My kids can't play Minecraft after fresh Windows Install

Question

I purchased two copies of Minecraft from my Microsoft account for my two kids, who play with their own Outlook accounts signed into the Minecraft launcher, Microsoft Store, Windows, Xbox Game Center, etc. I always played from the Game Pass Ultimate license for many years (PC and Xbox One X).

I recently upgraded all of our Windows PCs and did a fresh Windows install on them all (Win 10 for them; Win 11 for me). I also unsubscribed to Game Pass.

I have not been able to figure out why the licenses I bought them for Minecraft no longer work on their machines when they've worked on them for many years! I have my purchase receipts in my order history from 2020 when both copies of Minecraft were purchased as gifts for them.

On my account in the Microsoft Store, it says I own Minecraft but in their Microsoft Store accounts it no longer says they own it and cannot install it. Perhaps it was always broken but the Game Pass Ultimate subscription let them play anyway because they have Xbox accounts registered to the same home Xbox? Or perhaps the licenses were reverted back to my profile as the parent when their Windows installs were wiped and started clean?

Any help getting the licenses onto my kids' accounts again would be much appreciated. There does not seem to be any way to submit any kind of support ticket or call for Microsoft Store issues...

Minecraft on Steam would be even better as I've never had any issues buying them games on Steam... jk - sort of.

Thank you!

Order screenshots below...

Answer 1

Hello bgm88,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

May I know if you have checked the AI assistant answer yet? If you did, may I know if it helps you?

Windows reinstallation can only remove credentials and remove accounts from the device. It cannot remove license that is assigned to an account since it only has permission to change on the machine. In this case, I'd suggest that you check the library on your kid's accounts first. Also, as I checked, one of the purchases is for the Xbox version of the game, am I correct?

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators, contributors including external Microsoft employees cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas. If you want to check more about the licenses, please contact Microsoft Support.

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Thank you for your understanding.

Answer 2

The most likely cause is that the fresh Windows installs removed the previous Store/Xbox license state, and the kids’ PCs are no longer seeing the entitlement on the accounts that should own Minecraft. The supported checks and recovery steps are:

1. Verify the purchase is on the correct Microsoft account.
   • Go to Order history and confirm each Minecraft purchase appears there for the intended account.
   • If the game does not appear in a child’s purchase history, that child may be signed in with a different Microsoft account than the one that owns the license.
2. Try installing from Microsoft Store Library, not only from the product page.
   • Open Microsoft Store.
   • On Windows 10/11, open My Library.
   • Look for Minecraft and select the Download icon or Install if it appears.
3. Reset the Microsoft Store cache on each affected PC.
   • Press Windows key + R.
   • Run wsreset.exe.
   • A blank Command Prompt window opens briefly, then Microsoft Store opens automatically.
   • Search for Minecraft again or return to Library.
4. Update Windows, then restart the PC.
   • If Windows was recently updated and the PC was not restarted, Microsoft Store app installs can fail until after a restart.
5. Check whether the device is authorized and within the device limit.
   • A PC must be signed in with the Microsoft account that uses Microsoft Store apps.
   • If the account already has the maximum of 10 devices, remove an old device from the Microsoft account devices page, then try again.
6. Check for the common Store-side reasons the app may not appear.
   • Wrong country/region for the account or Store
   • Family settings hiding the app
   • App no longer available
   • Device compatibility issue
7. If Minecraft still shows as owned on one account but cannot be installed on the new PC, use Microsoft support for a private entitlement check.
   • For home users, the supported path is the Get help flow for Microsoft Store purchases, which can provide self-help or connect to chat/call support.

Based on the described history, Home Xbox/Game Pass may have masked the issue before, but the supported path here is to confirm which Microsoft account actually owns each copy in Order history, then install from that same account’s Microsoft Store > My Library, reset Store cache with wsreset.exe, restart after updates, and if still blocked, contact Microsoft support for purchase entitlement validation.

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