133

Windows Insider program | Apps on Insider preview

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-04-06T18:00:33+00:00

    To further isolate the issue, try creating a new local user or administrator account. Just follow the steps in this link.

    Let's also try uninstalling the XBox app by using PowerShell command. Right-click the Start button, then, click Windows PowerShell (Admin). Copy and paste this command Get-AppxPackage *xboxapp* | Remove-AppxPackage then press enter. You will receive a notification that you have uninstalled the Xbox app. Then try installing it again from Windows store or by using Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers| Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"} command in PowerShell.

    If the above troubleshooting steps still fail, our best resort will be performing repair upgrade. Just download the latest Windows Insider Preview here and follow the steps in this thread posted by Andre Da Costa.

    Regards.

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-04-07T12:28:16+00:00

    Oh It WORKS!

    My game bar is now back!

    I'm not sure if I did something stupid or unnecessary, but here's what I've done:

    1. Create a new local account, but stay at current account. (I just followed, had no idea why doing so)
    2. Uninstall the Xbox App by using command Get-AppxPackage *xboxapp* | Remove-AppxPackage in PowerShell(Admin).
    3. Reinstall all the windows apps using the command Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers| Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}  in **PowerShell(Admin).**Though I can see many error messages due to existence of newer version apps in my PC. (I tried to download and install Xbox app from Windows Store before, it didn't work.)
    4. Log in into new user, and try to open Game Bar, made sure it is installed and works well.
    5. Log back to main user, and found the Game Bar works too!

    Thank you for being so patient, helping me along to solve my problems. Thank you so much!

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-04-06T02:03:53+00:00

    Hi, thanks for your reply. However, I still got no luck with any of your solutions provided.

    These are all the ways I've tried before losing the Game Bar:

    1. Toggle "record game clips, screenshots and broadcast suing game bar " Off and On again.
    2. Changing keyboard shortcuts.
    3. Edit the registry to toggle the settings.
    4. Reset Game Bar. (This is when I lost it)

    After losing the Game Bar, every time I press Win+G, an app selection screen will pop out saying: "You'll need a new app to open this ms-gamingoverlay". Until now, these are all the ways I've attempted to get back the Game Bar:

    1. Wait until a new windows update.
    2. Troubleshoot with the troubleshooter you've just provided. It stated a few problems:

    -----2a. User Account Control is turned off. (I don't understand what's this, but it didn't fix the problem either)

    -----2b. Windows Store cache and licenses may be corrupt. (It reset my store, and that didn't help)

    1. Reset Xbox App.
    2. Uninstall and Reinstall Xbox App. 
    3. Install Xbox App Beta.

    I'm thinking of a way, which is getting it from some PowerShell command, but I have no idea if such a command exists. Or, do you have anything more to suggest?

    2 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2018-04-05T17:46:13+00:00

    Hi Awa197,

    There is a possibility that the issue that you are experiencing is due to a corrupted Xbox app. To fix the issue, kindly run the app troubleshooter found at this link. This will fix problems with apps from Windows Store. If the issue persists, try uninstalling then reinstalling the Xbox App.

    We'll be waiting for your response.

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