Snapchat App installation has frozen desktop screen

Question

Snapchat App installer has frozen the desktop screen and other apps cannot open in front of a screen called PC store

Answer 1

Hi! Let me help you with this issue.

Have you tried restarting the machine? Try to close the PC Store app by opening the Task Manager and end the process for it.

And then restart the machine, after reboot, resume the installation. Let me know if this works.

Answer 2

Use the following steps to get the desktop responsive again and fix the stuck Snapchat/Microsoft Store installation screen:

1. Try closing or resetting Microsoft Store
   • Press Alt + F4 while the Store (PC Store) window is active to try to close it.
   • If it closes, reopen it from Start and try the install again.
   • If Store or the installer still misbehaves, reset Microsoft Store:
     1. Press Windows key + R.
     2. Type wsreset.exe and select OK.
     3. A blank Command Prompt will open; after about 10 seconds it will close and Microsoft Store will open automatically.
2. Check for incompatible or stuck apps
   • Select Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps (Windows 11) or Apps & features (Windows 10).
   • Find Snapchat (or any app that started causing the issue) and:
     • If available, select it and choose Uninstall > Uninstall, then restart the PC.
   • If the screen flickers or appears frozen only when the Store/Snapchat is open, this may indicate an incompatible app. After uninstalling, restart and test again.
3. Reinstall the app from Microsoft Store
   • Open Microsoft Store from Start.
   • Go to Library.
   • Find Snapchat and select Install.
4. If the desktop is still frozen
   • Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
   • On the Processes tab, select Microsoft Store, App Installer, or the Snapchat installer process and choose End task.
   • If Task Manager does not appear or the system is completely unresponsive, press and hold the PC’s power button to force a shutdown, then power it back on. After restart, repeat steps 1–3.

If Microsoft Store or Store apps continue to fail to install or update after this, also verify that Microsoft Store Install Service is running (via services.msc) and restart that service if needed.

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References:

• I can't find or install an app from Microsoft Store
• Troubleshoot screen flickering in Windows