Open with - Microsoft WinRT Storage API

Question

Hi,

Since my PC updated to Win 11 22H2 Pro, right-clicking on a JPG, one of the options is "Microsoft WinRT Storage API", clicking on this just brings up the error message "Element not found". I can find no way of removing this "open-with" item.

Just to clarify, I have seen posts referring to this where it has taken over as the Default app, this isn't the case here, all the files open in the correct default programs as they should. The problem is removing Microsoft WinRT Storage API altogether from the open-with menu.

Finally, I had the same issue with a laptop - rolling back and new Windows install [21H2 Home] corrected the problem - suggesting it isn't system specific.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Mike,

I'm wondering if this has something to do with Paint3D. The shell seems to be enumerating the program's registry location, and Paint3D's Package ID is wrongly assigned; it's pointing to the regular Paint app.

Please try these two commands from Admin PowerShell window:

• get-appxpackage *paint* -allusers | remove-appxpackage
• get-appxpackage Microsoft.Windows.Photos -allusers | remove-appxpackage

Install Paint 3D from Microsoft Store.

(Don't install the Photos app yet.)

See if the erroneous Open With entry is gone. Let's know how it goes.

Answer 2

It's showing on image files. Open With shot attached. PhotoFiltre 7 is a portable program.

Answer 3

I've uploaded fta_query.bat, which queries the list of installed packages and the file association info. It outputs the following files:

• %TEMP%\key1.txt
• %TEMP%\key2.txt
• %TEMP%\key3.txt
• %TEMP%\FTA.txt

If you're willing to share these files with me for analysis, you may run the Batch file and upload those files to a cloud hosting account and share the link here.

If not, you can make some comparisons by yourself. To start with, compare the FileExts.jpg\OpenWithList registry values with the items populated in the Open With dialog. The extra item is usually the culprit. If that doesn't help, the Packages key has to be analyzed.

Answer 4

Thanks. I can see that the culprit Prog ID is AppXcdh38jxzbcberv50vxg2tg4k84kfnewn. I cannot find any references to what app this is. It may be something from Windows 10. I could do a search in the registry and delete this key from the extensions it is associated with such as...

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.png\OpenWithProgids]

"AppX2jm25qtmp2qxstv333wv5mne3k5bf4bm"=hex(0):

"AppX43hnxtbyyps62jhe9sqpdzxn1790zetc"=hex(0):

"AppXcdh38jxzbcberv50vxg2tg4k84kfnewn"=hex(0):

"AppXcesbfs704v2mjbts9dkr42s9vmrhxbkj"=hex(0):

"pngfile"=""

I removed it in the key above and it fixed the Open With for .png files. Is this a safe way of doing it?

Edit: It may be related to an older Paint. Even though I deleted it as seen in the image above, and the Microsoft WinRT Storage API is now gone... Paint is still there in the Open With. It looks like the new Paint is

Microsoft.Paint_11.2210.4.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe. The entry causing the issue is related to

Microsoft.MSPaint_1.0.46.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe. How can I uninstall this older Paint if it doesn't show up anywhere? I tried get-appxpackage microsoft.mspaint* -allusers | remove-appxpackage but it doesn't remove those entries from the registry.

Answer 5

I'd leave it as it is. The next feature update might automatically remove the superseded items. The OpenWithProgIDs "AppXcdh38jxzbcberv50vxg2tg4k84kfnewn" entry can be safely nuked anyway.